The document outlines the responsibilities of a dresser in a theatrical production. A dresser assists performers with costume changes and ensures they are dressed and ready in time for their cues. For an upcoming show at Arley Hall, the dresser must be familiar with the running order and layout to help multiple performers with quick changes between performances happening simultaneously in adjacent rooms. Precise timing and preparation is needed to avoid delays and keep the performances running smoothly. The dresser plays a crucial but demanding role in supporting performers and the production as a whole.

1. My role in Arley Hall is a dresser so I have thoroughly researched the responsibilities and duties
which are involved in the process of the job role. A dresser is at the bottom of the backstage
hierarchy however without the minor job roles the production as a whole wouldn’t be able to
function. In a bigger production, a dresser comes under cutters and tailors, who come under the
wardrobe supervisor and costume designer however at Arley Hall my role as a dresser will come
under the wardrobe mistress and the technical stage manager.
A dresser is a member of the theatrical crew who is involved with the maintaining of costume quality
at each performance. They are hired by the director, producer, or wardrobe supervisor and they
report directly to the wardrobe supervisor and are usually paid by the hour and not salaried.
Dressers are responsible for assisting cast members with costume changes and fast changes back
and side of stage, when necessary.In a show, many frantic hands work behind the scenes to ensure
performers get on set, on time and with the look the designer intended. The job responsibility of a
dresser is simple to explain, but it takes the precision of a pro to execute: Making sure the performer
is dressed on time for their curtain call.
Below is the layout of Arley Hall. Performances are taking place simultaneously in two adjacent
rooms within the house, the gallery and the drawing room. The audience will be split in half and will
be sat in one of the two perforances spaces for the first half and then after the interval they will
swap rooms ready to see the second half of the show. Dancers may be required to perform e.g. a
solo in the gallery space, then quickly have to be ‘performance ready’ to be in the drawing room
ready for a group dance. As a dresser I have to know the running order of both rooms and which
performers will need help with quick changes and where abouts in the hall there costumes will be
placed in order for them to be ready for their curtain call.

2. For fast changes we will be using the Main Staircase Hall (which is higlighted by a red square for the
purpose of this essay) as it is situated between both the gallery and the drawing room (highlighted in
blue). Below is the running order for the night of Wednesday 12th Feburary.
Gallery:Drawing Room:
1.Verity Solo
2. Courteney Solo
3. Mike and Lily’s Duet
4. Emily M Solo
5. Anna’s Group (Evan, Elle and Emily P)
6. Abbie W Solo
7. Megan Solo
8. Alice solo
9. Beth Solo
10. Georgia’s Group (Naomi, Mike, Becky)
1. Emily P Solo
2. Chloe Solo
3. Naomi Solo
4. Holly Solo
5. Zara’s Group ( Verity, Jess C, Courteney)
6. Jess G Solo
7. Jodie’s Group (Anna, Emily P, Amy)
8. Lucy Solo
9. Leah Solo
10. Verity’s Group (Zara, Emily P, Courteney)
As you can see performers such as Emily P and Courteney (Emily In Blue, Courteney in Red) are
involved in multiple perforances taking place in both adjacent rooms. If I was dressing Emily P I
would have to make sure her costumes are placed in the order of her performances such as her Solo,
Anna’s Group Dance, Jodie’s Group Dance and Verity’s Group Dance in the Main Staircase Hall in
order for her to be changed in time to make it back into the room she is required in. Between Anna’s
and Jodie’s group dance there is only one performance lasting approximately 2.5 minutes and Emily
P will have to go from the Gallery to the Main Staircase Hall to the Drawing Room dressed within this
time limit. This is just one scenario I am faced with as a dresser. In many productions the cast will
have even shorter time periods such as 40 seconds and I would be expected to get them ready at the
side of the performance space but without distracting the audience in order for it to remain
porfessional.
As a dresser it is important for me to make the casts experience as a performer as pleasant as I
possibly can whilst maintain a porfessional attitude in such a (which can be) stressful enviroment. It
is my duty to make sure they get on stage on time looking performance ready and it is my
responsibility to make sure they meet the choreographers of the pieces expectations for how they
should look – this goes for all performers not just the ones mentioned earlier.
I have talked a lot about the responsibilties and duties of a dresser in a smaller production such as
the dance show in Arley Hall but in a production on a bigger scale a dresser would also be required
to be very knowledagable of the show, know the performers cues, complete costumes changes
efficently and complete duties lke storing and cleaning costumes as most shows are not just shown
the once. Just like Arley hall costumes must always be prepared and it is a dressers duty to work out
costume changes in advance so that there is not a mid-show crsis. Dressers are reponsible for
maintaining the routine and pace of getting an actor/dancer/singer etc ready and dressed quickly
but acqurately.
The way in which I perform my role will affect other roles in the backstage hierarchy strucure which
is why it must be done correctly. If not done correctly it will affect the make up artisits, wardrobe
mistresses and the performances mental state before there cucial performances. A prime example is
that if the dancer is not dressed in the apprirate time period the make-up artist will not have time to
complete the appriate image on them effecting their job role and putting their career on the line. So
it is not only our duty to get them dressed but it is our responsibility to be aware of the other jobs
which need to be completed.

3. Although a dresser has many responsibilties during show time, a dressers would also have many day
to day dutys to forfill such as working with the costume designer and to be shown how to fit and
dress performers efficently but without damaging the costumes. Many theatre costumes have
added layers which have been specifically constructed to be removed and added quickly and safely.
As a dresser we should be aware of this and practise with the performers before shows in order to
get into a calming routine so that the performer is comftable with what is going on around them.
As you can see there is much more responsibility than initially thought when hearing the job role of a
dresser. Without dressers mass productions wouldn’t be able to function no way near as well as they
do without this individual job role. It is important to remember this when climbing up the hierachy
as it is the team below you which make the performance possible and allow productions to run ever
so smoothly.