Suggested Pre-requirements: Fundamentals of Costume, or equal sewing experience. Wardrobe Supervisor must have prior Wardrobe experience.
Credits: 1 Practicum Type: Regular (Pass/Fail)
Report To: Daneé Gosselin drgosselin@usnh.edu, Stage Manager (for call times and other information)
Locations: Hanaway/Cheney Theatre, Dressing Rooms, Costume Shop (Silver206)
Time Commitment: First Dress (typically Monday of show week) through closing of show. Late nights for that week are required.
Responsibilities:
- Wardrobe:
- Attend at least one Crew Watch before tech. Your stage manager will tell you when these will be.
- Wardrobe Supervisor:
- Create a schedule of who will stay late/arrive early the next day
- Be available for questions regarding repairs and fabric care during the run of the show
- Fill in Wardrobe duties where needed (as per information below)
Anything Else: You will report to Daneé in most instances, but you will be working under the Stage Manager, so refer to them for call times. Please come meet with Daneé in the week prior to the show to discuss duties. Expect to be in full blacks (shirt, pants, shoes, visible socks) starting on First Dress.
Due to the nature of working Wardrobe, late nights in the costume shop are unavoidable. If at all possible we will try to have more than one person assigned, so whoever stays late to launder and repair can switch off with whoever comes early the next day to fold, iron, and return items to the show racks. If you are a Wardrobe crew of One, you are absolutely allowed to have a friend come and hang out with you while you wait to switch laundry over – just let me know who this will be. Bring snacks, music, whatever you need. Try to be out by midnight and make sure that someone can walk home with you.
Below is a comprehensive list of guidelines for Wardrobe to follow:
- Before each performance/dress rehearsal:
- Finish washing and drying by at least 2 hours before call
- Have all costumes pressed, steamed, and ready by 1 hour before call. This includes brushing/restyling any wigs
- Check every costume piece to make sure that it is ready and in run condition
- Assist actors in styling their hair or applying makeup as needed
- Verify that we have enough makeup supplies (cotton swabs, baby wipes) and hair product (hairspray, gel, wig caps, hair pins) for the show. If anything is running low, please notify me before we run out.
- Post a Costume Issue Sheet (a lined piece of paper with “Costume Issues” and the current date) on each dressing room door and write down any costume-related issues, or have actors write them. If they write it in, they need to physically show you the problem first, for clarification.
- During each performance/dress rehearsal:
- Make any small repairs on the spot as possible; do quick fixes (hand sewing, safety pins, hem tape) if there is no time for a real repair and make a note on the Issue Sheet if something needs a more permanent fix the next morning
- Be available for any scheduled quick changes that are assigned, including pre-setting and re-setting pieces backstage (check with the actor first as sometimes they prefer to do their own presets)
- Make sure that garments are hung back up when no longer needed
- After each performance/dress rehearsal:
- Make sure that all wigs and hats are on their head forms
- Do a sweep of the theatre to gather any stray garments and re-hang them neatly
- Start at least one load of laundry that will be okay to stay in the washing machine until the next morning, usually basics. Anything that needs handwashing or hang-drying (such as bras and tights) needs to be washed directly after the rehearsal/performance and hung up to dry overnight. Waiting to hang it to dry until the next morning will not give it enough time to dry! Please remember to separate laundry into whites/lights and darks. Any garment that has been dyed by the shop should be washed separately from other items.
- Take the Costume Issue Sheet from each dressing room and gather all the garments mentioned. Hang these on a spare rolling rack and leave them with the issue sheets in the costume shop
- Remember, all repairs are the responsibility of the Wardrobe Crew starting after the first performance. If you do not know how to fix something, come see me so I can show you.