National Theater Blooms with Unexpected Color Source: A Natural Dye Garden
London – The National Theatre is cultivating a vibrant, and surprisingly practical, secret garden on its roof, transforming the concrete space into a source of natural dyes for costumes. Challenging the perception that plant-based colours are muted, dye specialist Jenny Honeybone is achieving striking hues, including “neon greens and yellows,” reviving techniques used by historical costumers.
Honeybone disputes the idea that colours of the past were faded, stating, “Our forefathers were drowning in colour. They loved it, it wasn’t hard to get and all the tapestries that were up on the wall were a riot of colour.What we’re seeing now is the sad, faded leftovers.” The garden began with a spontaneous experiment sparked by a Mother’s Day bouquet. “My daughter gave me a bunch of flowers…and I noticed there was some golden rod in it, so whisked that out and dyed with it just to see what it yielded. And it was the most glorious, strong yellow.”
Beyond its practical use for dyeing fabrics, the garden serves as a wellbeing space for theatre staff and a vital habitat for pollinators. Actors are frequently observed using the garden to rehearse lines, finding respite from the bustle of the theatre.The diverse dye plants have attracted a surge in wildlife, including hummingbird moths and bees which contribute to honey production on the National Theatre roof.
“We’re seeing so much more wildlife…and we’ve got bees…which produce honey for the National Theatre,” explained wardroper, adding that the bees are thriving on the “new stock of plants that they just haven’t had access to.”
The National Theatre hopes to eventually produce the majority of its costumes using natural dyes, embracing a sensory and sustainable approach to wardrobe creation. Honeybone describes the process as “such an all round sensory experience, totally engulfed in the smells and the feeling…it is indeed just marvelous.”
