Starting the Season Prepared

Practical systems. Real-world ideas. A smoother costume season.

Performance season brings a lot to keep track of—dancers, measurements, fittings, costumes, volunteers, repairs, supplies, deadlines...and usually all at once.

In Starting the Season Prepared, Jan Doran and Claudia Folts share practical systems, behind-the-scenes ideas, and tools developed through years of real-world costume-shop experience.

Explore the series at your own pace—one practical costume-shop tip at a time.

TIP #1 — Auditions & Measurements

Start with good information.

Before casting and costume assignments can begin, you need accurate dancer measurements—and a system for collecting and organizing them.

Jan Doran shares how she prepares for audition and measurement day, from organizing dancers into groups to recording measurements and keeping the information ready for casting and costuming.

▶️ Watch on YouTube
📌 Watch on Pinterest

TIP #2 — Build Your Costume Season Notebook

One notebook. Your whole costume season.

Once casting begins, there’s a lot of information to keep straight. Jan’s solution is a working costume-season notebook that stays with her throughout the production.

In Tip #2, Jan takes us inside her system for keeping cast lists, dancer measurements, costume plans and role-by-role details organized and accessible—so the information she needs isn’t scattered when performance season gets busy.

▶️ Watch on YouTube
📌 Watch on Pinterest

TIP #3 — Coordinate Your Volunteers

One notebook. Your whole costume season.

Make it easier for people to help.

A strong volunteer team starts with clear, manageable tasks.

Jan shares how she breaks costume-shop work into specific sewing and non-sewing jobs, matches tasks to volunteers’ skills and availability, and makes projects easy to complete—even from home.

When volunteers know exactly what needs to be done, more people can contribute—and the entire costume season runs more smoothly.

▶️ Watch on YouTube (Release Date 10/01/26)
📌 Watch on Pinterest (Release Date 10/01/26)

TIP #4 — Information That Keeps the Work Moving

Capture it. Share it. Solve it.

Important costume details can easily get lost when they live only in someone’s memory—or are shared in passing during a busy fitting or rehearsal.

Jan shows how she records fitting notes, organizes costume information by role and tracks dress-rehearsal issues so every correction reaches the right person.

The tools may change as the production moves forward, but the goal remains the same: keep the information moving and close the loop.

▶️ Watch on YouTube (Release Date 10/08/26)
📌 Watch on Pinterest (Release Date 10/08/26)

Tips #5  — Create a Costume Space That’s Ready to Work

Keep essential tools close, label what others need to find, save reusable materials and reset your workspace between productions.

▶️ Watch on YouTube (Release Date 10/08/26)
📌 Watch on Pinterest (Release Date 10/08/26)

Tools To Put These Ideas to Work

Our LIVE Starting the Season Prepared workshop attendees receive a collection of practical checklists, spreadsheets, guides and templates designed to help put Jan and Claudia’s ideas to work in their own costume shops.

Resources include:

1. Dancer Measurement Card
Keep the measurements you need for each dancer together in one easy-to-reference format.

2. Audition Measurement Day Guide & Checklist
Plan the people, supplies and workflow you need for a smoother measurement day.

3. Production Costume Review
Take stock of the costumes you already have and identify likely problem areas before the season gets busy.

4. Production Costume Outline
Turn your costume review into a working plan for what needs to be done—and who might do it.

5. Costume Tasks & Role Breakdown
Break the production into specific costume needs and tasks, and keep track of who is doing what.

6. Volunteer Contact List
Keep your costume volunteers, contact information and availability organized in one place.

7. Fitting Sign-Up Guide & Sample
Organize fitting times and coordinate the volunteers needed to help.

8. Initial Volunteer Email Template
Start the season with a clear, organized message to your costume volunteers.

Want access to the resources? Join us for an upcoming Starting the Season Prepared LIVE workshop.

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