In the cavernous maw of The Crucible, a horned Thor helmet puffs flame during a test-run, flaring enough heat to roast a marshmallow at 10 paces.

“Think it fits OK?” asks Crucible founder, Michael Sturtz, momentarily turned tailor to the gods as he places the helmet upon Thor, blacksmith instructor Chris Niemer. Sturtz then dons a Zeus helmet with a flaming mohawk — because, of course, mythical gods are fashion-forward – and they lean in to strike a hot-headed pose.

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Curtain Calls: O’Neill Foundation to present author’s ‘Lost Plays’ Behind them, sparks from a metal grinder scatter like furious fireflies, plasma-cut trees rise up against a wall, and big metal lanterns sit ready to be plumbed for propane. Teams go over fire-safety drills, ticketing, food service, security. And in studios around the Bay Area and beyond, cutting-edge fashion designers sew LEDs into silk and leather or pound out corsets of steel and brass.

All these things will soon seamlessly merge in a wildly creative, yet carefully controlled conflagration on the catwalk in this year’s “Hot Couture,” Feb. 16-19. It’s The Crucible’s annual industrial-arts/fire-arts/wearable-arts fashion show at its West Oakland warehouse, and nothing can hold a candle to it — probably because a candle would melt.

“It’s this intersection between tech and Burning Man culture and higher, more couture style,” says Lisa Jones, a Novato-based fashion designer who, with partner Ron Tomassini, returns to the show for a third year. “The platform they’re giving artists – it’s unique, and it’s the pinnacle showcase for technical high fashion.”

We recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of what it takes to put on this smoldering spectacle, plus a sneak peek of this year’s theme: “The Beautiful Ones,” taking inspiration from the Prince song of that name. The idea is to celebrate beauty in the broadest sense, says executive director David Miller as he walks us through the warehouse.

“The models on the catwalk will be all shapes, sizes, colors, abilities,” he says. Some will be in wheelchairs, some are hearing-impaired and accompanied by translators. “It really represents the diversity that is the Bay Area and The Crucible.”

Originally conceived in 2007 as a one-night performance, “Hot Couture” has evolved, expanding in scope, participation and now in length, with four full nights of extravaganza, Miller says. All this amid the Crucible’s daily work – its ongoing, year-round role as a nonprofit center for fine and industrial arts, offering classes for adults and kids on everything from welding, glass blowing and jewelry to woodworking, neon art and kinetic sculpture.

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A piece of work

The show’s theme — different each year — is conceived as early as May, Miller says. A national call for fashion designers goes out in August, resulting in a flood of portfolios, sketchbooks, mock-ups. This year, nine designers were chosen – six returning artists and three first-timers. Then there’s the hiring of performers, DJs, lighting experts and the recruiting of at least 100 volunteers – many of whom are Crucible students or part of the local arts community.

At the same time, fashion designers construct fantastical pieces of wearable art. Jones and Tomassini started work in October, calling their designs, “Absurd Beauty of Unorthodox Means.” They’re taking the Prince concept and running with it, Jones says in a phone interview, creating their own sleek version of 1970s jumpsuits, then adding mechanical face shields, headdresses, LEDs, mono-filaments, fur and even prosthetics — in the form of silicone third eyes.

“It sounds outrageous, but at the core, the jumpsuits are actually fashion you could wear in real life,” Jones says. “For the designers, this is your big show. Just like the runway shows in Milan, where the creations are clearly over-the top, but meant to be a showcase of what you can do.”

Back at the warehouse, stage construction takes up most of January, using recycled or repurposed materials — everything from compacted aluminum and rebar to muffler parts. This year’s stage has a “Southern gothic, dark-forest feel,” says studio manager, Carmen Gambino. A dozen large metal lanterns, each by a different artist, will be lit with flame and hung from the backdrop. The curvaceous, plasma-cut tree shapes will be layered on the stage and draped with “Spanish moss” –- stretched-out lengths of stainless-steel wool “because it doesn’t catch fire like regular steel wool,” says director of education, Carla Hall.

That’s kind of important when it’s dangling next to the centerpiece — a giant, fire-breathing Venus flytrap.

We have ignition

Indeed, flame effects have always been a major part of the show, but these folks are not just playing with fire. They know what they’re doing, and fire safety is always top in mind, especially this year in the wake of the Ghost Ship warehouse blaze in Oakland last December that killed 36 people. Crucible organizers are keenly aware of concerns about fire in a warehouse full of artists.

“We take extraordinary safety measures,” Miller says. “We have fire inspections and permits every year, sprinkler systems throughout the building. We just had a series of retraining sessions in fire-safety.”

Adjusting the propane flow to Thor’s horned helmet, Sturtz — who has been away from the Crucible working on other projects for the past six years — talks about the finale he composed for this year’s show. It’s a nine-minute theatrical vignette, with hand balancers and contortionists acting out the story of “The Origin of Love” from “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” which involves beings with four legs and four arms, attached back-to-back, roaming the Earth. “Zeus separates them with his lightning bolts, and that’s the idea of love,” he says, “that everyone is trying to find their other half.”

A fierce flame-effects designer himself, he knows full well that, when working with pyrotechnics, “You can’t be dumb,” Sturtz says.

“Well, you can,” he says. “Once.”

“Hot Couture: The Beautiful Ones”

When: 8 p.m. Feb. 16-18; 7 p.m. Feb. 19.

Where: The Crucible, 1260 7th St., Oakland.

Cost: $55-$115

Info: 510-444-0919; www.thecrucible.org/hot-couture-2017.