Costume Shop Supervisor

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Job Title:

Costume Shop Supervisor

Job Family:

Professionals

Full-Time/Part-Time:

Full time

Pay Type:

Salary

Department:

Theatre Arts

Job Summary:

This is a professional staff position reporting to the Department Chair of Theatre Arts. This person is responsible for overseeing all day-to-day operations of the Theatre Arts Department Costume Shop, costume storage facilities, wardrobe operations, and costume production support for the Theatre Arts Department classes and production seasons, including primarily the Furman Theatre Main Stage productions and secondarily the Furman Music Department Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre productions (a minimum of 5 productions per academic year).

Work includes the selection, assignment, training, and evaluation of student shop assistants and wardrobe crews; ordering supplies; maintaining tools, machinery, and costume stock inventories; reconciling production and lab budgets; patternmaking/draping; cutting and stitching; organizing and directing fittings; and supervising made-to-order, altered, shopped, and pulled costumes. This person will have the ability to instruct and supervise students in costume shop laboratory settings and assist with courses related to costume technology, crafts, and design. This position contributes directly to the academic advising environment, Undergraduate Research Fellowships, Theatre Practicum, and high-impact student mentorship in collaboration with department faculty and The Furman Advantage.

Job Description:

Responsibilities:

1. Schedules, trains, and oversees student costume shop assistants, wardrobe crew heads, and run crews to meet departmental standards, safety protocols, and production deadlines.

2. Establishes and maintains effective working relationships and provides guidance and excellent service to faculty, students, staff, guest designers, visiting artists, and production personnel.

3. Works closely with the Department Chair, Technical Director, and each production director in establishing and maintaining the costume, fitting, and wardrobe calendars in coordination with the department production schedule.

4. Consults and collaborates with faculty designers, guest designers, student designers, and directors to interpret design renderings, plates, and research into finished garments and accessories.

5. Serves in multiple supervisory and technical roles, including Costume Shop Supervisor, Draper/Cutter, Wardrobe Supervisor, Costume Crafts Technician, and Costume Stock/Storage Manager.

6. Plans, organizes, and directs the realization of costumes for all Furman Theatre Main Stage and Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre productions, including patterning, flat patterning, draping, cutting, stitching, alteration, dyeing, distressing, millinery, and crafts.

7. Organizes, schedules, and directs costume fittings, ensuring timely completion of garments, necessary alterations, and seamless transition from the build phase through dress rehearsals and performance runs.

8. Hires, mentors, and trains student workers and practicum students in costume construction techniques, sewing machine and specialty equipment operation, shop safety, garment care, and wardrobe protocols.

9. Mentors student designers and crew heads as part of the Undergraduate Research Fellowship program, Theatre Practicum, and independent student projects in costume design, costume technology, crafts, and wardrobe management.

10. Assists in the teaching of costume crafts and technology courses, and directly supervises laboratory hours, assignments, and practical skill development associated with those courses.

11. Oversees wardrobe operations during technical/dress rehearsals and performance runs, including backstage dressing procedures, quick changes, hair/makeup/wig care, laundry, daily maintenance, repair, and strike.

12. Performs administrative tasks as needed, including production reports, supply orders, invoice processing, purchasing reconciliation, budget tracking, and vendor coordination.

13. Maintains costume budgets and resources, ensuring responsible allocation of funds for departmental productions, shop operations, and teaching labs.

14. Manages costume inventory, stock, and rental/loan agreements, including the organization, pulling, cataloging, cleaning, restock, storage, and loaning of departmental garments, footwear, and accessories.

15. May serve as Costume Designer for select productions in the Furman Theatre Main Stage season as assigned.

16. Enforces and maintains knowledge of all relevant safety protocols, chemical safety (dyeing/distressing), OSHA guidelines, theatrical industry practices, and institutional Fire and Life Safety Codes.

17. Maintains, inspects, and coordinates routine maintenance/repairs for all costume shop equipment, including domestic and industrial sewing machines, sergers, irons, steamers, cutting tables, dye vats, and ventilation systems; informs supervisor of equipment needs and manages replacements.

18. Reports facility, space, or maintenance issues to facilities services and the Department Chair to ensure shop cleanliness, air quality, safety, and proper functionality of teaching and production spaces.

19. Able to work in an organized manner and adjust flexibly to last-minute adjustments, design evolutions, and tight turnaround times in a fast-paced, collaborative production environment.

20. Competent in Microsoft Office, e-mail, Box file sharing, budget systems, and digital communication tools or willingness to learn; working knowledge of digital patterning/rendering tools, costume inventory databases, or willingness to learn emerging shop technologies.

21. Provides incident, safety, and facility reports to the Department Chair and appropriate campus safety authorities when required.

22. Communicates effectively and with diplomacy, tact, and confidentiality when working with students, guest artists, faculty, staff, parents, and the public; actively recognizes and supports student contributions and growth.

23. Participates in departmental activities and recruitment, contributing significantly to the Theatre Practicum component of the student experience and student engagement within The Furman Advantage.

24. Pursues ongoing professional development in costume technology, crafts and technology trends, theatrical techniques, shop management, and higher-education safety standards.

25. Completes annual performance review process with supervisor to align individual goals with departmental, division, and university strategic priorities.

26. Performs other duties as assigned.

The intent of this job classification description is to provide a representative summary of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions in this classification and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically present in this description.

Relationships:

• Continuous contact with members of the Theatre Arts Department, immediate supervisor (Department Chair), Technical Director, faculty designers/directors, music/opera faculty, guest artists, and student employees/practicum students for planning, coordinating, problem-solving, fitting execution, and mentoring toward shared artistic and educational goals. Parties generally maintain cooperative and collaborative working attitudes.
• Frequent contact with students, campus partners, vendors, and the general public to exchange factual information, schedule fittings, enforce facility and safety procedures, coordinate costume loans/rentals, and discuss non-controversial departmental operations.

Responsibility for Final Decisions:

• Responsible for own work and direct oversight of shop operations, shop safety, fitting workflow, wardrobe execution, and student shop assistants.
• May assist, instruct, and evaluate students and crew members performing technical costume work.
• Reviews work to ensure compliance with production designs, timelines, safety standards, and departmental budgets.
• Tasks involve interrelated artistic and technical processes requiring professional judgment, creative problem-solving, and adherence to established institutional and safety guidelines.
• Errors may cause delays in production schedules, costume quality issues, budget variances, or safety hazards, requiring prompt corrective action within the unit.

Reports to: Chair, Theatre Arts Department

• Work is performed independently within broad departmental guidelines, except where institutional policy, academic regulation, or budgetary exceptions require chair approval.

Education/Skill Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts, Costume Technology, Costume Design, Fashion Design, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of professional or academic experience in costume construction, shop operations, patterning/draping, cutting, stitching, fitting, and wardrobe run crew supervision.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in flat patterning, draping, tailoring, garment construction, costume crafts, dyeing/distressing, and alteration techniques.
• Knowledge of theatrical production processes, stage terminology, fitting etiquette, fabric science, and costume shop safety standards.
• Practical knowledge of wigs, hair, stage makeup, millinery, or specialty craft construction.
• Strong organizational, multitasking, and time-management skills with the ability to manage costume requirements across multiple concurrent productions (e.g., Main Stage theatre and lyric theatre/opera).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams of faculty, guest directors, designers, and students.
• Proficiency with office software (word processing, spreadsheets, file sharing, e-mail) and basic budget tracking/reconciliation.
• If interested in designing for the department, demonstrated experience designing costumes for mainstage theatre, musicals, or lyric theatre/opera productions is preferred.

Work conditions:

Work requires:

• Frequent reaching, handling, fine-motor manipulation (cutting, pinning, hand/machine sewing).
• Frequent stooping, kneeling, crouching, and bending during fittings, alterations, and storage management.
• Frequent standing and walking for extended periods during shop work, fittings, and dress rehearsals.
• Frequent pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying of costume racks, fabric bolts, dress forms, and storage bins (able to lift and transport up to 40-50 lbs).
• Exposure to costume shop equipment, irons/steamers, dyes, adhesives, aerosols, and laundry chemicals with appropriate ventilation and PPE.

Schedule: Standard weekday afternoon shop hours with significant evening and weekend work required during tech weeks, dress rehearsals, fitting periods, strikes, and performance runs. Irregular production schedule based on the performance calendar. This is a 10-month position.

Education Requirements:

Certification Requirements:

Job Posting End Date (if date is blank, posting is open ended):