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Stage Makeup
By:
Published: November 2, 2006
The many faces of theater actors, singers and dancers could never be achieved without one seemingly invisible prop: stage makeup.
Unlike evening cosmetics, stage makeup is designed to enhance the illusions of theater while still blending into the spectacle. Stage makeup is visible, but feels invisible to the audience when well designed.
Makeup in the 21st century replaces the masks worn by actors in ancient Greece; both share similar functions. Makeup prevents an actor's facial features from being washed out under the harsh stage lights and enables the audience to clearly see the characters' expressions, ultimately making their faces more expressive to spectators at a distance. However, stage makeup has a simultaneous masking and beautifying effect. It covers the actor's natural appearance while also revealing selected details of his face in a more defined manner.
This peculiar dual nature of stage makeup has made it controversial in certain cultures and performance contexts. One of the most common forms of this controversy is the fine line said to exist between the stage performer and the prostitute, since both wear heavy makeup. There may be some historical truth to this analogy. For example, in 1629 the Japanese government banned women from performing in Kabuki Theater because many actresses doubled as prostitutes. The regime in power believed any exposure to the theater placed women in moral jeopardy: a risk they were not willing to take. Unsurprisingly, Kabuki makeup remains one of the most distinctive styles on the world stage even today.
With the current variety of products available, no one description of stage makeup is fully accurate. It depends greatly on the role and the production. Stage makeup ranges from understated creams and powders to elaborate liquid latex creations.
Liquid latex is a highly versatile substance. It can be painted directly onto the wearer's face or body and dusted with pigments to create images that peel off after a performance, or alternatively, it can be poured into molds to create prosthetic ears and fake scars.
Airbrush makeup is another recent innovation in which a skin-safe paint is stenciled onto the performer's face or body. With advances in technology, stage makeup is becoming progressively more elaborate and precise, a fact which makes the Mehron theatrical makeup company's tagline, “boundless creativity,” seem almost completely true.
To create a theatrical look, makeup artists work in layers. The process begins with an astringent and moisturizer applied to protect the performer's skin and builds up through foundation, blusher and eye color, and finally a powder or other sealant. Both men and women wear lip color, mascara and eyeliner; men's colors tend to be only a shade darker than their natural skin and lip color. The multi-layered process offers makeup artists both functionality and opportunity for variation when trying to portray a particular role.
Many resources are available to would-be makeup experts, but one book is widely known as the authoritative work on the topic. That text is Richard Corson and James Glavan's Stage Makeup, which was first published in Britain in the 1940s. Often imitated, but never duplicated, Corson and Glavan's account comes highly recommended as a starting point for those who wish to know more about stage makeup.
Sources:
Cosmetics. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmetics, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Graftobian Make-Up Company. Available at http://www.graftobian.com/, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Hillard, Kate. Application of Stage Make Up. Available at http://id.essortment.com/applicationstag_rgyu.htm, 2002.
Kabuki. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Mavergames, Caroline. Bibliography: Theatrical Makeup and Hair Design. Available at http://library.nyu.edu/research/perform/makeup.htm l, 2005.
Mehron. Available at http://www.mehron.com, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Ohno, Mary. Stage Makeup. Available at http://webforce.nwrain.net/kabuki/makeup.html, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Theatrical Ben Nye and Mehron stage makeup. Available at http://www.stagemakeuponline.com/, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Unlike evening cosmetics, stage makeup is designed to enhance the illusions of theater while still blending into the spectacle. Stage makeup is visible, but feels invisible to the audience when well designed.
Makeup in the 21st century replaces the masks worn by actors in ancient Greece; both share similar functions. Makeup prevents an actor's facial features from being washed out under the harsh stage lights and enables the audience to clearly see the characters' expressions, ultimately making their faces more expressive to spectators at a distance. However, stage makeup has a simultaneous masking and beautifying effect. It covers the actor's natural appearance while also revealing selected details of his face in a more defined manner.
This peculiar dual nature of stage makeup has made it controversial in certain cultures and performance contexts. One of the most common forms of this controversy is the fine line said to exist between the stage performer and the prostitute, since both wear heavy makeup. There may be some historical truth to this analogy. For example, in 1629 the Japanese government banned women from performing in Kabuki Theater because many actresses doubled as prostitutes. The regime in power believed any exposure to the theater placed women in moral jeopardy: a risk they were not willing to take. Unsurprisingly, Kabuki makeup remains one of the most distinctive styles on the world stage even today.
With the current variety of products available, no one description of stage makeup is fully accurate. It depends greatly on the role and the production. Stage makeup ranges from understated creams and powders to elaborate liquid latex creations.
Liquid latex is a highly versatile substance. It can be painted directly onto the wearer's face or body and dusted with pigments to create images that peel off after a performance, or alternatively, it can be poured into molds to create prosthetic ears and fake scars.
Airbrush makeup is another recent innovation in which a skin-safe paint is stenciled onto the performer's face or body. With advances in technology, stage makeup is becoming progressively more elaborate and precise, a fact which makes the Mehron theatrical makeup company's tagline, “boundless creativity,” seem almost completely true.
To create a theatrical look, makeup artists work in layers. The process begins with an astringent and moisturizer applied to protect the performer's skin and builds up through foundation, blusher and eye color, and finally a powder or other sealant. Both men and women wear lip color, mascara and eyeliner; men's colors tend to be only a shade darker than their natural skin and lip color. The multi-layered process offers makeup artists both functionality and opportunity for variation when trying to portray a particular role.
Many resources are available to would-be makeup experts, but one book is widely known as the authoritative work on the topic. That text is Richard Corson and James Glavan's Stage Makeup, which was first published in Britain in the 1940s. Often imitated, but never duplicated, Corson and Glavan's account comes highly recommended as a starting point for those who wish to know more about stage makeup.
Sources:
Cosmetics. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmetics, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Graftobian Make-Up Company. Available at http://www.graftobian.com/, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Hillard, Kate. Application of Stage Make Up. Available at http://id.essortment.com/applicationstag_rgyu.htm, 2002.
Kabuki. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Mavergames, Caroline. Bibliography: Theatrical Makeup and Hair Design. Available at http://library.nyu.edu/research/perform/makeup.htm l, 2005.
Mehron. Available at http://www.mehron.com, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Ohno, Mary. Stage Makeup. Available at http://webforce.nwrain.net/kabuki/makeup.html, last accessed November 1, 2006.
Theatrical Ben Nye and Mehron stage makeup. Available at http://www.stagemakeuponline.com/, last accessed November 1, 2006.
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