Remembering Iris Lenny

Iris was an active member of SLTC, starting the wardrobe almost from the theatre's 1967 inception, with Ann Mattey taking over in the 1970s. Her name therefore features in the our book covering the history of SLT.

I was the costume designer for several shows, with Iris an invaluable part of my costume team. Among these was The Wizard of Oz, with Iris involved in making the Munchkins' patchwork cloaks - each cloak using four yards of patchwork fabric, created from spare costumes - for a very large cast. Finian's Rainbow also benefited from her detailed and meticulous work.

"Iris largely worked in Wardrobe but thanks to your archive I now realise she also took on various roles from lighting to stage manager. Her dad, my grandfather Bert Lenny, worked on sets on various productions in the early years. (My mum tells me he used to have a seat with his name on.)

Wardrobe Lead Jenny Bennett confirmed that some actors specifically asked to be dressed by Iris given her unmatched attention to detail, indeed a patchwork cloak she made for the Munchkins in a 1979 production of The Wizard of Oz is still in the costume department today. Iris later ran a fancy-dress hire business from an attic full of extraordinary clothes, and later a children’s clothes shop.

As a child I recall excitedly being driven around the South Circular, looking forward to see some of the productions Iris was involved in, particularly around Christmas time. I recall the pride after seeing the Wizard of Oz knowing she had made several of the costumes.

As she approached the end of her life, I regularly spoke to Iris about the time she was involved in the theatre; it was a very happy period of her life. She honed the skills she had largely taught herself or been taught by her mother and grandmother during and following World War II, when clothes and fabric were rationed. The skill stayed with her (she made me a beautiful Edwardian bustle dress to wear on my 18th birthday, and more recently a gold cloak for my winter wedding). Her skills have been passed down the generations, her great niece recently using Iris' sewing machine to make a 40s style dress for her own graduation."