Celebrating the quick change artists

Interviewed recently about her performance in the play “Legally Blonde”, the ex Gavin & Stacey star Sheridan Smith said that one of the hardest parts of the play was the number of costume changes. With nineteen changes in the play Sheridan admits to sometimes wearing two or three costumes on top of each other. However, she will have to go a long way before she can match some of the quick change specialists.

Interviewed recently about her performance in the play “Legally Blonde”, the ex Gavin & Stacey star Sheridan Smith said that one of the hardest parts of the play was the number of costume changes. With nineteen changes in the play Sheridan admits to sometimes wearing two or three costumes on top of each other. However, she will have to go a long way before she can match some of the quick change specialists.

The first reference to quick change art comes in the early 1600s with mentions of quick changes in Japanese kabuki theatre and also of an Italian actor performing a quick change act in Bologna. More recently, quick change acts have been mixed with other forms of entertainment such as magic or dance. Current world record holders, Sos and Victoria Petrosyan combine magic and dance in their act and their record of sixteen changes in two minutes is breathtaking. Other forms of quick change acts include Ennio Marchetto who wows audiences worldwide with over 300 costumes made of paper and cardboard.

Whilst we applaud these quick change specialists, sometimes we wish they could bring some of their speedy magic to our own lives. In particular, to the change over time needed as one set of tenants moves out and another set waits to move in. Serviced apartments, holiday lets or longer term tenants all bring the same problems. Inevitably, the tenants leave it to the last moment to move out and the new ones want to arrive “a bit early”.

Our main top tip for these times is to be organised. For serviced apartments and holiday lets, make sure you not only have complete spare sets of bedding and towels, as soon as they have been washed, bundle and label them for each room so that it is quicker to make changes. Also pre-pack all your cleaning products with those for kitchen and bathroom in separate compartments. Take along a large laundry hamper or sack, strip the beds and lay the fresh bundles on top. Then attack the cleaning. If you can bring a team of cleaners, allocate duties before you start, making sure that the most conscientious are allocated kitchen and bathroom. Clean the rooms thoroughly, remove the rubbish and then make the beds and add finishing touches such as fresh flowers.

For longer term tenancies you will usually need to make some minor repairs or redecorate before the next tenants move in. Inspect the property well in advance and book your decorating and repair team so that they are ready to start on the day the tenants move out.

Pre-planning your change-over will ensure a quick change which in turn maximises the income from your property. With a little practice you will be surprised at how fast and smooth the change over will become. As for the quick change artists, we’ll leave them to reveal their secrets.