Dance costume, enchantress from Rapunzel

This dance costume, worn by the witch in Rapunzel, was designed and made by Paul Jenden for a series of shows created by Paul known as 'Fairy Stories'. They were performed throughout New Zealand between the mid 1990s until 2004.

The shows were a comic mix of interchanging children's fairy stories, current events, pop culture and humorous references to gay sexuality and gender identity. Most of the traditionally female characters were played by men and the male parts played by women. Although the shows were based around children's fairy stories they were entirely reinterpreted and intentionally twisted for dramatic effect and to appeal to an adult audience.