A Director’s bag checklist; things you should always have at rehearsal

Why you should have a directors bag

Much like Mary Poppins, we should all have a directors bag that is practically perfect in every way!

Community theater is volunteer time. You cannot dedicate every day to constant planning a prep for your rehearsals. While we all wish we could make our lives about performing, realistically life will get in the way. You may be running late or have to go to rehearsal straight from work. No matter what the circumstance, having one less thing to worry about will make your life as a community theater director easier.

By having a kit/bag dedicated to your show you will never walk into a rehearsal unprepared. By only having to re-stock your kit 1-2 times a week, you save yourself a big headache. Here is everything you need to make an easy, effective and cheap director’s bag!

The Essentials of your kit

What no director should ever be caught without

Your script, and an extra, and an extra

Always have at least THREE scripts!!!

You NEVER want to walk into rehearsal without a script. I personally keep three in my kit at all times. The original professional print, a second print to fill with all my scribbles and notes, and a third in case an actor forgets theirs or a techie needs one.

Notebook and sticky notes

This one is self-explanatory. As a director, you have to write down thousands of notes per rehearsal. Having a dedicated rehearsal notebook (or several) makes organizing all that easier.

You need at least this many pens

So many pens, pencils, and highlighters

You will lose these, so easy. Your performers will forget and need to borrow one. You should have an entire group of pens, pencils, and highlighters in your bag at all times.

Flashlight

From reading your notes and script in the dark auditorium to crawling around dark places looking for props or setting lights, having a flashlight is never a bad idea.

Timer

This is so you can keep track of your show running time, breaks, scenes, etc.

Recording device and chargers

I talk about why you should record your rehearsals in my blog post “How to make a better actor in 5 easy steps” here.

Water Bottle and snacks

Always make time for snacks

You are not at your best when you are dehydrated or hungry. Sometimes you don’t have time to eat before a rehearsal or your practice may go longer than you planned. Make sure to always have healthy easy snacks on hand to keep you happy.

Extra hair ties

You’ll need them, and your cast certainly will. This is another item, like pens, that always disappear. Make sure to have several.

Pocket knife/multi-purpose tool

These are good to have in your everyday life, and even more so at rehearsals. You never know what issues you may run into during practice, but very rarely can these problems not be solved with tape or tools.

Always have your own spike tape on hand!

Spike tape, mic tape

The holy trinity in an auditorium are these three tapes. Gaff to fix, spike to mark, and mic to hold. Community theaters often lack essentials because of budgets, so having your own so your show does not suffer is always a great idea. I recommend buying in bulk not only because it is cheaper, but usually you will run out faster than you think. Get black and white gaff,

several colors of spike, and latex-free mic tape.

Things that come in handy

These things are not necessarily essentials, but the more you can add to your kit the better.

Kleenex & Baby Wipes

Chap-stick

Medications

First aid kit

Blanket/jackets

Headphones

Activities/games for the younger cast

members

Mints/hard candy and gum

Extra phone/laptop chargers

Safety Pins

Makeup Remover

Hand Sanitizer