Running Your Theater: hat storage

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hat storage

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Running Your Theater
Forum Discription: General questions about how to make it work
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2659
Printed Date: 10/30/25 at 10:51pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: hat storage

Posted By: trutter
Subject: hat storage
Date Posted: 9/11/07 at 2:47pm

Any idea on hat storage? What works best?

Also, we now have a separate "storage room" with shelves and shelves of women's shoes. Overkill? I think so.. do you? We're talking gold pump things, saddle shoes, everything. I cant remember the last time we actually used anything from there...

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Troy A. Rutter
Author, "Kids in the Biz: A Hollywood Handbook for Parents"
http://www.kidsinthebiz.com/ - http://www.kidsinthebiz.com/
A Heinemann Drama Publication

Replies:

Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 9/11/07 at 3:03pm

The Key does come down to "Do you use it..." For our theater, Do you use it also goes to do we use it for good will and broadening of the arts.. We loan out just about everything we have to schools and other community theaters as well as local groups doing small programs etc... We have a costume room that is about 60 x 40 and yes we have hundreds of shoes and many many hats... On the hat front, we store most hats either on shelves, or in rubbermaid boxes (clear). We also hang larger peices from rope lines with clothes pins.. Our latest move was to take our fedora and other mens hat and spaced screws on an unused wall about 12 x 15 and made a very nice display that not only made it easy to find, kept them from getting crushed, but also looks cool... As far as a seperate room for shoes, if you have it, use it. We have two large rooms with furniture, one with set pieces and flats, one with props, one with wigs and our newest room is for curtains and cloth set dressing items. We have decided to hang them on hangers for easy access and to prevent wringling and mildew...

I wont say that everything we have will ever be used, but it sure makes doing a show easy if you have a basic stock to pull form and a place to store things you may use again or be able to help others with...

ps, if you dont want the saddle shoes, send em over..

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Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

Posted By: trutter
Date Posted: 9/11/07 at 5:33pm

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to be putting together a "virtual tour" of the theater, including storage areas. Im going to take mega -photos and ask for suggestions I'm sure. :)

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Troy A. Rutter
Author, "Kids in the Biz: A Hollywood Handbook for Parents"
http://www.kidsinthebiz.com/ - http://www.kidsinthebiz.com/
A Heinemann Drama Publication

Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 9/12/07 at 8:02am

This of your costume storage like your clothing storage at home ... if you don't use it, pass it along. Keep the pieces that you'll ALWAYS use (slacks, vests, shirts, classic dresses, capes, etc.), but who in the world needs 3 Annie dresses, 24 neon jumpsuits from the 70's, and 30 prairie dresses? (Yes, I've actually seen all of that ... and more ... in one costume storage room.) It's hard, yes, but necessary to purge. Same goes for the shoes.

Hats, especially formed hats like top hats, fedoras, tricorns, etc., should be stored flat on a shelf or in boxes. (Think about what a sweater looks like after it's been hung on a hanger for a while.) You can help hold the shape with crushed paper stuffed in the top, but they should not be hung or they'll lose their shape.

Always, always, always direct actors to place and remove these hats from their heads using two hands (unless they are tipping their hats onstage) as constantly using one to do so will also cause them to lose their shape.

If you're investing that much in a good, quality hat to begin with, try and take care of them so you'll have them down the line.

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In a world of margarine, be butter!

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/12/07 at 8:30pm

Good points there Nanette.
Especialy about purging regularly!
'We' brought in policy at a few theatre groups, if the average person would have it in there wardeobe at home, chuck it in the charity bins, rather than store it at the theatre.
If you need upto a 20 year old style, for a future show, buy it from a charity shop or get it from someones wardrobe at home.
I think clasic or character costumes, that would be costly to produce, hang on to them.
With mildew I found by leaving a low wattage light globe on all the time, in a costume sorage room. Gets rid of the mildew problem.
It is not that costly over a year, to have a dedicated circuit & leave the light on all the time.
Of course it depends on how damp the storage is & how much mildew is a problem?

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Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}