OnStage Blog: Stage makeup is a unique art, and yet, in our age of thousands of online makeup tutorials that can teach you everything from how to do the perfect winged eyeliner, to how to transform yourself into Jack Skellington, is often neglected or not talked about. It is occasionally taught in theater programs in a one-off course, but most often, it is thought of (at least for female-identifying folks or those playing traditionally female roles) as simply an extension of your everyday makeup.
5 comments:
I’ve never thought of stage makeup being considered an art form. In hindsight, it very much is, but I guess I’ve never given the genre of art that much thought before. I always see makeup as a commercial product. As stated in this article, I think that makeup, in general, isn’t often talked about as a form of art when in reality, can make a whole look. I also find it interesting that specifically stage makeup is different because of the extreme lighting on the stage and all of the glare/color possibilities from the lights. I find it weird that this isn’t a concentration available at CMU Drama. Since it’s such a widely known drama program and has a huge costume concentration, I think that having one for stage makeup could be really beneficial. As this article depicts, there are many steps that go into making a stage look, prep, foundation, highlights, etc. To not give stage makeup a role at CMU drama is leaving out this whole foundational principle of theater.
Stage makeup is so important, and I wish it was taught to more students in high school. In my technical theatre classes, we had a brief lesson on stage makeup, but everything was just sort of glossed-over, and we never went into detail about each product. Additionally, we learned from a textbook that was written a number of years ago, so many of the techniques were a little outdated. For our performances, actors were expected to arrive with makeup already done- but how could they be expected to come perfectly with no lesson on how to apply it correctly? I really like how this article mentions the step to prep your face, as this can sometimes be neglected and it is integral to a long lasting, more “flawless” makeup look. I appreciate how in-depth this article goes, and I could absolutely see this sent to beginners in stage makeup to get a better understanding of what the application process should be and how it may look once finished.
I am automatically "jealous" of anyone who is good at makeup. Whether its basic, extravagant or specifically for the stage! Makeup itself is such an underrated craft to me in terms of how serious it is taken as a career field because it takes a lot of trial and error, talent, and color-matching/blending skills to become excellent within this craft. However, stage makeup is in an are of its own and is even more intricate and detailed oriented than makeup worn on a daily basis. I am very thankful for this article because I have been wanting to get into stage makeup, yet found myself intimidated and not knowing where to start. I love how immediately at the beginning of the article the author states that lighting plays a huge role in the perception of makeup, serving as a drastic factor for a stage makeup artist. Not only do you have to know how to conduct basic makeup well, but be able to personify enough for the stage! Additionally, this article was very easy to follow due to the numbering of steps and detail that went into describing each part of the process. Their very clear on the do's and dont's which a beginner would absolutely find themselves running into, so I applaud them for really taking into consideration people who have never engaged in makeup.
I’m always interested in learning more about costuming and styling so I really enjoyed this read. Before the author dived into the routine, they brought up that makeup is always a given instead of a skill. As someone who once used to do stage makeup regularly, the process is close enough to regular makeup but different enough that you need someone to explain to you the techniques and what you are looking to achieve. There are resources out there, but from my experience, it relies more heavily on word of mouth. This bit wasn’t mentioned in the article but is related, I think theaters should provide performers with makeup or give them the resources to purchase them. If they are expecting them to wear makeup for performances they should be able to provide that; in the same way they provide wigs, costumes, and microphones. Especially in shows with a long-running time performers go through a lot of makeup.
Ever since I started performing in ballets at the age of four or five, stage makeup and makeup in general has been a somewhat prevolant thing in my life. My mom grew up dancing hula and performing in big shows like Merrie Monarch, so she was able to help me cake on foundation and dark eyeshadow even though both I and other dancer’s parents thought this was unnecessary since I was so young. I wish they made a bigger effort to teach students and parents about stage makeup, and destigmatized it. I always went all out with my makeup, and it wasn’t until I was probably in middle school that other people my age started doing the same. I think makeup is such a cool art form, and I think it’s a really important part of performance preparation. I wish I was taught more about it from my teachers in the performing arts growing up, rather than relying on my mom to teach me everything I know.
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