My Wardrobe Philosophy
When I entered college, I initially planned to focus on costume technology with wardrobe as a secondary interest. However, my apprenticeship at Santa Fe Opera solidified my passion for wardrobe and wardrobe supervision. I view wardrobe as a vital support position within the context of the show, and this perspective shapes my approach to working with performers.
My goal backstage is to be a calm, level-headed presence. Actors have plenty to worry about, and if I can reduce their anxiety by consistently and professionally executing quick changes, answering questions, and repairing costumes, then I feel I am contributing to the broader production.
With my background in stitching, I possess the technical skills (techne) essential for the on-the-fly problem solving (phronesis) that I believe wardrobe supervisors should possess. To me, knowing how to perform repairs the "right" way provides a strong foundation for making "quick and dirty" repairs that live theatre inevitably demands.
Wardrobe Resources
At the 2024 USITT Conference in Seattle, I presented a poster project titled "Making Wardrobe at Educational Institutions More Accessible to Trans and Nonbinary Students". Below is the Google Drive Folder Containing the referenced documents.
They include:
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"Universal Measurement Sheet Template" - adapted by Lara Berich for Niagara University from the Santa Fe Opera
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"Dressing Room Sign Up Template" - a signup template for a private dressing space
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"Wardrobe Survey Template" - a template for the survey I send out to casts to get a sense of their dressing room needs and preferences.
Wardrobe Paperwork
The Seagull French Scene Breakdown
Niagara University Theatre
Featured Much Ado About Nothing Costume Lookbooks
Niagara University Theatre
Rent Wardrobe Track Example
One of my favorite elements of wardrobe is creating tracks for dressers. As a dresser, I love clear, detailed tracks that I can follow like a checklist. At Niagara, I regularly worked with crew who had no wardrobe experience, so I tried to make each track as specific and clear as possible to minimize confusion and errors.
Rent Actor Change Breakdowns
For performers with multiple quick or complicated changes, I like to write a breakdown of each change. I have found that both I and the actor benefit from having a posted pre-established list of where/when changes occurred and what garments were dealt with in which order. After hanging change breakdowns in the areas where the changes occur, I saw an increase in the speed and consistency of changes.
