How do shows assign dressing rooms?

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 11:39am

I have been wondering how shows assign dressing rooms to their performers. I imagine each theatre has a certain amount of rooms and at the end of each show they get emptied (mostly) out ? I’m sure the leads of shows have in their contract to have their own rooms? But depending on the show and the theatre there could be several “leads” of a show and maybe not enough space for them to have their own? Which theatres have the most? I know I’ve heard people say they’re sometimes on different floors which makes them hard to use during a show when they have to be near the stage. Do they usually have a bathroom in them? I know I’ve seen some with showers. It seems like there’s usually a girls and boys ensemble room. I’ve seen some stars show how they decirated their dressing rooms to their own taste. I imagine it’s nice to have a space to your own with how much time you spend at the theatre. 
 

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[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 11:53am

It's all contractual. A star will get their choice (or will get promised the biggest one or best-location dressing room) and may also get a stipend to decorate it.

Most Broadway theaters move vertically so yes they span multiple floors.

For a large-cast show in a house with limited dressing rooms, it's all a matter of numbers so some principals may be 2-4 actors to a room. Bette had two dressing rooms for DOLLY (one for receiving guests & lounging between shows, and one that she used as her actual dressing room during the show).

The actual assigning is done by the company manager in consultation with stage management, GMs, producer, etc. to try to make the space work best for the most people.

"Dressing Rooms" also have to be used for a stage manager office, usually the conductor gets a dressing room with a piano (where impromptu vocal rehearsals or warmups can also occur), there may be a musician dressing room/green room, sometimes band members are playing out of a soundproof dressing room and not in the pit (such as DEH)...etc.

Jackie Hoffman's ADDAMS FAMILY video series showed off Broadway's nicest dressing room, the star dressing room at the Lunt, which is huge and has (among other things) a full bathtub installed for Liz Taylor. The Beaumont's dressing rooms are also quite luxurious.

Updated On: 4/11/24 at 11:53 AM

[morosco]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 1:25pm

Here's an interesting article from 2008 that sheds some light on dressing rooms.

Dressing Rooms

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 1:52pm

"Broadway's nicest dressing room, the star dressing room at the Lunt"

Raising a question that is actually of no significance to me:

Between Groban and Ashford, one would assume he got it, but Sutton>Aaron in star terms so did they do a reverse?

lol

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 2:52pm

Aaron is billed before Sutton which could be an indicator, but who knows!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 2:57pm

One other thing to keep in mind is accessibility. If someone uses a wheelchair, or is older and wants to avoid stairs, that will also impact dressing room placement. Ideally 80-year-olds aren't being made to walk up 3 flights from the stage, for example. But sometimes that's less a contractual matter and more just about humanity.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 3:02pm

Aaron mentioned in an interview he has Groban's dressing room because he repainted it. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 3:31pm

If I recall correctly, Bette Midler had her dressing room and then her own quick change room separate from everyone else for Hello, Dolly.

I think there was an instagram story from one of the swings in the wiz revival that claimed they didn’t have a room/space to put them. Unsure if that was rectified or not.

edit: here’s the story

It reads: “Yall ever been on Broadway with no dressing room? #swingnationproblems”

Updated On: 4/11/24 at 03:31 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 3:35pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I think there was an instagram story from one of the swings in the wiz revival that claimed they didn’t have a room/space to put them. Unsure if that was rectified or not."

I don't know anything about that but sometimes swings have their own dressing room, and sometimes they're part of the larger Ensemble dressing room.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 4:55pm

HogansHero said: ""Broadway's nicest dressing room, the star dressing room at the Lunt"

Raising a question that is actually of no significance to me:

Between Groban and Ashford, one would assume he got it, but Sutton>Aaron in star terms so did they do a reverse?

lol"

In the spirit of questions that don't really matter to us, I wonder who got the Groban and Ashford dressing rooms when understudies were covering in the period before Foster and Tveit started? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 5:14pm

Usually (but not always) a standby/understudy/temp replacement utilizes the original star's dressing room when going on for that person.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 6:12pm

If you want a fun 4:30 mins, there was a video series on Broadway.com following Beth Level into Mamma Mia, and the below video shows her picking her dressing room. She has her choice of 2 at the Winter Garden, with one being *I believe* the current Donna's, and then the actress playing Sophie. So, I guess if she picked that one, she would be making the Sophie move. 

Beth Level at Mamma Mia

[LuckyDipster]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 5:16am

fashionguru_23 said: "Beth Level at Mamma Mia"

I enjoyed watching that, thank you.  Seeing her choose between the rooms now occupied by Roger and Casey.