Meg Fletcher Designs and Orbital FX bring the house down with collaboration to create Joseph’s Technicolour Dreamcoat
//
Meg Fletcher Designs and Orbital FX met at the Big Creative UK Investment Summit after both participating in the North East Create Growth Programme. Recognising each other’s unique skillsets and overlap in industry, the two companies kept in touch and shared skills and advice on various projects until an opportunity to collaborate on a project arose.
That opportunity presented itself when Meg Fletcher assisted in the costume creation for a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat put on by the Alnwick Stage Musical Society.
Meg Fletcher and Orbital FX’s Luke Daley shared how they came together to work on the process, and how their collaboration took shape.
Meg Fletcher:
I first met Luke and Karen Daley and the team at Orbital FX through the Creative UK North East Growth Programme. We connected in February 2025 at Creative UK’s conference at Kings Place in London. We came from different disciplines, but there was a clear overlap in how we approached ideas. We stayed in touch after meeting. We both knew we wanted to work together, but we were waiting for the right project!
That project came one year later, when I was designing the Technicolour Dreamcoat for Alnwick Stage Musical Society’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
The silhouette is something I have returned to across my work. I have made four chiffon capes before, each with its own challenges. This became a fifth iteration, pushing my skills by integrating an LED system into the garment.
To do that, I approached Luke and his team.
Luke Daley:
Meg approached us to explore how we could help bring her vision for Joseph’s coat to life. The brief was simple: create something illuminated, something truly show-stopping for their performances.
Meg Fletcher:
The process was collaborative from the start. My role focused on the garment itself. I developed the silhouette, pattern cut the piece, and constructed the chiffon drape in a way that could support and conceal the internal system.
Luke Daley:
We worked closely to shape the concept before moving into fabrication, beginning with the fibreglass cowl. With time and budget constraints ruling out a full digital master, we took a more hands-on approach, laying fibreglass directly over a protected shoulder form and trimming it back to achieve the intended profile. This became the foundation for the entire system.
This is exactly the intersection we love operating in, where art meets technical problem-solving.
Meg Fletcher:
For me, the intention was always to create a moment. I did not need to make an LED coat for this production. I could have made it entirely from fabric. But I am interested in pushing ideas further and using projects like this to explore what is possible.
Luke Daley:
We developed a fully battery-powered system capable of delivering the required current while remaining wearable and practical for performance. Custom belt-mounted enclosures were designed in SOLIDWORKS to house the battery, power regulation, and switching, allowing the performer to quickly connect and disconnect from the cape. Within a day, these designs were brought to life on our Bambu Lab printers and assembled with their internal hardware.
Interaction was a key part of the performance. As Joseph calls out his 29 colours, we implemented a simple and reliable control system. One button cycles through each colour, while a second triggers a full rainbow animation for the final crescendo. Custom grips were designed and integrated into lightweight plumbing tube, keeping everything discreet and comfortable within the costume.
The final stage brought everything together. The controller and wiring harnesses were mounted to the fibreglass shell, which Meg then expertly patterned and finished. After final testing, including a slightly unconventional service station swap-out of a faulty LED strip, the system was dialled in and ready for performance.
By all accounts, it worked flawlessly.
Meg Fletcher:
More broadly, this project shows what can happen when creative businesses in the North East are connected. It allows the wider industry to look to the region for specialist work. It also shows that projects like this can be developed here through collaboration.
I would like to see more of this. More projects coming into the North East that push how things are made, and more opportunities for creatives to work together.
Luke Daley:
We are incredibly proud to support local creative talent and collaborate on projects like this, where combined skills and shared vision result in something far greater than the sum of its parts.
Teamwork makes the technicolour dream work.
Meg Fletcher:
This project has also shaped how I see my role going forward. I want to be involved at the start of projects, contributing ideas as they develop. I would like to continue working across theatre and costume, building on collaborations like this.
The LED Technicolour Dreamcoat is now available for sale or licensing, with potential for use across theatre, performance and live events.
