not like he's a drunk!" Apparently, any 3Jcohol in ilie body will exit with pei;"spira tion through the skin. Alcohol is an inhibitor to the adhesive remover: My actor was sweating profusely during dress rehearsal because he was wearing a big furry lion suit! D'oh! He hadn't been sweating noticeably in the week before dress/tech because he hadn't been in the full lion getup, and without the sweating, the adhe sive and remover worked perfectly. It never, ever would have occurred to me that would be a problem. I won't make that mistake again.
So what can be done when you have an actor who wants to kick back with a cold one (or two) after a long day of rehearsal? Two words: barrier layer. There are a number of products on the market, but the one I used to solve my problem was the one suggested and provided by PPI, called Top Guard.® It is an acrylic resin based iliat works just the way it says in ilie literature: It's a water- and perspi_; ration-resistant surface primer that reduces skin irritation, increases prosthetic adhesion, and allows for easier remov l. I was sold. Just a thin application of Top Guard® on the skin prior to the adhesive (let it dry first) and all was in per fect harmoriy again. Life was good! Top Guard® is now part of my regular appli-
. cation regir;nen, no matter what. Plus it actually makes removal and cleanup easier. That alone is worth the cost of admission to me.