Meet the Waterford woman behind the musicals

Blánaid MacCann is a costume designer and co-founder, alongside the late Cathy Nolan, of NOMAC Productions. For almost 40 years, she has run the very successful costume creation and design business. She was most notably known for supplying banks and finance groups with their costumes for the Tops of the Town competition, an annual event in the Theatre Royal where local workplaces competed in aid of charity. 

She is also known for making all of the costumes for Waterford Panto Society, right back to when it started. To top it all off, she recently received the Waterford News & Star Green Room Lifetime Achievement Award. 

The Waterford News & Star went to the Tycor Business Park, where NOMAC Productions are based. Their shop is a treasure trove of thousands of costumes, most of which are handmade by Blánaid herself. In the sun-drenched ‘work room’ of the space, surrounded by fabric, sewing machines and an ever-growing list of upcoming productions, Blánaid told the News & Star all about the woman behind some of Ireland’s best-known costumes.

How did it all begin?

My mother was involved in the backstage work with Collins’ musical society in Cork. It was only once a year she did it. But I was always interested in sewing. Then when Tops of the Town started a friend of mine came to me, her husband was the chairperson of banks and finance, and she asked if I would give a hand.

Then they said, ‘Look, would you take over the costumes?’ and I said I would, not knowing what was involved. But I did and it was perfect and I loved it.

My children still talk about me being on the floor of the sitting room with the scissors cutting out stuff for Tops.

In the meantime, my best friend Cathy Nolan, she’s the NO of NOMAC. She was the NO, I’m the MAC. We said ‘sure we’ll start and we’ll see what’ll happen.’ So we rented a place on O’Connell street, beside Delaney’s on a little alley. We thought it was very chic. Garter Lane was just starting at that time as well.

Cathy left to go back to the States for a couple of years, she was from the States. I said I’d continue it on and see what happens. And this is what happened.

Was sewing for the Panto and Tops your full-time job?

Not at all. I had six children. I didn’t have time to be doing it all the time. It was a hobby. The whole point of it was a hobby, which was good fun. I could do it and still look after the kids, doing school runs and the usual things that you have to do.

What about it was good fun?

I can’t really say what attracted me to it but I suppose it's like somebody playing tennis. It’s just something you like doing and you do it.

What’s your favourite show you’ve seen?

My favourite show would probably be La Mancha, which Carrick are doing this week. I did the original one, the Irish premiere. You get a thrill out of that because you have to really use your imagination. Don’t forget back in those days, there was no internet. There was no way of sourcing. You had to really think. You’d listen to the music of the show but you had no visuals at all. But once the visuals came in, a lot of people started replicating. Before that, we had to use our imagination as to what we saw Jesus Christ Superstar to be. We had to really use our head.

It’s definitely less unique now. But we still change things, I try to get the girls involved and not just clatter stuff on.

I have an eye. I can pass by a piece of clothing and know that sleeve is too short or that skirt looks too long. I’d see a thread hanging out of something as I pass.

Being backstage at theatre, you’re always on the look out for threads hanging, hems down – the usual.

Have you ever had any close calls?

The worst one was with Tops. We are in the Gaiety, in the all-Ireland final. The Tops was a 52-minute show so you had about five scenes. When we got to the final, we all took the washing home and cleaned it. When we got up to Dublin, one of the girls had a whole set of costumes in a black sack that her son threw in the dump. Here we were in Dublin, with the morning only to try and replicate costumes from the 1900s. 

We did it, we got there but it was manic. My temper was flying. God help the girl; she spent her time out in the dump going through black sacks – she never found it. The opening scene was in that black bag.

How have you learned how to do all this?

I have a load of books. Before the internet, I had loads and loads of books. If I’m designing something for the sixteenth century, I’d read up about that.

I’m entirely self-taught.

I was a bit sick for a couple of years as a kid and there was a dressmaker next door and she used to give me leftover scraps and I’d make clothes for my dolls. That’s how I started sewing.

With my kids, I made all their communion dresses and confirmation clothes.

The youngest was about six and my oldest, the twins, were 16 when I started NOMAC. They supported me of course but none of them have an interest, which is a bit disappointing because who’s going to take it over?

But I have two grandchildren that are really into sewing. It skipped a generation.

I think my kids just thought of it like ‘sure that’s just mum’s hobby’ without really thinking of it as a business.

What's the value of being able to sew?

You couldn’t run a business like this without being able to sew. Between repairs, altering and making the period stuff from scratch.

I have two fabulous curtains there that someone gave me and I’ll definitely make a period piece out of them.

You're clearly very loved by the theatre community in Waterford

The friends I've made have been around for a long time. Tops, panto, musicals, theatre, anything. I've made some very good friends. The love of theatre; that's what it's all about.