The group I work with started with a $35 costume fee 2 years ago when they were producing Ragtime with a cast of 65. The thought was that the cast was so large and there were such a variety of costumes needed (I was in the Ensemble and had 9 costume changes!) that this was the only way we could afford to costume everyone. It was well understood at auditions that this was the case and there were few (if any) complaints.

This year they asked for the same costume fee for The Secret Garden....with a cast of only 20 and 95% of us wore the same costume through the entire show (after all..they got away with it last year). I know that serveral of the cast complained about the cost. In fact, I know for that my costume cost a total of $11 (I was with the costumer when she purchased it), although I didn't complain about the cost. I considered it as a donation to the advancement of the arts.

I have since been voted onto the Board of Directors of this group. I can assure you that I'll be lobbying heavily against the costume fee for next year's show. We should be able to manage our finances to allow for costume rental/construction.

As a side note...If we charged our tech crew a fee to participate...I can guarantee you I'd be turning my own lights on and off and carrying my own set pieces..LOL

Good point, jonikarol, if the costumes are "supplied" for every performance by an off-site company there is no inventory.  Personally one of the things I love about theater is the racks of costumes and boxes of props...it is one of the few concrete remainders of each play..endlessly recycled...sifted through fondly..every hat and cup a story to be told.  I realize that storage is always an issue and I dream of the day when I can get all of this stuff out of my house and barn and lovingly organize it all.  Somehow...if everything went back to a distant rental company at the close of the play it would be as if it never happened.

At my youth theater we pay $40 to be involved the show per family. Then there is a $25 costume fee, but $15 is returned to you if the costume is returned in good condition. The extra $10 goes to dry clean the costume.

I feel the costume fee is good because when you are working with children, there always has to be a, for lack of a better word, bribe so the children won't spill on their costumes.

No one has ever complained about the money involved. My parents think of it as extremely low cost day care and so do many other parents. Also, you find out about the fee when you audition. If you can't pay it, my director will understand and still let you be in the show.

Just my two cents.

I'm directing BEAST right now and face this issue...but no, no fees at all for acting and crewing. 

That being said, I DO require the actors buy their own shoes.  Too often dance shoes disappear at the end of the run or are not usable afterwards. The upside to this is that they get to KEEP their own shoes after the show.

I teach and took over the drama program when rentals cost about $35 per change. The tradition was to charge the students or have them come up with their own costume.  I tried that once, and got hideously modern clothing for a historical piece. 

We have neither the space nor the facilities to do costumes in house--and being the only teacher, I don't have the time to produce, direct, build a set, set up the lights, mix the sound, and do costumes.

We currently use a costumer who works with our very strict dress code standards.  However, due to energy and rent costs rising in the LA area, we are now being charged over $75 a costume, with an extra $1000 for the designer to pick up and deliver as well as do the costume parade with us. 

We used to charge the fee listed as a "costume fee," but now I charge the fee as a participation fee, which is budgeted into covering the costume charges.

I have looked for other costumers, who end up being just as expensive if not more expensive when you add in shipping and cleaning costs.

Having to handle all of the drama program, there is very little time for fundraising--especially since I have to compete with all the other groups on campus doing their own fundraisers.  I've found that most of our fundraisers bring in $300 max for 20 hours of work--I can make more than that working a part-time job and donating it.

Ticket sales and program ads don't pay for everything.  Last year we were hit with gigantic set construction costs due to the increase in lumber prices (Katrina).  So far, I haven't seen lumber going down, either.

I volunteer my personal time and efforts to our program, but I can't afford to make up in budget gaps out of my own pocket.  We charge $120 (payable over three months) for participation in the program.  It works out to be cheaper than our after-school day care for the same amount of time the students are in rehearsal.

I just don't see how a theatre in our situation and area can make it without charging a fee.  If we charge too much for the tickets, we won't sell any--so raising ticket prices isn't the answer.