WEBVTT 00:00:05.365 --> 00:00:07.285 Hi, I'm Sean McCourt, and I'm Lindsay 00:00:07.285 --> 00:00:08.835 Northen, welcome to another costume 00:00:08.835 --> 00:00:11.435 edition of "Behind the Emerald Curtain." 00:00:11.435 --> 00:00:14.395 There are over 400 custom-made costumes in 00:00:14.395 --> 00:00:16.815 'Wicked,' and it takes an expert team to 00:00:16.815 --> 00:00:18.935 maintain them in the midst of eight 00:00:18.935 --> 00:00:21.425 performances a week. Join us, as we meet 00:00:21.425 --> 00:00:23.305 the folks in the wardrobe room, and they 00:00:23.305 --> 00:00:25.095 take us through a day in the life of a 00:00:25.095 --> 00:00:27.675 costumer. Alice Gilbert is an amazing 00:00:27.675 --> 00:00:29.625 wardrobe supervisor. I've worked with 00:00:29.625 --> 00:00:32.875 her before, I had to have her on 'Wicked' 00:00:32.875 --> 00:00:35.395 because I thought "She's the only person 00:00:35.395 --> 00:00:37.925 who can understand the complexities of 00:00:37.925 --> 00:00:40.705 a monkey costume, and a mask, all the way 00:00:40.705 --> 00:00:43.435 to the most delicate, beaded piece of 00:00:43.435 --> 00:00:46.115 Chiffon." I think, in many ways, Susan 00:00:46.115 --> 00:00:48.475 was happy because I had done a lot of 00:00:48.475 --> 00:00:51.105 shows over a long period of time, and so 00:00:51.105 --> 00:00:53.075 there were things that I could have input 00:00:53.075 --> 00:00:55.385 about and choices that you might want to 00:00:55.385 --> 00:00:57.695 make to make it easier to maintain the 00:00:57.695 --> 00:01:00.255 show over a long period of time. What the 00:01:00.255 --> 00:01:01.905 fabric is, what the texture is going to be 00:01:01.905 --> 00:01:04.425 Alice takes every single piece of fabric 00:01:04.425 --> 00:01:06.415 that I choose, and in something like 00:01:06.415 --> 00:01:09.265 'Wicked,' is over 2000 pieces of fabric, 00:01:09.265 --> 00:01:12.225 she takes her nail and she digs into it 00:01:12.225 --> 00:01:15.015 to make sure that it is going to survive. 00:01:15.015 --> 00:01:18.815 For her, survival is the key. I call it 00:01:18.815 --> 00:01:21.355 'The Alice Test'— These clothes do eight 00:01:21.355 --> 00:01:23.875 performances a week, they live through 00:01:23.875 --> 00:01:27.305 sweat, water, fire, performance after 00:01:27.305 --> 00:01:29.955 performance, and they have to stay as 00:01:29.955 --> 00:01:32.865 beautiful from the very first day to the 00:01:32.865 --> 00:01:35.305 last day that they have on stage. It's an 00:01:35.305 --> 00:01:38.425 unbelievably difficult life for this costume. 00:01:38.425 --> 00:01:40.825 For wardrobe to do the show there are 12 00:01:40.825 --> 00:01:43.725 dressers, plus myself and the assistant, 00:01:43.725 --> 00:01:47.725 and we have 4-8 people doing daywork, 00:01:47.725 --> 00:01:50.045 depending on the day of the week. They are 00:01:50.045 --> 00:01:53.725 there before, during, and after every 00:01:53.725 --> 00:01:56.865 performance doing a kind of triage, 00:01:56.865 --> 00:01:59.575 whether or not it's a tear, or a dropped 00:01:59.575 --> 00:02:03.935 bead, or a loose connection, the whole 00:02:03.935 --> 00:02:06.905 team of people are prepared at any moment 00:02:06.905 --> 00:02:09.625 to jump in, to fix something. 00:02:09.625 --> 00:02:12.085 Who the costume would see through the day, 00:02:12.085 --> 00:02:14.985 if it were a single costume: There'll be 00:02:14.985 --> 00:02:17.025 four or five people dealing in the world 00:02:17.025 --> 00:02:19.965 of any individual costume, over a day's 00:02:19.965 --> 00:02:23.105 period. In the morning, early would come 00:02:23.105 --> 00:02:24.765 the dayworkers, if there had been 00:02:24.765 --> 00:02:26.555 something that had happened to it the 00:02:26.555 --> 00:02:28.315 night before, we have some dayworkers who 00:02:28.315 --> 00:02:30.755 would like, burrow into the costume, as 00:02:30.755 --> 00:02:33.145 some of these things are like 16 layers. 00:02:33.145 --> 00:02:35.805 When it's time to appear in the show, 00:02:35.805 --> 00:02:38.225 the dresser would put it onto the actor, 00:02:38.225 --> 00:02:39.635 the actor will wear it, and the dresser 00:02:39.635 --> 00:02:42.175 would pull it off the actor, and it will 00:02:42.175 --> 00:02:43.755 go back on the rack and the dresser will 00:02:43.755 --> 00:02:45.945 bring it back downstairs. Everything will 00:02:45.945 --> 00:02:48.345 be looked at everyday, and of course 00:02:48.345 --> 00:02:50.865 everything will be worn everyday, so it's 00:02:50.865 --> 00:02:53.925 the constant wearing of the clothes, plus 00:02:53.925 --> 00:02:55.585 even the handling of the clothes, so like 00:02:55.585 --> 00:02:57.505 they go on and off the hangers, they go 00:02:57.505 --> 00:02:59.535 up and down the racks, the racks go on 00:02:59.535 --> 00:03:02.255 the elevator, racks go back and forth, 00:03:02.255 --> 00:03:03.935 you have constant opportunities for 00:03:03.935 --> 00:03:06.835 abrasion. The craft of doing wardrobe is 00:03:06.835 --> 00:03:09.245 indeed dealing with something that has 00:03:09.245 --> 00:03:11.805 originally been made totally by hand. 00:03:11.805 --> 00:03:14.215 10-12 people have their hands on a dress, 00:03:14.215 --> 00:03:16.565 there's no mass-production here, it is 00:03:16.565 --> 00:03:18.705 something that can only be done in a one 00:03:18.705 --> 00:03:20.975 on one basis; you and the costume, 00:03:20.975 --> 00:03:22.195 right there. 00:03:23.270 --> 00:03:26.400 I know, that Alice Gilbert will always be 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.550 there for every second of every show, so 00:03:29.391 --> 00:03:33.391 I know they're always going to look good.