Joan,
I forgot a couple of possibilities...
If you are in a city that the Broadway plays tours, they hire local dressers
and stitchers. My 4th son does lighting. We couldn't find out who was in
charge at one of the venues that has the tours. I dropped him off at the
venue a day before a Broadway show. He walked in and kept asking who was in
charge until he found the right person. This opened the door wide for him.
The crews move from venue to venue. It is hard to catch up with the crew
chief. Sometimes, the crew chief is at several venues in one day. Each
city here in Virginia have a different local for the union. My son works in
VA Beach, Richmond (four venues), University of Virginia, ODU, Virginia
Commonwealth University, and was just hired permanently for the DC area.
The Stage-hand Union that he works for includes costuming. He works all
sorts of shows from country to rock concerts, WWE (wrestling), Cirque du
Soleil, Dancing w/ Stars and American Idol tours, ice shows, conventions,
etc. All need dressers and stitchers. Cirque begs for costumers
year-round,
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/jobs/offstage/recruitsoft.htm .
If this site doesn't show costuming/wardrobe, let me know. My son has the
direct link for crew members. The last time my son checked, they were
looking for costumers for their Vegas shows. Also Ringling Bros. technical
crews are based Palmetto, Florida (next door to my sister's house) and
Northern VA.
The gig he has in DC sounds like what others are suggesting for you. He is
setting up events for conventions at different venues in the DC area. It is
a full time job...so full-time, it is 60-80 hours a week at $32 an hour.
Convention is a huge industry. If you can get in a location that hosts big
conventions, you can do well. I have watched my son working a convention
and it amazes me how many people are required for the set-up. He is 23
years old and has been setting up and loading out conventions, here and
there, since he was 19. You don't need a lot of experience to work the
conventions.
My son has brought all his friends and two of his brothers into working all
these jobs. Some work full-time and others part-time when they need extra
money. One of the main qualifications the unions are look for is safety
conscious people..safety for all...themselves, other employees, performers,
and the audience. Safety is first in the business. Some Stage-hand Union
locals offer in Virginia offer insurance, some don't. This varies from
state-to-state, area-to-area. Some states and venues require the insurance.
Others only have insurance on you while working the gig.
If you can get a film commission directory from your state or the state you
are interested in moving to; you will find a listing of all kinds of
entertainment industry businesses. It is amazing all the different types
of businesses involved that work all fields in world of entertainment. My
suggestion is to read through it the listings and select the businesses that
you want to send resumes. Remember that the majority of the businesses do
other genres besides film.
The casino industry is in several states. Some casino areas look for full
and part-time costumers for shows. It not just Vegas and Atlantic City for
casinos anymore. My niece was working for a casino in Biloxi, MS until
Hurricane Katrina moved her casino across the highway. The company moved
her to a casino in Nebraska. They transferred her back to MS last month.
Shows in casinos are a big part of their industry. My youngest son goes to
University of Southern Mississippi and they have a undergrad degree in
casino gaming industry.
Think of it this way, the world is your oyster and you are the pearl! Good
luck and keep us updated.
Penny Ladnier,
Owner, The Costume Gallery Websites
www.costumegallery.com
www.costumelibrary.com
www.costumeclassroom.com
www.costumeslideshows.com
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