Motorised mice and hideous death masks: bringing The Witches to life on stage

The witch report … Katherine Kingsley, who plays the Grand High Witch. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Across the hidden hallways, humming workshops and bustling backstage spaces at the National Theatre, preparation is well under way for a musical version of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Everyone is busy. Very busy. The wham (wigs, hair and makeup) team are working at full capacity on more than 50 wigs, including a fair few that emit smoke on cue. The armoury department has been tackling robotic mice and runaway chefs’ hats for nine long months, the costume department is handling its largest workload in 10 years (300 costumes and counting) and, over in scenic design, the painters have been sampling colours – including 20 different types of pink – since early summer.

Johanna Coe, costume designer at the National Theatre. Behind the scenes during the creation of the Theatre’s new and biggest production, The Witches. London Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian