Wardrobe Supervisor

Job Duties

The wardrobe supervisor is responsible for all of the costumes featured in a show. They are responsible for maintaining the costume designer’s vision through the course of the show, from tech to the end of the run. They keep track of the costumes, examine them regularly, and clean and mend costumes where necessary. They then press the costumes to make sure they look fresh and vibrant on stage. As well as mending, the wardrobe supervisor may also refit and make alterations to costumes when needed. If accompanying a show on tour, the wardrobe supervisor will pack the costumes for the cast, ensuring that they are safe, protected, and easy to find.

The wardrobe supervisor is normally in charge of a team of dressers and other related costume technicians, such as dyers and stitchers. They assign each dresser to assist specific cast members, ensuring that everyone knows exactly where they are supposed to be at what time. They are a key player in the ‘backstage choreography’ of a show, working out how many dressers are needed and ensuring that they are appropriately placed. The wardrobe supervisor explains to the dresser how each costume change works, including specific fastenings and layers of clothing. They also supervise the arrangement of costumes on dress racks, ensuring that they are in the correct sequence to appear on stage.

In addition to the dressers, the wardrobe supervisor also keeps in regular contact with the companies who take the laundry and the theatrical dry cleaners. They create an efficient cleaning schedule for all garments, ensuring that laundry and dry cleaning are done regularly between performances. Depending on the size of the show, they may have a crew of specialists ready to re-bead, sow, or dye costumes. The wardrobe supervisor must be ready to deal with a costume malfunction, stain, or accidental damage at a moment’s notice. They become used to the rhythm of a show and the patterns of the actors, and often realize a problem has occurred before it becomes apparent.

At the end of a show’s run, the wardrobe supervisor oversees the costume strike. They provide an accurate inventory of all the costumes used throughout the show and, if any items have been rented, ensure that they are restored to their original condition.

Terminology

• Backstage: The area of the theatre not accessible or visible to the audience.
• Wardrobe: The team of designers and costume construction crew that creates the costumes.