PROFESSIONALISM: Dressing For The Part?

[erin]

Has anyone tried Paramedic's pants?  They usually come in dark colors, are very durable, and have tons of pockets.  They seem like they would be perfect, but I don't know.

Opinions?

SSM

I love the HUGE pockets (big fan of pockets here) but don't like the aforementioned swooshing noises.     There seems to be enough of a cargo trouser selection in the normal stores lately that finding decent black slacks with lots of pockets isn't impossible.     I also swear by the boys section.   Sure, i'm a woman, but the larger boys sizes fit just fine and are SO much more practical than women's clothing.   Honestly, i don't care how my rear looks in rehearsal as long as it is fully covered.   More valuable to be able to find pencil, pen, sharpie and cell phone in an instant.

Some people in grad school tried to convince me that wearing a skirt and fancy shoes and dressing all girlie would help with the "authority" issues inherent in being a small woman, and while that might work for some people i feel hobbled in dressy clothes.  I've tried wearing a skirt and i don't know where to put my keys and phone.  It's ridiculous.   And no one should ever wear flip flops to work backstage.   Drives me crazy around here.

[philimbesi]

I swear by black BDU's, they are like paramedic pants but with buttons for pocket closures most of the paramedic pants I've found have velcro, and no swooshing.    Plus they are made of material that stops rips from getting too big, and allows your body to breath so it keeps you cooler on stage. 

I during a crew call I had an actor that was there for a costume fitting walk across the stage, I didn't notice she was wearing flip flops... a hammer dropped bounced off my steel toe boots skidded across the stage and.. yep right on her toe. 

Funny how all the actors stopped wearing flip flops on stage after that. 

[KMC]

BDUs are great, check my post from May 7 on this thread ;-)

[jempage]

It does depend a lot on the type of theatre your doing, ie: level of professionalism, location, time, patronage.

For example, I do a lot of work with a Community Youth Theatre in Sydney, where we perform specifically to the age group for 3-10.  The young actors are usually around 13-19 years.  My personal dress code for myself and the SM team during the rehearsals is "functional" and "comfortable"- jeans, t-shirt or sweater, and sneakers or boots (usually a pair of each) depending on the days to-do list.

During performances, we go to black.  Jeans or pants, because of functionality, and either COMPLETELY black sneakers or boots.  (Unless there's set-shifting to be done, I usually prefer myself and the crew in sneakers to cut down on backstage noise.)  I did recently get myself a hybrid pair of shoes that are sort of dressy leather on the top, steel-capped to protect the toesies, but have a non-slip sneaker-like sole.  I'll either put up piccies or find a WWW link for you - they're fantastic, and are made by Clarks here in Australia.

Going back to the type of theatre question - earlier this year I managed "twelfth night" on a Bowling green on the North side of Sydney Harbour.  Crazily, the SM team were actually bound by the clubs dress code, so it was black shirts, black dress pants and leather shoes.  Even our black windcheaters got a few frowns from some of the more... "conventional" staff members.

I guess it just depends on what the day's job is.  If its the first production meeting at a professional gig, go for the collared shirt and pants.  If it's a bump-in/bump-out, go for the jeans and t-shirt that won't matter if it gets painty/dirty.

[sourc3]

I just picked up a pair of black TDU's from 5.11. They are fantastic. VERY sturdy, but light and breathable. LOTS of pockets, and pockets within pockets. Also, built in expandable waste band - almost elastic - so they're very comfy. I was in a military auxiliary for a while, so got lots of experience with the ripstop material they're made of - and after 4 years of abuse, none of the ripstop pants I bought have faded or torn. My favorite part about the TDU (Tactical Dress Uniform) pants tho is the fact that they come with built in (albeit removable) kneepads. So kneeling on the ground (which I suprisingly do a lot of...) is vastly more comfortable. On a show night, those combined with a black fitted polo from Banana Republic looks VERY sharp, while still being extremely functional. I currently have a pair of skechers quasi-dress shoes, but I'm looking for a good, comfy pair of black sneakers that don't look like huge cross-trainers. Any suggestions?

[LeslieDee]

New Balance makes a pair of dressier looking athletic walking shoes.  I don't know the model number, but I do know they are approved for use by the US Postal Service Employees.

[SMLD]

I have read a lot about college, general blacks, and dressing for the part.  I really didn't see anything about NYC.  What would be suggested for NYC or a Lort C or B theatre?

[ljh007]

If you're in NYC, you wear black all the time anyway, right?
 

[ljh007]

I'm looking for a good, comfy pair of black sneakers that don't look like huge cross-trainers. Any suggestions?

Sketchers makes great shoes that last long and can take a  lot of wear and abuse. They have nice looking loafer/dress style shoes in addition to the sk8ter sneakers they are known for, and I like their styles for men and women. Harley Davidson actually makes stylish, tough wearing boots for men and women that are something that not everyone else might have (a good alternative to the ubiquitous Doc Martins). You also might earn some cred with the way tough biker stagehands.    Fitzwell, Zappos.com's house brand, specializes in affordable, comfortable shoes for men and women (but mostly women) that have more style than your typical comfort/work shoe but are designed to be worn while you stand on your feet all day. You might have a pair of these for opening night. All this stuff is available on www.zappos.com, which is my very favorite shoe website. (No, I don't work for them! I am just embarassingly familiar with their website.) None of these shoes are crazy expensive, either.

[kiwitechgirl]

Some people in grad school tried to convince me that wearing a skirt and fancy shoes and dressing all girlie would help with the "authority" issues inherent in being a small woman, and while that might work for some people i feel hobbled in dressy clothes.  I've tried wearing a skirt and i don't know where to put my keys and phone.  It's ridiculous.

I never wear a skirt in rehearsal - if I do, it's always the day I have to go climb through a shipping container in search of props, or climb up a ladder into our furniture store.  I do sometimes wear a skirt to call a show, although given that in my current show I have to take a 6-year old on stage silently and invisibly in a blackout, a skirt is out - my boots make way too much noise, and if I wore sneakers with a skirt my white legs would reflect what little light there is!

[philimbesi]

I'm looking for a good, comfy pair of black sneakers that don't look like huge cross-trainers. Any suggestions?

Sketchers makes great shoes that last long and can take a  lot of wear and abuse. They have nice looking loafer/dress style shoes in addition to the sk8ter sneakers they are known for, and I like their styles for men and women. Harley Davidson actually makes stylish, tough wearing boots for men and women that are something that not everyone else might have (a good alternative to the ubiquitous Doc Martins). You also might earn some cred with the way tough biker stagehands.    Fitzwell, Zappos.com's house brand, specializes in affordable, comfortable shoes for men and women (but mostly women) that have more style than your typical comfort/work shoe but are designed to be worn while you stand on your feet all day. You might have a pair of these for opening night. All this stuff is available on www.zappos.com, which is my very favorite shoe website. (No, I don't work for them! I am just embarassingly familiar with their website.) None of these shoes are crazy expensive, either.

Check out www.galls.com and at the firefighter station boots, or the swat tactical boots, lightweight with air soles, quiet and zippers instead of laces, they are my deck boots.  I use timberland steel-toe boots for construction. 

[killerdana]

I LOVE my black Merrells.  They're suede, so they look a little nicer than sneakers, they're solid black, and they pull on so I never worry about untied shoelaces.  They can dress up or down based on whether I'm wearing black jeans and a t-shirt or black slacks and a button down.  They're also a little sturdier than sneakers, though not as tough as boots.  And they come in both men's and women's (I actually got the idea because my brother-in-law wears them for everyday).

[Lola]

I wear skirts and tights and soft soled boots.  I find that if I am careful about how I pick things up, it doesn't hinder my movements and I do a lot less crawling around under stuff that I used to think I do.  I have a stopwatch around my neck that I clip my mechanical pencil to and a notebook.  Everything else either sits in my SM kit under the production table or on it.  I don't need a lot of pockets except for keys or cash.  I used to wear overalls with lots of pockets but it just encouraged me to carry a bunch of stuff I didn't really need. 

[UCFZac]

As a university student stage manager, I have the challenge of having a lot of responsibility with very little authority.  There are no fines applicable to performers, and  I work with faculty actors from time to time who believe they may be above the law.  My main tactic is to make people do things because of their respect for me, and not because I'm some kind of tyrannical dictator.  This really helps in larger cast productions (my current is 44 - four of whom are children) because in such shows, especially at the university level, the cast can make you or break you.
If they're by in large dissatisfied with how things are going, they'll complain about it with their friends outside of rehearsals, and that negative energy follows them in.  If you have the respect of many, I've found they tend to stand up for the production and it's whole process.
 For these reasons, I do like to dress the part.  Usually throughout auditions and the first two weeks of rehearsal, my dress is dress-casual.  A pair of slacks, typically, and a button down shirt.  I occasionally throw in a tie or suit jacket, depending on what else I'm doing during the day.  Usually leather dress shoes, but I may slip into some black Steve Madden style sneakers.
After about the first two weeks, I assess how the cast is doing.  Usually, I've established myself enough to be able to dress down a little - nice jeans and a t- or polo shirt - for the remainder of rehearsals.

As far as show goes, its back to slacks, button-down shirts, and a suit jacket. 

[sourc3]

I LOVE my black Merrells.  They're suede, so they look a little nicer than sneakers, they're solid black, and they pull on so I never worry about untied shoelaces.  They can dress up or down based on whether I'm wearing black jeans and a t-shirt or black slacks and a button down.  They're also a little sturdier than sneakers, though not as tough as boots.  And they come in both men's and women's (I actually got the idea because my brother-in-law wears them for everyday).

I just got some black Merrells myself which are comfy in the short-term, but kill my feet after about 4 hours. I'm looking into getting some superfeet, but thusfar, I have not been impressed with their comfort. I love the look though.