The transparency of the materials was used to suggest nudity. Patterns and tattoos were added to the sheer fabrics to create a contrasting effect, and glitter to evoke aquatic animals. Aboard an enormous iron ship between the sky and the sea, the macabre, disembodied Flayed Ones are tormented souls searching for the peace that has escaped them for so long. With their ghostly white hair, they are wounded explorers in a forgotten world. Since digital screen printing was inaccessible at the time, their muscles were painted on by hand, based on pictures taken from anatomy books.

Nearly sixty different costumes were developed, and up to ten variations of these costumes were created for each act. Around 1,200 costume and headpieces are used in every performance, as each performer has an average of 5 different looks they wear on stage. Both real and synthetic hair was used in most of the eight different wig styles. Over sixty wigs had to be hand-ventilated and tied to outfit the cast members. (Some of them are even Santa Claus wigs!)

Water provided countless challenges for the Cirque du Soleil costume creators. "We went through a lengthy testing process for all of the costumes in "O". The first time we tested our costumes in the Olympic pool here in Montreal, they exploded!" recalls Yves Fournier, Costume Department Director. "We understood right away why bathing suits are sewn together differently. We built a little pool five feet deep in the Montreal studio, and every cutter had a little bucket in which they soaked their material, to see how it would react. When the synchronized swimmers started testing the costumes at the Bellagio, we noticed that all the glowing beads were disappearing, and we didn't know where! One day, someone opened the pool filter ... and found 3,000 beads!"

The element of water required that the costumes be made of durable materials that fit like a second skin and dry fast. To accomplish this, a silicone application was created and used on nearly forty percent of the costumes. There are also 3 to 5 copies of each of the costume item, as two sets are used each night - the latex material used does not dry fast enough between shows. All shoes were constructed of bull hide, which can be worn in water without shortening the life of the shoe.

Like the costumes, the use of makeup required an extensive testing process. All makeup used in the show is waterproof. A total of eighty-six different shades create an unique but unified look and the bright foundations signify the "light from within the body".

At first glance each of these characters appears to be on their own journey, and perhaps, in their own time as our play progresses; yet together they provide a wonderful insight into this strange odyssey. "The show is about femininity, drama, theatre," says Dominique. "It deals with love, marriage, birth, death, and rebirth. "O" is the cycles of life represented through a theatrical experience. "O" is about splendor, about encountering splendor."

Stong, but vulnerable, this aging theather manager knows all and provoke us to see the darkside of «O». He may strike a menacing and enigmatic figure, but don't be fooled by appearances. The all-knowing old director - this sage, provocative guardian of the theater - serves as Philemon's indispensable guide and mentor as he ushers him through the darkness and light of life's endless adventure. His ghostly orchestrations take us on a timeless journey through different worlds as he makes his own transformation from dark to white. Everything old becomes new once more.

Every story needs a hero - particularly the story of life. He is the young Sicilian boy who we first meet reading the rules of the theatre to us. But, his curiousity and quest for adventure ends up transporting him to a magical realm where all his hopes, fears and dreams come true. He is the willing prisoner in this kaleidoscopic domain--the witness who is everywhere and every man.

He wears the clothes of a wicked woman; he coos, he hisses, he murmurs -- his primal cries resound throughout the theater.

Aurora is an artist in the world of «O» who has captured the interest of Guifà. She also turns the head of Eugen, the theater owner.

This omnipresent gentle giant goes everywhere Philemon goes. As each mysterious world emerges, The Organ Grinder is somehow always there to reach out and lend a hand.

She is a dancer and follows the tune of the Barbary organ, as she has always done. She dances passionately and with deliberation - everywhere, all the time, for everyone... but most of all, for herself.

A masked character is he; with many faces. A clown, a body guard... one never knows. He plays with fire.

A pyromaniac who enjoys pleasing the crowd.

The impulsive rubber man can barely control his curiosity. He dances and gesticulates instinctively, expressing all that he sees and feels.

Noble. Elegant. Sexy. At times, perhaps, even a little absurd. Like life, The Comets are as exhilarating as they are unpredictable. Here, they take a few steps forward; there, a step back. Sometimes slipping sideways, left and then right. Up and down. They are there when the curtain rises, and again when it falls. Like all of us, they belong to the universe, to the cosmos.

They are the living memory of all stories told in the theatre, including: The Beggars from The Three-Penny Opera and Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht; The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare; La Grosse Femme by Michel Tremblay; Lady With a Dog by Tchekhov; Cowboy by Sam Sheppard; Six Characters in Search of an Author by Pirandello; The Bald Soprano by Ionesco; and many others.

Cheerful, affectionate, and utterly harmless. The curious Zebras saunter around while they watch; they smooch as they strut. When they're alone, they search for each other. But bring them all together and see how they explode in to play and mischief.

A toe, a foot, a leg. More. Suddenly, the world springs to life and the adventure begins. These creatures from the depths make essential links between fire, earth, air and water. We wonder with spirits buoyed: what does the future hold? What will keep us afloat?

Silent, yet powerful, Moonhead symbolizes all fantastical stories that have taken to the stage throughout time.

She dances passionately and with deliberation - everywhere, all the time for everyone... but most of all, for herself.

Lost and abandoned, the brides are searching for something - a key to their existance.

With simple, poetic gestures, the White Clown and Blue Clown convey the many complexities of life. Two unpretentious souls on a search fo answers, Leonid and Valery provide the light that balances the dark part of humanity. This team, originally from Russia, has been performing together since the early 1980s and were both featured in Cirque du Soleil's Alegría.