Inside the costume

Original non-fiction-style practice text.

For the puppet show, the festival commissioned a huge bird costume with a painted beak. In photographs, the bird appeared to need only one performer. The designer insisted on listing a second worker in the running costs. The committee asked whether that person could be removed to save money.

During the trial, the performer could see forwards through a narrow opening but could not see the ground beside either foot. The second worker walked close enough to guide the costume around cables and uneven paving. She also opened a side fastening between appearances so that the performer could cool down without taking the whole costume off. Both tasks happened outside the photograph's neat frame.

After watching the trial, the committee kept the extra worker. The bird still looked as though it had arrived alone. The festival's programme credited two people with bringing it through the square. The designer said that the illusion belonged in the performance, not in the budget.

Give two tasks carried out by the second worker.