Tipping Your Dresser? — Page 3

Funniest thing?

I walked into Ihop last weekend and a homeless man offered me a dollar.

I guess he was mad at the resturaunt because they weren't going to charge him for a cup of water. I think he was trying to say, 'I can pay for water, and I don't need no hand outs!"

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How is that not the same? YES, it is a dresser's job to dress, just as it is a waiter's job to wait on you. When you feel a waiter is doing a good job, you tip them well. If you feel your dresser is doing a good job, you tip them well. It IS the exact same thing.

That's absolutely absurd. It's not the same thing at all. In areas where a waiter is paid only 3.00 per hour they absolutely rely on tips, and a waiter being tipped is essentially compulsory. Any other job where you're paid a legitimate salary, then tipping is honestly just a gesture for work well done. I know a lot of people resent this system, but that's just how it is.

"So I guess the solution would be not to make friends with this person"

How does that help anything.

Besides, contracts don't have a job statement.

The situations I'm talking about are lead performers. It's to make them comfortable. Chorus members just get one or two people to a room and they don't do the personal stuff.

If you ever do get your own dresser, enjoy it.

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It just blurs the lines, for me, if I'm friends with someone I'm tipping. It's so strange to me. If I was actually paying for a personal assistant and the money was coming out of my pocket and we were cool and liked each other and had a clear understanding of what their job was, that would be different, but it's just bizarre to me when the production company has hired this person to do a specific job and then I'm paying them on the side for perks. I can't really wrap my mind around that and I can't really put into words how it makes me feel other than uncomfortable.

If i tip well enough, does that mean I can expect hand release at some point during the evening?

This is a very interesting topic. After reading the in depth descriptions Theatrediva said of his job, I think its pretty necessary for dressers to get tipped. And yes, as he said...if you are a chorus member then clearly you won't tip the dresser because they aren't helping you the way the would a star, who would have their own dresser. If the dissenters are thinking of chorus members tipping....they shouldn't. lol. I completely understand that the dresser goes above and beyond the job description when separately working with the star. Regardless of someone feeling "uncomfortable" with tipping...tipping is a social custom in this country and if you are going to tip a waiter, or your bellhop....then it wold be an insult to not tip the person who's job description is to dress you, yet they do so many special jobs and they are your own personal dresser.

Theatrediva, your job kinda fascinates me. It sounds great.

Updated On: 12/30/08 at 10:21 PM

If I go to a restaurant where a friend is the waiter, I tip him. Or her, as the case may be.

I thought about this and realized that Margo MUST have tipped Birdie, so I'm all for it now.

I still think having to get the mailman and the newspaper deliverer Christmas gifts is weird. Jesus Christ.

Tipping is normally done once a week, or sometimes once a month.

I've known dressers who've gotten paid vacations before.

It all depends on the show, the actor and the amount of work involved.

I like to spoil my actors.

Back when Eden Espinoza was working at Universal Studios, I set up one of her quick changes, and when I first started I asked her how she liked it to be set up. She said, 'You must know what you are doing!' (It was a theme park and they weren't known for having the smartest of dressers...) She told me and then, pretending to pretend to be a DIVA, said she wanted "a bowl of M&M's with all of the brown ones taken out, a bottle of Evian water' and something else silly.

I had the time between shows so I set her quick change up and put out a small bowl of M&M's with out the brown ones, a bottle of water that I made a fake Evian label for. I was around the corner changing someone and I heard her go to her station and scream, “I can’t believe you did this!” and started to howl.

At another performance, I was helping to quick change the actor into the Goblin suit when the whole zipper blew out, and it went from his heel to his neck. The other dresser just stood there with a look of horror, and the stage manager is screaming into the headset "We have a problem and may have to hold the show."

Before they could even finish the sentence, I was RUNNING full out into costume storage, (which was on the other side of the building) grabbed another goblin costume, ran back and put him into in with enough time for him to make his entrance.

Both the dresser and stage manager had their mouths hanging open.

I just said, “Well, we couldn’t stop the show, or send him out in his underwear, right?”

Or the time the prop guy forgot the phone on Hairspray and Edna has a whole scene with it.

I have TONS of stories…

I love my job.


I figure if I only have one or two people to take care of, I’m going to spoil them.

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TheatreDiva, I just want to let you know how much I'm enjoying your posts in this thread. They're absolutely fascinating. If you have any other anecdotes you want to share, I'll be thrilled to read them!

Theater Diva your stories are wonderful. Share more.

I had a dresser for when I was in Bat Boy and she punched another cast member in the face... more because she didnt know what she was doing when I told her what was I needed help with more than others.

Oh well... she tried, but who punches someone in the face during a show. It was Bat Boy so it didn't really matter.

Note: she punched my friend in the face because she would always neglect the shoes and another cast member saw there was no way I would make an entrance.

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Updated On: 12/31/08 at 12:00 AM

As a cleaning lady in the theaters for 16 years I can say that they don't tip like they used to. But it also depends on the show the older actors are more aware of leaving tips. The younger ones I don't think they realize that they should tip. And believe me some of them are slobs but they don't care because when they come in everything is nice and clean. Me personally I don't care about a tip it would be nice but I am already getting paid. A thank you every now and then would be nice.

It's from Tannhäuser at the LA Opera. The first 20 minutes was an orgy scene, I swear to God.


Theatredude,

WHAT!? Punched them in the face?! Wow.

Every now and then I believe a good bitch slap to the back of the head is needed, but punching someone in the face?! Good googly moogly.

They usually hire one person on the crew to just do laundry. And they get tipped from the other dressers.

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It sounds like the cleaning crew is tipping themselves.

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