Wardrobe Supervisor

The wardrobe supervisor is responsible for supervising all wardrobe related activities during the course of a theatrical run. The modern title "wardrobe supervisor" has evolved from the more traditional titles of "wardrobe mistress/master" or "mistress/master of the wardrobe". The wardrobe supervisor may be present at some production meetings and fittings, their primary responsibilities generally begin at the load-in stage of a production. At load-in physical custody and responsibility for the costumes shifts from the costume designer and shop staff to the wardrobe supervisor.

The wardrobe supervisor supervises all dressers working on a production. In consultation with the production manager, stage manager and sometimes the director, the wardrobe supervisor helps to coordinate and assign dressers to specific performers and tasks. They help determine where and how costume changes are made. Generally, the wardrobe supervisor decides whether a point in a production requires a quick change backstage, or if there is time for a normal change in the dressing room. All dressers report directly to the wardrobe supervisor, who acts as primary liaison between dressers, the costumer, and stage management.

The wardrobe supervisor's primary responsibilities include:

A good wardrobe supervisor ensures that costumes look as fresh and new for the last performance as they did on opening night.

J. Michael Gillette Theatrical Design & Production Mayfield Publishing Company, Mountainview CA, 1992

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