4. Individual Job Role Media Evidence and Documentation

Pre Show Documents

First Running Order

 First Dressers Changes

This was the first draft of the Running Order for the Costume changes. Initially I thought it made sense to  separate each dressers and assign them different Dancers to change so that everyone had something to do at all times  I had also included the Hair and Makeup for the dressers to do as I didn't think there were enough people to have separate Hair and Makeup.

I felt it necessary to give every dancer a dresser so they felt they were looked after properly and also so they could look their best for their performance. I also thought that it would enable the Dressers to make sure that the costumes were not in disrepair or were going to effect the Dancers performance in anyway. 

I had four Dressers Anna S, Joe M, Abi and Lauren. I gave them sheets for each day which I left on the notice board in P1.10.

Second Costume Change Running Order

For the second draft of the running order I now had Hair and Make up so I had redo the running order for the dressers. There was also a change in the running order to Wednesday as we discovered that some of the Dancers would be on a college trip. However they were able to get their later on in the day which meant that if they were in the start of the show they would now be in the end of the show. 

In addition to this I was given a sheet from the SM for the rooms which the Dancers could change in. Each dancer was put in a room that corresponded with how long they needed to get changed. The fewer performances you were in the higher up you were. It was done like this for practicality. However I was still concious of overcrowding in the top floor room. As if the room was too overcrowded the dancers would find it hard to move about and get ready easily.

  

Which subsequently created a register for each room the dressers would be in. This document changed alot as we found out the requirements of the dancers and how long they felt they would need to get changed. 

Which I again left in P1.10 for them to pick up. 

 I also created another document to give out to the dancers that would hopefully answer any questions they had and help them to understand the running order. I also put my number on the sheet so they were able to ask me any questions they had.

Even though this system seemed to work in my head at the time, upon reflection I can now see how chaotic it would have been to actually achieve. Also some of the Dancers were only in one piece and didn't really need a dresser assigned to them. All they needed was to be checked by me just before they went into the Performance space as the ASM and DSM usually collected them 4-5 minutes prior to their performance which gave me enough time to make quick alterations and fixes to costumes if need be. 

Dress Rehearsal/ Show Morning

Above are some images of the spaces we are going to use for the dancers dressing rooms. I will use the table and the side tables in each room to lay out the equipment from the equipment lists in each room so that each of my dressers will have what they need to hand. As these rooms will be used for the slower changes it is important to utilise the use of the large mirrors so that the dancers can check their make up and costumes before they come down as an extra precaution. 

Safe practice is also a large part of a Wardrobe Managers job role so I decided to go around the dancers and check their costumes for loose material or long threads. As you can see in the above image she has stands of blue and gold material coming from her waist. It was their for essential that I told the dancers that they had to check every single costume before the dancer left the room to ensure that the costume was going to be comfortable for the dancers to dance in and wasn't going to effect their performance in any way.

During the preshow and the get in I was able to have time to iron the majority of the costumes for the dancers. This was to ensure that the dancers looked their best in the costumes. At this time I also checked for any broken seems or damaged items. 

There were are few minor alterations and stitching to be done to a few of the costumes. For example I had to fix the darts in a pair of suit trousers and fix the shoulder of one of the dresses. 

After the dress rehearsal I was able to gather some feedback from the director. As follows.

Which I was then able to implement the next day and on the morning of the event. This included some changes to hair and make up as well as some hemming that had to be done on one of the skirts. 

This video shows me setting up the area I was in charge of. 

By being downstairs I was able to keep a close eye on every dancers that went in and out of the Gallery and Drawing Room so I could make sure that their costume hair and make up were to the highest standard possible. So I made mental notes and notes on my phone as to what I wanted to change or have done better on the dress rehearsal so it was even better for the show nights. 

Following my notes from the dress rehearsal I decided to talk to the Hair and Make up people about changes I'd like to be made to the make up that I noticed. The video above demonstrates this By doing this it enables me to have direct communication with the people I was overseeing which in turn made the show the best that it could be from the perspective of the Hair and Makeup. It also allowed the dancers to feel that they were being looked after well and that we were going to make sure they not only looked the best they could but were as comfortable as possible. 

In addition to this I instructed the Hair and Makeup team to be as efficient as possible and lay out their tables in a neat and ordered fashion so they were able to find everything they needed as quickly as possible to ensure that the show ran smoothly and there were no delays or mishaps with the make up or hair.