The Wardrobe Department

by Garvey, Elaine

Theatre: technical & background skills

Published 15/01/2026 by Canongate Books in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 240 pages

AN IRISH TIMES DEBUT AUTHOR TO LOOK OUT FOR 2025'Beautifully written' LOUISE KENNEDY'Full of verve and wit and humanity' MARY COSTELLO'Clever and original' TLS'A tremendous new talent' KEVIN BARRY Mairéad works tirelessly in a run-down West End theatre's wardrobe department - mending shoes, fixing broken zips and even handwashing underwear. She must also sidestep groping hands backstage and withstand the relentless bullying of the show's producer.

The job was meant to be the first step towards the life Mairéad has always wanted, and yet half of her remains back home in Ireland, along with everything she abandoned there. A reckoning with the past is coming and, with it, the need to forge a new present - one stitch at a time.