Anne Armit

honour roll inductee

Biography

Anne Armit was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, and moved to Ottawa at the age of four. She entered Seneca College in 1972 and soon after was recognized as Student Designer of the Year and was subsequently awarded a scholarship for the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1976. She found work with a Canadian designer and as a seamstress at the St. Lawrence Centre in Toronto before obtaining freelance work for the National Ballet of Canada, Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Charlottetown Festival, The National Art Centre, and the Canadian Opera Company. A promotion to Junior Cutter at the St. Lawrence Centre was followed by an offer of employment from the National Ballet of Canada. She created costumes for films, television, commercial sand theatre, and was contracted for the Broadway musical Cats. Ms. Armit also ran her own freelance design business from 1979 to 1989.

Ms. Armit held the position of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Director of Wardrobe from 1989 to 2013. As Director of Wardrobe, Ms. Armit held the department with a firm and resolute hand. The enormous amount of work the department produces makes it one of the busiest departments of the RWB. The Professional Division counts for five major costumed events, The Recreational Division has more than 1200 students and a multitude of programs requiring wardrobe services, and the Company generates approximately one new creation each year. Additionally, costume fitting and altering occur for every production of the season, and rentals of RWB productions are an essential revenue to the RWB. Ms. Armit was wonderful at managing the requirements of each production and directing her staff to accomplish the task at hand.

Ms. Armit’s legacy is one that rejuvenated and transformed the costume style of the RWB. Her vision allowed for the aesthetic evolution of traditional masterpieces and established a subtle, yet an audacious vision for ground-breaking new works. As a major contributor in the costume design for several new productions including Peter Pan, Moulin Rouge® – The Ballet, and Twyla Tharp’s The Princess and The Goblin.  Her vision for approaching contemporary ballet was always calculated with meticulous attention to detail.

Ms. Armit’s work established a solid foundation that inspired, mentored, and nurtured today’s generation of Wardrobe Director, Cutter, and Seamstress.