Lean More About A Career In Theatrical Makeup

By Carissa Glenn


Make-up was not worn during the early Greek and Roman Theater. During those times the actors usually wore masks depicting the various roles that they played. These ranged from other people to animals and depended on the role that was being acted. Only later on did theatrical makeup make its appearance.

Stage make-up is not the same as what women wear every day. It has to make the person's face stand out amid the lights from the stage. In the early days of make-up actors and actresses used white lead and wine to make themselves look different. In those times people depicting God painted their faces white or gold. Angel's faces were painted red. The renaissance saw actors using flour to make their faces white and they used wool to create beards and facial hair.

In the early days there was very poor lighting of oil lamps and candles. The make-up was unrealistic and crude. With today's technology, lighting is brilliant and make-up is easily visible by people in an audience. Nowadays an actor's look needs to be more realistic and refined.

When doing theatrical make-up you need to know how to get the different finishes. One could get a client that requires actors to have scars, sutures, blood and bruises on the face. These features would have to be done professionally for them to be visible in a packed audience.

When a script writer writes a play, he has impressions of the people he is writing about. You may find that he is writing about an old man who has wrinkles and deep grooves in his face. The make-up artist has to make the actor's fact look like this for his role in the play. With the right tools, an artist can make an actor look like anything from an aged man to an alien or monster.

In order to study theatrical make-up you would need a high school diploma. One would be advised to have drama and theater on your score card as well. Getting involved in your school's stage productions will also be a great advantage to you. This way you will gain a bit of experience in this field. In some states you need to be trained in cosmetology to study make-up in its theatrical form.

When wanting to get into make-up artistry, you would do well offering your services to schools in your area who are putting on a theatrical production. This way you could gain some more experience. Get involved in the theater to know more about acting and the theatrics of such a production. During these productions you will meet with many different people like managers, other make-up artists and of course actors.

Familiarize yourself with the different looks. Go through magazines and try to do a couple of wedding stints for the experience. The better you get at doing different special effects the greater your chances will be at getting work in the theatrical makeup industry.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment