What to wear as a Stage Manager
For everyday rehearsals and performances you can wear black jeans or slacks (without rips or holes), black t-shirt, Polo, or pullover, and black shoes. Dress this up a bit for the first rehearsal, first preview, opening night, closing, or any other days which are out of the ordinary.
As a general rule looking nice is the goal (you are a manager after all), but functionality takes precedent. Dress as nice as is reasonable for each day’s requirements. Let’s look at a few of the main types of days in chronological order:
What to wear during:
Interviews
As a Stage Manager, you should dress sharp, but not too formal for an interview. Think casual Friday in a normal office setting. Black slacks and decent shoes with a button down or decent professional looking blouse. Shoes should be functional for walking around if they take you on a tour.
Pre-Production
The first day of Pre-Production I normally dress a bit more on the semi-formal side, and then dress for function after that. You should wear nice pants and a decent top, something nicer than a t-shirt. Once you have worked with the same crew multiple times you can dress a bit more casual.
Lots of introductions happen the first day, so looking decent helps with first impressions. After the first day you will likely be on the floor taping out the rehearsal hall or moving furniture around, so function is important. Even when function and durability are the goal, you should still aim to look tidy and professional.
First Rehearsal
Similar to the first day pr pre-production, you should aim for Semi-Formal. You may also be moving around tables and chairs, so be sure to take that into account. Typical outfits include slacks or decent pants, and a button up or blouse. Aim for decent shoes, something other than sneakers.
This is usually the most dressed up I get during the rehearsal process to give a good first impression. Your SM kit is an extension of your look during the first rehearsal, so keep it well stocked and organized. If you need help with what to prepare, check out our Top 33 Items You Need In Your Stage Manager’s Kit.
Regular Rehearsals
Tidy is the name of the game here. Jeans or slacks (typically black), nice looking t-shirt or better, and boots or sneakers. You can dress nicer if there is a day you know you will not be moving too much around, but dressing too nice is asking for ruined clothes if they are lighter colored.
Black helps hide the dirt and dust that inevitable lingers around the theatre, which lets you quickly clean up when you suddenly need to meet with the producer with minimal notice.
Tech Rehearsal
Tech rehearsal is one of the times where everyone tends to dress a bit more on the comfortable side, especially during a 10-out-of-12. All black clothes are the standard whether you are backstage or not, but something like decent joggers, black sneakers, and a black shirt will do fine.
The building will be dark most of the time anyways, so attire is a bit less formal.
First Preview
The first preview is a time where dressing up a little bit is normal, but not strictly required. During the performance you should look presentable but also function well in your position. Black sneakers, black jeans, and a long sleeve black shirt are acceptable.
You may choose to wear something nice into the theatre and change for the performance, or wear something decent the whole time depending on your responsibilities.
Opening Night
Most Stage Managers dress up for opening night, since there is usually some form of party or reception after the performance. Dress pants, button up shirts, suit jackets, dresses, skirts, etc. are all acceptable. No matter the choice, just be sure it is relatively professional.
Often you will meet other stage managers, directors, and producers during the reception, so remaining professional may mean the difference between getting hired or not by another company once your current contract ends.
If you are running the deck, you might consider changing into functional clothes for the performance.
Regular Performances
During a regular performance, you should always be prepared to speak to a crowd or audience. The phrase I like to use as a guide is “Dress to Address”. Black clothes head to toe which convey that you are in charge to an audience member. I personally wear a black polo for most days when calling.
Closing Night
Most people dress up a bit for the final performance, but there is lots of cleaning prior to leaving the space for the final time. You will probably want something close to normal show attire rather than something too dressy, but if you can work in a button up or nice blouse that will work too!
Other considerations
Although your bags and binders aren’t strictly attire, they have a similar impact in people’s perception of you. Keeping your kit organized, your bags in decent shape, and your table fairly tidy helps people trust you to do a great job. These things along with your personality and demonstrated abilities play a larger role in the decision to hire you again than clothing, but dressing poorly is an unnecessary mark in the “don’t hire” column, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Another important factor in first impressions are the documents you create during Pre-Production. Because it is so important we have written an entire article on the 26 Steps to Crush Prep Week for a Great First Rehearsal.
Thank you, this was so helpful! I never know what to wear as an SM. I appreciate the specific breakdown of events!