The World of Wigs and Makeup by MIKE LAWLER

Hair MIKE LAWLER

The world of wigs and makeup BY MIKE LAWLER

WHEN YOU WALK into the wig shop of American Players The- atre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Ralph Holcomb seems out of place. If it weren’t for the intent look on his face as he ties delicate strands of human hair through fine mesh squares on a molded head in his lap, you’d think he stumbled in from the scene shop next door looking for a quiet place to think. Stand- ing well over six feet, with closely cropped hair and a wild shock of red fuzz jutting from his chin, Holcomb cuts an im- posing figure. He’s not the guy you’d imagine as the new wig master for the 2007 season of the classic theatre in the woods. “If somebody told me when I started school, ‘In ten years you’re going to be sitting in a room tying hundreds of knots of hair everyday,’ I would have looked at them like they were stock, but generally they must still do crazy,” Holcomb says. “But once I started getting into it, I fell a fair amount of maintenance and in love with it.” tweaking to make the wig suitable for Now, after several years of supporting himself with his the design. Makeup artists will assist wigs, Holcomb knows how tedious the work may look to out- performers with any complicated siders. Sometimes it is tedious, but it has its rewards, too. “You makeup application that is part of the can definitely see your progress,” he says. “One of my favorite design. parts is when you put that finished, styled product on some- According to Ruskai, there are six body.” different skill sets applicable to both wigs and makeup: wig making, wig From the neck up and hair styling, cut and color, “The wig and makeup industry is complicated and variable,” makeup application, prosthetic lab explains Martha Ruskai, who directed wig and makeup training techniques, and design. Most of these at North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem for are self-explanatory; however, Ruskai nearly twenty years. Though the areas of wigs and makeup explains that the art of one, makeup may sound quite different, they are frequently interchangeable, application, is very specialized. “Not and the work is often performed by the same people. Makeup all makeup artists can do all types artists are sometimes responsible for the care of wigs during and venues equally well,” she says. production and are at times skilled wig makers and stylists in There are several types of makeup their own right. These artists, along with the milliner, are the application that require differing skills people who take care of performers from the neck up. They and training, including fashion, aging, do so, for the most part, in accordance with the costume prosthetics, and special effects. Again, designer’s vision. Wig makers may use wigs that are already Ruskai says that even within these built, having rented them or pulled them from a theatre’s specialties there are stark differences DRAMATICS • MAY 2007 DON CORATHERS

James P. McGough in the wig shop at American Players Theatre, left. At right, theatre design and production majors Daniel Townsend and Gretchen Androsavich ventilating wigs in the studio at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. between how they are handled for tume designers who are skilled at costume shops and the occasional the stage versus film, television, or drawing hairstyles and makeup there lack of a costume designer altogether, print jobs. are an equal number who are not,” a specialized area of design has The work of the wig master is also Ruskai explains. “In addition, very evolved: the wig and makeup de- subject to the whims of other theatre few have been trained to apply signer. According to Ruskai, wig and artists as they react to fashion and makeup and style hair.” makeup designers are far more com- changing trends. These trends often The relationship between wig mon in the areas of opera, Broadway, progress along a different trajectory masters and costume designers is at and film and television than in non- than those associated with costumes times very complicated because of commercial theatre. and clothing. the high level of specialization in- James P. McGough, wig designer “Current taste and fashion affect volved, and, according to some wig and head of the wig shop at Virginia hairstyles more than costumes,” says masters, the lack of expertise on the Opera for the past nine seasons, falls Ruskai. “Audiences, directors, and part of the designers. “A costume into such a category, though he ad- performers accept that people in 1692 designer is often stretched very mits his situation is uncommon. wore things that looked different, but thin and so may not want to take “What I have in Virginia is so rare,” often have more difficulty in adjusting the time to think about hair and he says. “Most opera companies don’t to a man in an elaborate, long wig, makeup until all of the costume pieces have a resident wig person.” period makeup, and beauty spots,” are under control, which can be right McGough is also the former wig mas- she explains. before the first dress rehearsal,” Ruskai ter of American Players Theatre, says. “This shortens the amount of where he spent fourteen seasons. Wig and makeup design time available to build, have fittings, While his position with APT was wig Design can be yet another facet of and make adjustments.” master, he has done his share of non- the job for wig masters and makeup For these and other reasons, in- credited design there, guiding and as- artists. “While there are some cos- cluding the common understaffing of sisting costume designers unable or MAY 2007 • DRAMATICS extensively with the costume designer who is, in most situations, responsible for the look of the perform- MIKE LAWLER ers’ hair. The wig personnel will schedule appointments with each of the performers to assess such things as head size, current hair length, hair color, and existing facial hair (if any). If it is not deemed necessary for certain actors to wear wigs, their hair length and style will be examined carefully so that any needed haircut or restyling can be determined and agreed upon. Actors requiring wigs will be measured and sometimes photo- graphed so that the wig shop can create a wig that fits their heads perfectly. Often, wigs will be built from scratch. Other times a wig shop will use wigs that are already built, having rented them or pulled them from their own theatre’s stock. The shop must still do a fair amount of maintenance and styling to make existing wigs suitable for the design and the individual actor. The wig makers spend hours ventilating (see the sidebar on page 23), a term used to describe the tying of the wig material (be it human hair, yak hair, or a synthetic material) to the mesh cap that will hold it together. Once the wigs have been created, Ralph Holcomb at APT. the stylist will go to work manipulat- ing the wig to match the desired look. During all of this, the wig shop unwilling to devote energy to wigs A job description may have the actors in for further fit- and makeup. for the wig master tings. For instance, a wig master Holcomb, McGough’s successor, The wig master’s process begins, as would ideally want to have a fitting was trained by a former pupil of with most areas of theatre, when he after the wig cap was built, after the McGough himself, and has managed first reads a script. “We’re reading it wig was ventilated (or tied), and after to create a career in theatrical wigs in with a completely different viewpoint the wig was styled. Depending on a relatively short period of time. Still than anybody else,” McGough says. the theatre or organization, this may in his twenties, Holcomb is an ex- “I’m looking for any hair reference.” or may not be possible based on the ample of how effective networking As an example, McGough cites a re- typically demanding schedules of the can be. He has demonstrated that one cent production of Tartuffe, in which actors and the technicians. can create a niche and build a repu- the costume designer had overlooked When the wigs are complete, they table career as a wig specialist in the- a textual reference to Orgon’s mous- will need maintenance during the run atre. However, Holcomb’s career is tache. In this sense, it is helpful to of a show and probably will also re- probably the exception to the rule, have a wig master who takes the time quire periodic restyling. and by no means easily replicated. It to become familiar with the work. Though professional actors are takes a lot of work to build and The wig master must then deter- usually responsible for applying the maintain a life in wigs and makeup— mine how the desired hairstyles and makeup designed by the costume de- especially if you are planning to stick wigs will be created for the show. In signer, there are times when special- to live performing arts. doing so, the wig master will consult ized makeup is needed for a produc- DRAMATICS • MAY 2007 tion for one or more of the charac- ters. If this is the case, a makeup artist will apply the makeup so that it is

consistent at each performance. (My DON CORATHERS favorite example of this was a costume design for Caliban in The Tem- pest that included very little clothing and lots of body makeup—the makeup artist earned her wage every night for that one!) Because makeup is chemically based and in contact with a performer’s skin for long periods of time, the makeup artist will also assess a performer’s history of allergic reactions, and ensure that all products used are safe for anyone using makeup. Makeup artists work in numerous venues and a variety of productions. Therefore they must be able to make decisions about how makeup will “read” from the stage. They will do this based on many factors, including the performer’s skin tone, the light- ing, costuming, and scenery. The overall design and mood of the show are also critical considerations for a makeup artist, since the makeup they apply will reflect these ideals. When necessary, makeup artists will also devise, create, and apply any prosthetic pieces, or special-effects makeup applications, such as wounds, scars, or other modifying fea- tures that are required by the design. As with any other tech theatre position, the makeup artist will generally be present for technical rehears- als—either to apply the makeup as they will during the run of the show, or to ensure that performers are prop- erly using the makeup, and fulfilling the demands of the design.

The realities of freelancing “This work takes a lot of stamina,” says McGough. “You’re always looking for work.” While this is obviously a common dilemma for all theatre artists, McGough suggests why it may be even harder for wig and makeup artists to find steady employment. “Most theatre companies don’t use CCM students apply alginate, a compound used to make dental impressions, to fellow stu- wigs,” he tells me. “And when they dent Emily Murray’s face to make a life mask. A casting made from the alginate mold can do—and I hate to say this—they do then be used to fabricate a prosthesis. MAY 2007 • DRAMATICS Whatever the hair’s origin, it doesn’t always end up where you’d Where does wig hair think. “I am so used to finding hair come from (and where everywhere,” Holcomb says. “If I’m in a restaurant and I sit down at a does it end up)? ISTOCKPHOTO.COM table and I see a hair, I wonder, ‘Did that come from me?’” It’s a “IT’S USUALLY human hair,” James P. McGough and Ralph Holcomb question most people could answer McGough explains. As a wig master have spent many summers building easily, for we know what our hair is with over twenty years of experi- and maintaining wigs for the outdoor like—but wig makers like Holcomb ence, he’s handled a lot of it. “It stage at APT and point out that wigs work so closely with so many different comes from hair merchants.” made of human hair will react to types of hair that it’s hard for them to Such hair merchants are all over the weather in predictably unfortunate know what they’ve brought to the globe, with the region determining the ways. Certain conditions like severe table. Holcomb also tells a story of go- price, type, and quality of the hair. humidity often necessitate restyling. ing home after work and finding a “There is never a hair shortage,” The hair is not always human long human hair wrapped around one McGough says. hair, though. Frequently, theatre of his toes as though someone had Natural hair must go through an companies use dyed yak hair as taken the time to carefully secure it extensive preparation process before well as synthetic hair. These types there. So, if you don’t think you’d ever being put on the market. “They take of hair can be very useful for certain get used to that sort of thing, wigs it, color strip it, dye it,” says Mc- applications and are often preferred may not be the life for you. Gough. “They delouse it, of course.” for building facial hair. —M.L.

them really badly. Good God. Is that underpaid crew of freelancing the- “You make a lot of money in Donald Trump playing Marian the li- atre pros, struggling to keep their film,” says McGough, who also free- brarian in The Music Man?” schedules full while working for re- lances from time to time as a costume McGough may be joking, but he gional theatres and opera compa- designer. “But there are a lot of sacri- knows what he is talking about. As a nies with ever-dwindling budgets. fices too.” There are, of course, the wig designer, wig master, and This scenario might actually be decisions that inevitably go along makeup artist he has designed and too much on the gloomy side, and with relocating to one of the built hundreds of productions in his Ruskai reminds us of one very im- country’s filmmaking centers. Then twenty-plus year career. He sug- portant thing: “I always have more there are industry requirements to gests there is a sort of Catch-22 in job offers for my students than I consider. McGough views work in the world of theatrical wigs and have graduates of the program to film and television as an entirely dif- makeup. There is a large corps of fill them.” This is an essential point, ferent ball of wax. “It’s industry stan- trained, highly qualified wig special- and one well worth remembering dard in film and television that you ists, but really only a handful of the- when any theatre technician is have to have a cosmetology degree,” atres outside of the commercial world weighing his or her chances at find- he says. Many states require that you of Broadway can afford their skills. ing work in today’s theatre. have certain training and licensing to This leaves the wig and makeup art- work as a hairstylist or cosmetologist, ists fleeing for the financial rewards Film and television regardless of where you have studied of Hollywood, New York, and other versus theatre or earned a degree. entertainment centers. This situation Work outside the theatre is abun- But according to Ruskai, who has seems to result in two distinct and dant, but different professionals see been working with wigs for nearly vastly different pictures. One, a film the opportunities in very different thirty years, the debate is moot. “Very and television market filled with em- lights. “Monster, sci-fi, and gore get few wig makers don’t work both in- ployable artists—more, in fact, than all the attention,” Ruskai says, sum- dustries,” she says. “You can’t really the market can realistically employ ming up the dilemma she feels seri- earn a living as a makeup artist in on a regular basis; and two, a mostly ous theatre artists will have to face. theatre unless you run a Broadway DRAMATICS • MAY 2007 spectacle.” A realist, Ruskai is upfront As a result, there is a tendency the wig master to take charge of the with her students and other young among those collaborating with wig design and implementation of a people interested in pursuing wigs masters and designers to have unrea- cast’s hair. and makeup in the theatre. “Be pre- sonable expectations. “The biggest Aside from working with folks in- pared to work very hard for very challenge is getting directors and side the theatre, wig masters and little payoff.” costume designers to have thorough makeup artists often find that an out- The labor organization that repre- discussions and make timely deci- side support group can be quite sents many artists in the field, IATSE sions,” she says. Many wig masters helpful—especially for problem solv- Local 798, is another determining fac- believe that costume designers rarely ing. “You’ve got to build a network tor in the building of a career. “The give the area above the neck much of people,” McGough says. “[You union requires that you specialize in thought. This can sometimes leave can’t] be afraid to call them and say, hair or makeup,” Ruskai says. “For me, the joy comes from creating a complete being or complete cast of beings.” As a result, Ruskai is one of many working pros not affiliated with the union. There is also ongoing pressure to require union members to hold a cosmetology degree, which puts vet- erans like McGough—who is a member of IATSE Local 798 and holds an M.F.A in costume design— in the unwelcome position of de- fending his expertise in the areas of both makeup and wigs. The debate surrounding the decision to join is hotly contested, and should be con- sidered carefully, depending on how one wants a career to unfold. And then there are the people in the industry who have aspirations that are altogether different. I met MIKE LAWLER one young wig stylist who had re- cently graduated from the University The art of ventilating of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music with an M.F.A. focusing on “VENTILATING IS what we call the number of hairs tied together at a wigs and makeup who had some- process of knotting or tying the time depends on several factors, thing entirely different in mind: the wig,” McGough explains. “I have a including where they are on the CIA. She hoped one day to land a friend who is in respiratory cap, and how many strands will be gig designing and applying disguises therapy, and she says, ‘Every time I tied for each knot. The back will for America’s elite spies. hear ventilated I think of some- often be tied thicker, with more thing completely different,’” he hair per knot, while the front will Collaborating with designers says. “A wig with a tube running be tied with a finer look. It’s interesting to note that in the down its throat!” “Once you learn, it’s a very ba- over 250 pages of Lynn Pecktal’s “It’s basically like doing a latch- sic skill,” he says. “Some people great costuming resource, Costume hook rug,” Holcomb says. “Or cro- like really thick wigs, some people Design: Techniques of Modern Mas- chet.” like thin wigs, and some people ters, the subject of wigs comes up in With a small tool called a venti- like it in the middle,” Holcomb ex- only two of the eighteen interviews lating (or tying) hook, Holcomb plains. Over the years he has the author conducted with some of demonstrates the knotting tech- learned to accommodate the tastes the theatre’s most revered contem- nique he uses to tie the fine hair and styles of the different wig porary designers. Even then it only on the mesh that has been pre-fit- masters and designers he has receives a brief mention. “Most ted to a wig cap created from the worked with. people don’t really understand what actor’s actual skull shape. The —M.L. goes into good wigs,” Ruskai says. MAY 2007 • DRAMATICS of Cincinnati’s College Conserva- tory of Music, Webster University, the University of Utah, and Vir- ginia Commonwealth. Wigs and Hair Chicago, a private vocational school, has also partnered with Columbia College, DePaul Univer- sity, and Northwestern University to provide specialized training in the field to students of these re- spected Chicago-area theatre programs. In spite of the small number of university-based training opportunities—especially in comparison with other specialties of tech theatre— there does not appear to be a shortage of trained wig and makeup personnel. This is because of the multitude of private vocational schools focused on the field. Since they are geared toward the film and television industry, such schools are especially plentiful in Hollywood and New York City, but can ad- equately train those interested in live theatre too. McGough advises caution in considering such schools, though. As an example, he tells the story of a friend who visited a Cali- REBECCA KUZMA fornia training school for an inter- An historically accurate reproduction of a Marie Antoinette hairstyle from 1777, cre- view after deciding to become a ated by North Carolina School of the Arts makeup artist. “The receptionist was graduate student Rebecca Kuzma. a graduate of the program,” Mc- Gough says. “What does that tell you?” ‘Hey, I’m doing this. How do I do The decision of how to gain it?’” the necessary practical training for For wig masters, being able to employment as a wig and makeup contact other artists and brainstorm specialist is affected by many makes their jobs much easier, in ad- things. The primary considerations dition to providing a collection of should be: 1) What industry you knowledge that any single person want to focus on, be it theatre, couldn’t possibly retain. “You can’t film, television, or print; 2) be one of these closed, tight-fisted Whether or not you consider a people,” McGough says. liberal arts education valuable for your future; 3) If you have access Paths to a career (or can gain it) to working profes- in wigs and makeup sionals who are willing to teach So, what type of training should wig you the trade in either a volunteer and makeup hopefuls pursue? It’s or entry-level capacity. hard to say. Only a few schools of- However one decides to pursue fer degree programs with a spe- the fields of wigs and makeup, it cialty in the field. Ruskai’s program should be understood that there is at North Carolina School of the Arts no shortage of opportunities to is one; others include the University learn them thoroughly. ▼ DRAMATICS • MAY 2007 Originally published in Dramatics magazine. More info: Schooltheatre.org