Lynn Ferguson: Wardrobe supervisorWardrobe supervisor Lynn Ferguson loves her work and says she gets really excited when she finds the right fabric for a costume or an item like a brooch or a glove that would fit perfectly with a character. But before she can start looking for costumes, or making them, she has to work closely with the costume designer to really understand what she's trying to bring out in each character. The vision of the costume designer must then be combined with the actor's ideas for his or her character before the costume making can begin. Lynn says that Bristol Old Vic's production of Beasts and Beauties was a challenge to work on because of its scale and the number of costumes needed. She was also faced with some tricky practical problems. For example, in 'Beauty and the Beast', the Beast was covered in slime made from hair gel and paste, and she had to make sure that it didn't get on his costume, which was hired. His floor-length, richly embroidered cloak concealed a plastic liner, but during rehearsals, Lynn noticed that slime also got onto other characters in the scene. She had not anticipated this, and tried to incorporate a layer of gauze on some of the dresses to minimize any damage. |  | |
