Recognition for Spectrum's Little Mermaid at Canberra Area Theatre Awards

Costume maker Robyn Whitby and her team have received a Recognition of Excellence for the many complex costumes - almost 40 - that were made from scratch for the production.

The show also received commendation for the direction and choreography by Amber Little, who was also part of the costume team along with Donna Cotter and Kathleen Brewster.

Robyn Whitby said it was a real team effort not only to make the costumes but to maintain them throughout the show.

"Donna did a lot of the creatures; she's really good with plastics and synthetics, painting them, and joining them," Robyn said.

"Amber did some of the key creatures including Ursula and the Mersisters and I did all the humans with help from Kathleen particularly for Ariel's beautiful pink dress. The Mersisters all had floaty tails that requires a lot of work."

Ursula's costume included multiple tentacles like an octopus, that had to stick out, requiring stuffing and wiring.

"There were some that were practically sown into their costumes each night," Robyn added.

"I always had a needle and cotton on hand, it was pretty full on and the kids would see a hole, a zipper wouldn't work or they'd just come to us if there was a problem.

"I would have stepped in on many occasions with repairs and Donna had a glue gun plugged in all the time. I had the sewing machine and ironing board in use all the time," she said.

"There were lots of challenges which grew the team - and we grew with the costumes and the maintenance of them. If we had to do it again, we've now got a lot of experience under our belts which we didn't have before. With the crew developing it pushes you into more research," Robyn said.

Amber Little said the cast was a "great bunch of kids" especially at a time when it took a while to get the show to its final iteration.

"We started rehearsals and then had to stop because of COVID. We tried to get it into that year (2020) but couldn't and so had to recast lead roles," Amber said.

"In the end it gave some of the younger kids a chance to step up and we ended up with a very talented cast."

But it wasn't just COVID that produced challenges. During key rehearsal time there were floods and with cast members from around the Bega Valley Shire, there were concerns for how they would get to the show.

"It was two years in the making and we were so lucky because a week after the show, we were shut down again," Amber said.

She said the choreography presented its own challenges.

"We had done a far bit the year before and there we were a year later trying to remember it. Kristy Fontaine helped enormously and with Jodie Meaker and Donna Cotter it was a real team effort. I couldn't have done it without them," Amber said.

In between time Amber was working on the costume for Ursula, played by her daughter Aria Little.

"We started with the idea of a tutu but in the shape of a huge donut. It was over a year in the making.

Amber said she saw the sequinned corset and built the entire costume around that.

"I couldn't get material to match the corset but I found pants in a similar design and pulled them apart to create the tentacles that were stuffed and wired to stand out."

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Dreamcoat Productiona also received a commendation for donating all profits from Mamma Mia! to the Sapphire Coast Social Justice Advocates to help their work in bushfire relief in the local community.