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WIGS, HAIR AND MAKE-UP NATIONAL THEATRE BACKSTAGE GUIDES To audiences, the work that goes on behind the scenes of a theatre can sometimes feel mysterious and the sheer number of people involved often unknown. It is often said that it takes a village to get things done and that is certainly true of theatre. At the National Theatre, writers, directors, designers and companies of actors work alongside skilled craftspeople to realise the productions audiences see on stage, from wigs, hair and make-up artists to stage management, casting, sound, lighting and video, costume and even armourers. The National Theatre Backstage Guides series aims to bring the skills behind much of this talent to the fore, offering practical and positive introductions to different aspects of theatre-making. These guides don’t presume previous knowledge about each discipline and are equally perfect for those who are merely curious to understand more about how practitioners work as those looking to start out in the industry or to progress. The series celebrates the ingenuity and dedication of those involved in theatre- making, but it also aims to incite future talent. There is no one perfect route into the theatre industry and as such, these books are not masterclasses. Written by experts, with lived examples, humour and personal insight, they reflect on changes within the industry and may challenge your assumptions about the work involved. Through practical exercises, tips and tricks to improve – or even begin – your practice, they offer a springboard for finding out more or for further development. We hope you find the series enlightening, demystifying and above all, inspiring. Other titles in the National Theatre Backstage Guides series: Playwriting: A Backstage Guide by Dan Rebellato WIGS, HAIR AND MAKE-UP A Backstage Guide Helen Casey METHUEN DRAMA Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA 29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland BLOOMSBURY, METHUEN DRAMA and the Methuen Drama logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2023 Copyright © Helen Casey, 2023 Helen Casey has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as author of this work. Series design by Charlotte Daniels Cover image © Emojoez / Getty Images All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN: PB: 978-1-3501-3587-1 ePDF: 978-1-3501-3588-8 eBook: 978-1-3501-3589-5 Series: National Theatre Backstage Guides Typeset by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India To find out more about our authors and books visit www .bloomsbury .com and sign up for our newsletters. CONTENTS Preface vi Introduction 1 1 Starting out: Training, employment and kit 9 2 Design and research 27 3 Wig and postiche making 49 4 Wig and hair dressing 65 5 Make-up 81 6 Prosthetics and stage effects 97 7 Staging 115 Conclusion 129 Glossary 135 List of credits 138 PREFACE T he lights are up, the scene is underway. It is 2011, and the show is Ibsen’s Emperor and Galilean, in a version by Ben Power and directed by Jonathan Kent. We have reached the climactic closing of the scene before blackout and I am dashing around to the side of the Olivier auditorium to listen to the reaction of the audience as Gregory of Nazianzus, played by Jamie Ballard, appears to dig his nails into his own skin and tear the flesh from his chest. The audience gasp in horror and I breathe a sigh of relief – our carefully designed effect has achieved the desired reaction for another performance. I return backstage to mop up the pool of fake blood. The next night, we will do it all again. I have been working as a wigs, hair and make-up artist for almost twenty years, on projects spanning everything from disco musicals in South Korea, to tiny independent films in Welsh fields in the middle of the night, to fancy dress parties for millionaire tycoons in penthouse apartments. I started my career as a teenager, volunteering for local amateur dramatics societies and smearing dirt on the faces of urchins for the school production of Oliver! I fell in love with working in the theatre early on and have spent most of my working life in that part of the industry. The live performance aspect of the theatre is something which has continued to hold my fascination. As a non- performing creative worker, there are not many disciplines in which your work can find its audience with such immediacy. Hearing the reaction of audiences to a character look or stage effect is an unexpected benefit of working in a live performance environment and one which I never get tired of. I believe that everyone can use their creativity to tell a story and the transformation of the body can play a part in that at any scale. I hope that the tips and insights in this book will inspire and encourage you to tell your own stories. PREFACE vii viii INTRODUCTION WIGS, HAIR AND MAKE-UP INTRODUCTION Throughout recorded history, make-up and hair manipulation have been used for protection, transformation and beautification (eye make-up equipment has been found in Egyptian burials from 4000 bce). From the geometric beauty of Japanese Kabuki face paint to the rosy cheeks and huge wig of a pantomime dame, they have also been important elements of narrative performance around the world for centuries. Make-up and hair are powerful tools in storytelling, as they represent not just a costume change, but a change of the body, of the very self. Sociologist Bryan Turner writes: ‘In pre-modern societies, the body is an important surface on which the marks of social status, family position, tribal affiliation, age, gender and religious cohesion can easily and publicly be displayed.’ There is a direct correlation between Ancient Greek chorus masks, the strongly painted travelling players of the sixteenth century and today’s modern clowns, all of which used the white face to become unrecognizable, to lose themselves in the role and the play.