Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1993 - 47

Include rhe washer in rhese calculations as
well. Dryers and dye vats will require nov
so special wiring for rhis equipment is necessary.

Costume Storage Area
The costume storage area is usually always
the nemesis of costume studio personnel.
There is never enough square footage or
attention given to this area. The storage
area should be easily accessible or it won't
be used. This area should have tight securiry as valuable items would potentially be
stored here. The storage area should be a
cooler temperature to inhibit rhe growrh of
mold and mildew. A climate-controlled
dust-free environment would also be advisable as humidity breaks down or weakens
fiber srrengrh. Ideally this area should have
minimal lighting when not in use due to
damaging ultraviolet rays and adequate
lighting for easy visibiliry when in use.
Motorized rack units (like rhose used in dry
cleaning facilities) were the most popular
requests by costume personnel. These
racks allow for a more "hassle-free" viewing
of the wardrobe stored here and is also rhe
best utilization of ceiling space. These units
prove problematic if costumes are srored by
period or rype rather than by production.
Many respondants ro rhe questionnaire had
a multi-use space for all rypes of storage:
costume, hat, wig and shoe. Each of these
spaces have their own requirements and
each should be given full consideration.
The costume storage area should have
open shelving for costume accessory storage
and should utilize medium sized boxes as
small boxes don't hold much and large
boxes are awkward to handle. One respondent suggested waxed chicken boxes to
keep moisture out. Another respondent
suggested hanging jewelry on muslin hanger covers, similar in shape to dry cleaning
bags, as rhey leave all jewelry easily visible.
Costumes wirhin rhe storage area should
be divided into men's costumes and
women's costumes and then by period.
Double hanging could be achieved for some
garments but it makes it difficult to view
and to reach all garments. Sections should
be made available for uniforms, ruxedos and
specialty costumes as well as spaces for
bathrobes, petticoats, outerwear, etc.
Unsuccessful approaches to storage were:
non-climate controlled rooms, kitchen cabinets, dressers, metal lockers, cardboard
boxes, odd shaped boxes, and costumes
stored in dry cleaning bags as they limit visibiliry and collect dust.

OHice Area
The office area should have enough room

for a bookshelf, a desk, several chairs, and
computer equipment. A computer is an
essential piece of equipment in today's costume studio. The computer can be used to
plot body blocks, to keep track of equipment and supplies, and to monitor the costume stock. This would be a good space for
refreshments or snacks and including a
small refrigerator and a coffee POt would be
useful.

FiHing Area
The fitting area should have enough room
for several persons to work in comfortably,
a three-way full-lengrh mirror, a few chairs,
and perhaps a desk to write notes on. A
wall treatment for the fitting space might
be an entire hallway with mirrors on both
sides. This would allow for viewing the
movement of the costume on the actor's
body from all sides.

tricity. ") Another important consideration
here is that the makeup stations be narrow
enough to enable the performers to get to
the mirrors easily without having to lean
into them. Consider having the makeup
done in the same room for both sexes if a
separate dressing area is provided.
The makeup studio area should be separate from the dressing area for two important reasons: (1) There is no need to tempt
fate by putting the two together too early in
the process, allowing the possibility of
makeup getting on the costume, and, (2)
Many costumes have been melted or even
destroyed by coming into such close proximiry of the lights around make-up mirrors.
Both the dressing room and makeup studio area should have an intercom system or
a signaling system of some kind for the
stage manager to be able to page the actor.

Priority of Space Allocation
Dressing Room Area
The dressing room is another area to consider. The amount of space should be determined by the rype of productions and the
scale of production support given the season as a whole. If possible, the dressing
areas should be broken up for privacy for
the performer. There should be at least four
dressing rooms at stage level. 2 Generally it
would be best to have rolling rack access
from the costume studio so repairs or
maintenance can be done in a timely manner. Incandescent (3200K) lighting was
recommended for the dressing room. Make
sure this area has space for personal storage
of the performers's belongings, preferably
drawers with locks and lockers with locks.
This space should have both hanging racks
for costumes and shelves for hats and wigs.
This space should have several full-length
mirrors or an entire wall of mirrors and
semi-private toilet/shower facilities with
sinks. It was recommended ro follow
Actor's Equity guidelines and to keep in
mind the constantly changing building
codes that are applicable. A guideline for
toilet facilities to keep in mind might be:
one toilet for every six performers, one sink
for every four performers, and one shower
for every six performers. j The dressing
room should, of course, have chairs that
allow the performers to sit close to the mirrors, and not take up a large amount of
space.

Makeup Studio Area
One of the major concerns with regard to
the makeup studio area is providing
enough electrical power for curling irons,
hair dryers, electric curlers, etc. (See "Elec-

When asked their preference of prioriry
space allocation in a costume faciliry, the
highest priority request was the costume
construction space, followed by: costume
storage, costume craft, laundry, dye area,
office space, fitting room, hat and shoe
storage, wig and makeup storage, and
make-up studio with coffee break space
being the lowest prioriry.

.....

This survey was implemented to give
guidelines for costume facilities being built
or in the process of being renovated. It is
not meant to be viewed as regulation. Personal preference must come into play if the
costume practitioner is to work as efficiently as possible. Some costume personnel will
reject these ideas and implement others of
their own. Nonetheless, the ideas presented
here by professional costume practitioners
throughout the country are valid and represent a compilation of current opinions
which should be weighed heavily.
Statistical information on square footage
for thirty costume studios is available upon
request from Martha Marking, Appalachian State Universiry, Department of Theatre
and Dance, Boone, NC. 28608.
ffi
Martha Marking is chair of the Costume
Commission's Facilities Checklist Committee.
She is an assistant professor in the Theatre
and Dance Department at Appalachian State
University in Boone, NC
Endnotes
1 Karp. Michael.. "Costume Supporr Spaces." Tlunm Cmfr,
May 1991: 50.
2 Happe. Harold L.. Thtnm Plollllillg Ch(cklist, 16 Match
1986: 12.
3 Happe. 13.

TD&T

1993 WINTER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1993