Dressing for success
Standing in the wings and helping rushed actors change
in less than a minute is all in a night's work for Wicked's
Gayle Palmieri
Fanny Brito
 Issue date: 5/23/04 Section: Stringers Spring '04
Gayle Palmieri, a dresser for Broadway's Wicked, started off her career in theater as an electrician in her high school plays back in Detroit, Michigan.
She moved to New York after she graduated from high school and took jobs as an electrician in off-Broadway shows.
"But it turned out I needed some money, when I was busy hustling around and [dressing] was the only job available," said Palmieri.
Palmieri's job consists of steaming, pressing, sending the clothes to the dry cleaners, etc.
"If it's worn [on stage], it belongs to us. If it's on somebody's body, it belongs to us... anything that has to do with the fit of clothing and cleaners is our responsibility," said Palmieri.
Being a dresser requires a lot of imagination and patience. She is required to be creative in order meet the needs of the actors and actresses she works with, and make sure that their costumes are spotless and fit perfectly. She has a great number of actors and actresses that depend on her, and that have to be changed every few minutes in expensive and complicated costumes, she has to accomplish her tasks fast and efficiently because part of the shows' magic relies on the costumes.
Palmieri's ingenuity is tested when things go wrong on stage. When one emsemble member's hat was too big for her when worn without a wig, Palmieri pinned a bandana with a string in order for the hat to fit the actress whenever she wasn't wearing her wig.
Palmieri works in a "dressing room" off-stage, which is custom-made black fabric box, decorated with cups and zippered locks pinned to it, where all of the costumes and accessories are kept.
However, Palimieri's work begins a lot earlier than when the actors are on stage.
 During a typical day, she has to arrive early to fix any major problems with the wardrobe, including spills, rips, and tears.
"At 6:30 p.m., we come in for the show and we look over the racks to make sure everything is there," Palmieri explained.
The dressing crew sets up racks, and by 7:00 p.m., these racks are moved to the offstage area.
"You have to be set a half-hour before the show, so that by 7:30 p.m., the actors start getting ready, and you have to be near them just in case they need something. Then, after the show is over, we put everything away and go home," she said.
Palmieri worked in various shows before Wicked, which has provided her with the experience to be successful at what she does. Her experience as a dresser includes work in Kiss Me, Kate, Beauty and Beast, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, The Wizard of Oz at Madison Sqaure Garden and many others.
She started working with Wicked because she knew the wardrobe supervisor from The Will Rogers Follies, Alyce Gilbert. Palmieri called Gilbert and asked for the job and she was subsequenty offered the position.
Palmieri is truly passionate with what she does she has been working as a dresser for over 25 years, and loves every bit of it. The phrase "It's the best" is her statement of choice when describing what she does eight times a week.
She expresses a true worship for the theater. "Sometimes you can feel the spirits of the people that have been in this theater," she said, while looking at the stage from the wings of the Gershwin Theater.
"Working for Wicked is like making dinner with your family, and at eight o'clock, the curtains fly and dinner is set," she said.
Taken from: www.studentpressreview.com
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