Wiki Page, Oklahoma High School- Drama/Theatre Course (OK Art Tech): 4.3 Wig, Hair, and Makeup Designer

Wiki Page
2025-03-06T08:26:17-06:00

Wig, Hair, & Makeup Design

A wig, hair, and make-up designer creates the look and style for each character's appearance to help portray the scene, setting, and ultimately the story. This type of career works in not only theatre and film, but other staged productions, television, theme parks, and in the music industry.

Their main responsibilities include collaborating with the director to understand the vision and to create the overall look for the characters. Designers analyze the script to design and set expectations for their team of artists to follow the hair and makeup requirements for each scene. For stories told in historical periods, designers research and draw inspiration from clothing and other cultural elements from that time. Hair and makeup designers are essential in costume fittings, photo shoots, and dress rehearsals. And designers with a lot of experience can be hired to manage a team of stylists throughout the show or project.

Watch this video to learn more about the process for creating hair and wig design at the Royal Opera House in London, England.

Video: Design Challenge- creating hair, wigs and make-up

Royal Opera House. (2015, Sep 15). Design Challenge- creating hair, wigs and make-up. [Video] YouTube. https://youtu.be/aWO1g_ZWBN8?si=U3HEf26qEbwoAuNm

Click on the button at the bottom of the video to access the closed captions.

If you want to be creative, love to collaborate, and are interested in hair and make-up, this might be the job for you!

Guiding Questions

By yourself, or with a partner, answer the following questions before moving on to the next page.

1. Before this page, did you realize wig, hair, and makeup design was needed for productions?

2. Choose 2-3 characters from plays/shows you've seen and describe their hair and/or makeup.