Every profession has their own tools of the trade.  A professional athlete needs their sports equipment (skates, sneakers, bats, balls, whatever!).  A house builder needs their hammer, safety goggles, hard hat, and so on.  An actor is no exception!  Here are the items I always tell my TAG actors that they should have.

Rehearsal Tools

• YOUR SCRIPT.  Always bring your script to rehearsal, even after the off-book date.  Your director will inevitably make changes that you’ll want to make notes about.
• Pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener.  Bring extra pencils if you want your fellow castmates to love you.
• Highlighter, to highlight your lines.  Extra points if you bring two different colours, for your lines and stage directions/cues.
• You may want to bring an extra notebook or some paper to make additional notes.
• A bottle of water.
• Extra snacks.
• A towel for dance rehearsals, in case you get sweaty.
• In this digital age, it’s incredibly useful to bring a recording device of some sort to rehearsals, such as an iPod.  You can use it during music/vocal rehearsals to record your harmonies, and during choreography rehearsals to record your dance steps.  Then you’ll be able to review any time!  If you’re able to rip the show album to your device, you can listen to the music while going about your business as well.  Just be aware to take care of your recording device, as it’s easy for electronics to get lost or stolen.

Essential Clothing

None of these items need to be expensive.  You can easily purchase any of these from your local department store or a thrift store, like Goodwill or Value Village.

• “Rehearsal blacks” are absolutely essential.  Black dress pants or leggings, and a black long-sleeved t-shirt.  Guaranteed your director will ask you to have rehearsal blacks at some point so colourful costume pieces can be worn overtop.
• Black dress shoes (for boys) or little black jazz shoes (for girls).  These need not be expensive.  Again, guaranteed you’ll need them for every show you’ll ever do.
• A white, long-sleeved button-down shirt.  Again, such a good basic.
• A plain leather belt, in brown or black.  Useful for holding swords, or holding up your pants.
• For girls: a skin-coloured or nude bandeau bra, camisole, or leotard, to go under your costume for quick changes.
• For boys: a plain white t-shirt, again to go under your costume for quick changes.
• Comfortable clothing for dance rehearsal, such as leggings, sweat pants, and loose-fitting tops that cover your midriff.
• Depending on the show, you may need to acquire or borrow specific dance shoes, such as character shoes, tap shoes, or ballet slippers.

Makeup/Grooming Items for Showtime

Put these items in a baggie with your name clearly labelled on it, and don’t share these items!  This is how germs are spread!

• Brush or comb.
• Travel-sized hair spray or gel.
• Black eye liner pencil.
• Foundation or base makeup, one shade darker than your usual skin tone (stage lights are notorious for completely washing you out!).
• If you have long hair, hair ties/elastics that match your hair colour, as well as clips or bobby pins to pull your hair out of your face.

BONUS: Here are 9 items that every actor should have in their hair kit!

Do you have any items that you consider essential for rehearsals?
Share them in the comments!

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