Wardrobe

(I.A.T.S.E. LOCAL 357)​​​​​​​

A Wardrobe Attendant’s function is to attend to actors getting in and out of costume and to maintain the costumes throughout the course of a season. It is our goal to assist Actors in the best way possible over the long performance season. Approximately two-thirds of our workweek involves performance hours and the rest (usually 16–20 hours) is spent maintaining, cleaning, and repairing costumes. Our days may begin at 8a.m. and end after the final curtain of the day.

Since we begin working around the time of technical rehearsals, this is usually the first opportunity for new people in the company to meet us and vice versa. It is certainly a somewhat strange situation to have a person whom you have just met help you to dress but please rest assured it is our job to assist you in a professional manner. The purpose of this section is to introduce the Wardrobe Attendants role earlier, to relieve some of the anxiety around technical rehearsals. If you have any questions or concerns about your Attendant please speak to the head of Wardrobe in your venue. ​​​​​​​

Each theatre has a Wardrobe Head which supervises a team of Attendants. Each Wardrobe Head has the overall responsibility for the care of the costumes used in their particular theatre. An attendant (or more) is assigned to each dressing room for each production. The attendant and the actor organize together when and where changes take place, especially if they are not in the dressing room (backstage etc). This conversation will take place once costumes begin to be used in onstage rehearsals. The attendant will give priority to the actors with the fastest changes in any given moment. It is important to the show as a whole for actors and attendants to be in the right place at the right time. It may be the only time an attendant has an opportunity to assist with a particular change before moving on to another actor.

Please hang up your costume when you take it off (time permitting, of course) to help maintain the longevity of the garment. It is your attendant’s responsibility to check that all costumes are stored properly at the end of the performance. A laundry basket is provided in each dressing room for the show laundry. Into it go socks (pinned together), T-shirts, underwear, dance belts, etc. We ask that you ensure that your laundry goes into the basket. Some items have been dyed or painted, for this reason certain costumes can only be dry cleaned but we do launder as much as we can in-house. All costumes are washed or dry cleaned as necessary. Sometimes, due to the performance schedule, there is not enough time to send items out to the dry cleaners until the following week. If you have questions about a specific garment please ask the Attendant assigned to you.

Actors, please help us keep your costumes looking and smelling great!

Please keep the following in mind when wearing costumes:

Unfortunately, it is impossible to remove odour once it gets into the costume fibers.

-Showering, particularly after strenuous warm-ups, and wearing a T-shirt (T-shirts are provided where possible) and underwear under your costume are ways to help keep odours and stains to a minimum.

-We respect that everyone has a different view on antiperspirants and deodorants. If you are open to wearing these, we have found that antiperspirant is more effective than deodorant, talcum powder or salt crystals. 

-Due to the staining nature of sunscreen, please be sure to wash it thoroughly from the body before putting on a costume.

-Trains & Capes: Please pick up the train of a gown or cape so it does not drag on the floor backstage. This will help reduce the risk of the costume getting caught and possibly torn or dirty. It could also help prevent a tripping accident.

- Please do not bring food or drinks into the dressing rooms.

- Wearing a cover-up is required over your costume when you are not on stage or in your dressing room (eg. greenroom, outside balconies, etc.).

- Never go outside in wardrobe footwear.

- Smoking is not allowed while in costumes. This is due to the high risk of damage as well as the odours that stick to the costume fibers . We appreciate your cooperation on this matter.

The final point we would like you to note concerns dressing-room space. The rooms may look spacious during rehearsals, but once we get all the costumes, hats, shoes and personal boxes for all the productions in the theatre into the dressing rooms, space diminishes quickly. Therefore, we ask you to keep personal belongings to a minimum once technical rehearsals begin.

Thank you for taking time to read up on wardrobe maintenance and the role of wardrobe attendants. Any questions on the material above please reach out to John Bynum, Head of Wardrobe at the Festival Theatre jbynum@stratfordfestival.ca