Show Day Tips & Tricks
A Burlesque Industry Resource Blog
Show day can be one of the most exiting times for burlesque performers! The audience! The passion! The lights! The whirlwind! But the packing… and the prepping… and the… wow, Okay, that’s like so much to do before the fun stuff starts.
The Denver Burlesque Hub put out a call to your fellow performers for some tips and tricks that make their show day go just a little easier!
The tips fell into a few categories.
Maximize Prep at Home:
“Make up ready is where it’s at!🙌”
-Madame Velvet Rose
Want to make it easy once you are at the show? Come makeup ready. Have parts of your costume you can put on early? Do it. Minimize the amount of prep you need to do before you get to the venue.
Minimize Parking Obstacles:
“Plan for parking, both for time & 💸. If there is no close parking, drop off some items and then park. Sweaty hauling in a rush is no fun.”
-Scarlett Tart
Parking. Can. Be. The. Worst. at venues. Plan accordingly. If you aren’t sure what the parking situation is like near the venue, ask the producer! You don’t want to spend forever looking, or run the risk of getting a ticket for parking somewhere you aren’t supposed to.
Pack Smarter, Not Harder:
“Pack the night before so that all you have to do is makeup and go.”
- Presley Peach
“I pack 1-2 nights before so I have time to remember everything I forgot”
-Miss Kitty D. Vine
Don’t wanna rush day of? Pack earlier! Either the morning, day before, or even a few days before will decrease crunch time and give you a chance to remember forgotten props, costume pieces, and finishing touches.
“Pack your costumes in individual bags so you can find pieces easily!”
-Alabaster
Make getting dressed at the venue easier by organizing your show bag before you get there. Keep costumes contained, and put them into your bag in reverse order so the stuff you need first is on top, and the stuff later is below.
This tip was not submitted, but it was said to me in a dressing room on multiple occasions. Make a packing check list for each act. Laminate it to use dry erase if you are fancy.
Babes with Backups:
“Always have scissors. Someone always needs them”
-Batya Belfry
Scissors. Pastie tape or spray glue. Electrical tape (IYKYK). Safety pins. There are SO MANY THINGS that you may need in a greenroom that you might not necessarily think to pack. But someone will need them. And someone might have them if you plan well.
“Bring a pair of back up pastiesss!!”
-Anita Salsita
Shit happens. And for some reason, it usually happens to pasties. Keep a backup pair in your bag just in case your planned pair go rogue. Other costume items to carry in duplicate: stockings/socks and safety panties. The Holy Trinity of a burlesque bag are the things that you NEED in order to comply with “Blue Laws” (AKA laws and ordinances that restrict activity based on a moral code. Usually associated with the banning of certain activities on certain days or regulating legality of adult entertainment spaces, but that’s a whole other blog.) So keep the costume pieces that keep your bits within regulation in duplicate or triplicate.
Burlesque Show Bag Must-Haves: What Every Performer Needs Backstage by Pennie Please gives a nice and thorough rundown of what she keeps in her bag!
Keep Show Day Simple!
No show day will ever truly be smooth sailing. It’s the nature of the business. But hopefully these tips will help keep it less hectic!
What show day tips do YOU swear by? Drop them in the comments so we can spread the wisdom!