You’d never imagine what the head of wardrobe at Cirque du Soleil has to think about on a daily basis. Larry Edwards took us behind the scenes of Amaluna (in Toronto from September 6 to November 4, 2012) to see what goes on in the costume and makeup room.
Amaluna is based in a mysterious island governed by Goddesses. It is an emotional love story between a goddess’s daughter and a young man who lands on the island and the numerous obstacles they have to overcome to be together. Amaluna is a fusion of the words ama, which refers to mother, and luna, which means moon, a symbol of femininity that represents the mother-daughter relationship and the idea of goddess and protector of the planet.
The costumes were designed by Mé©ré©dith Caron, renowned Canadian designer with over 175 collaborations under her belt. Amaluna is now her third project with Cirque du Soleil after Criss Angel and Believe.
Caron wanted to use a variety of fabrics, including leather, jean, silk and Lycra. Weight and mechanics were considered during the design process to make sure performers could move. Some pieces have removable pieces, and when the time comes, the players can transform so that they have a full range of motion.
As the head of wardrobe, Edwards’ job is to take Caron’s designs and make sure that every show they look just as beautiful as they were when they were originally sewn and stitched.
Battling Toronto’s humidity, there are many measures taken to ensure leather doesn’t shrink, paint doesn’t smear and makeup doesn’t liquefy. How does he do it? They use unique leather that can be laundered, a process that takes up to 24 hours a week. All hand-painted pieces are touched-up after every show and he keeps the oil-based makeup in fridges so that they don’t sweat. These are tricks that come with the over 20 years of experience putting on Cirque du Soleil productions.
The makeup, sponsored by MAC Cosmetics, is bright and beautiful oranges and blues. Amaluna characters are human-based, so for this production each performer can apply their own makeup. They are taught in Montreal by seasoned makeup artists and every performer is given a step-by-step guide on how to achieve their look. From the Moon Goddess to the Clowns, each character has a unique appearance inspired by several cultures and eras and melted into one beautiful concept.
Be sure to catch Amaluna in Toronto (Canada) this fall. For ticket information, visit Amaluna’s Website.
NonnaFilm.com came with us backstage and shot this lovely video. Check it out:
Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna in Numbers:
70 percent of the cast is women.
100 percent the show’s band is women.
52 talented performers in the show.
17 countries are represented in the cast and crew, including Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Greece, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States.
5,000 Cirque du Soleil employees worldwide.
145 total people on tour with the cast, including 20 family members.
150 local people were hired to work on the production of the show.
