by Gedaly Guberek

Created on: January 27, 2008

Makeup is a horribly overlooked aspect of a theatre. With theatres and schools across the country cutting their budgets it is often makeup artists that are out the door. Unfortunately many actors don't know enough about makeup to do it well by themselves. What's worse is many actors think they do know because they can put on street makeup. Some women don't even do street makeup very well, but that's a different story.

Learning stage makeup should be essential for actors. More often than not, actors will be expected to do certain things themselves since resources for artists for the whole cast are rarely possible. Similar to a costume, the makeup on an actor can significantly help them get "in character." Being able to look into the mirror and see someone dressed differently and a less familiar face is a powerful sight to an actor, and helps create a good performance. Actors should be familiar with makeup design. They know their character better than anyone else, and most likely have a good idea of what this character looks like. When an actor has skill with makeup they can let the face they imagined come to life on the blank canvas they wear every day.

Directors also must have experience in makeup. With many actors with little experience and makeup artists on crew in short supply, the director need to be able to recognize when makeup is good or bad to give the appropriate notes. Directors might also have an idea of what they want the characters to look like and may give the actor of makeup artist - if there is one - ideas to think about while designing and applying the makeup.

Makeup in theatre is very complex. With so many variables, there's no one way to do it. Even natural looking "straight" makeup shouldn't be the same in every production. The first thing to consider for any makeup is the venue. How large is the theatre? For intimate spaces where the audience is very close there won't be much makeup used. Sometimes none at all! When the venue is large, like an opera house, the features will be grossly exaggerated so that people up in the top balcony can see the performer's face.

What's most important to know, before learning how to do makeup, is WHY it is needed. The lights are very bright and facial features tend to look pale, get washed out and look flat. Sometimes with different colored lights, features can disappear completely. Also, as mentioned earlier, faces get harder to see from a distance and need to be emphasized based on the audience's distance.

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