February 2007
Stage Make Up In The 21st Century
Thursday, February 01, 2007 by Rosemarie Swinfield

STAGE – MAKE-UP IN THE 21st CENTURY

A new series by Rosemarie Swinfield

Make Up 1Welcome to the first of these occasional articles on stage make-up. I was delighted when I was invited to write for Amateur Stage as it gives me the opportunity to demolish some misconceptions about theatrical make-up. You may already know of me from my books, Stage Make-up Step by Step, Period Make-up for the Stage and Hair and Wigs for the Stage, published by A & C Black. I run the make-up and hair department at L.A.M.D.A. (indeed I am the make-up department!) as well as doing workshops for other major London drama schools. I also have a studio in London’s theatreland, Rosies Make-Up Box, where I design make-up for professional and amateur productions and also train people in make-up techniques.

I have to tell you first of all that I am passionate about good make-up and its role in a production. My mentor, Douglas Young who trained me in basics at the famous Max Factor Salon in Bond Street gave me my mantra. “Good make-up,” he said, “is like your stomach – if it is working well you shouldn’t notice it”. This is even truer today than it was all those years ago, with our more natural lighting and intimate venues. There is no room in today’s theatre for crude make-up.

Make Up 2Make-up is also a continually evolving art. I find personally that I learn something new with every group of students that I teach at L.A.M.D.A. and the other drama schools that I am involved with. The key to it all is to understand the relationship between the lighting and the face, in other words how the light sees it. One of my bete noirs is the young male actor who says that he doesn’t need make-up because ‘the lighting is doing it for him’. This is undoubtedly true should you be Cliff Richard or Madonna, with all those flattering gels but, alas, not for we mere mortals.

I have often thought that there is a basic misunderstanding about the relationship between the face and professional lighting. Many people realise that lighting drains the colour of white skins, which is why you rarely come across an unmade-up woman in a production. However I suspect that most actors, both professional and amateur, are unaware of what the light is attracted to on their faces. Once you understand this you can control the way the audience sees you.

Basically lighting is attracted to four things, and these are your natural highlights. (There are actually five, but I will come to the fifth later.) Lighting is attracted to boney areas, puffiness, plump skin and floppy bits. Boney areas could be high cheekbones and a slim elegant nose or a domed forehead and a long chin. Puffiness is usually within the eye area - below making you look tired or older - above making the eyes look smaller, especially if you use a pale shine on the brow bone.

Plump faces really attract the light, appearing fuller, particularly if they are pale. And as for floppiness, well, the lighting loves loose skin, so thank goodness for shading! Once you know what the light is attracted to on your face, you can use simple strategies to control it. Just remember never to use anything pale or shiny on these areas. Keep your make-up highlights on the areas that you want to attract the light e.g. on the grey of your tired shadows, to hide them. To improve facial structure, apply a soft brown powder eye-shadow with a medium sized brush. This can firm up a loose jaw-line, hollow cheeks and shorten a long chin. It is also great brushed softly over the brow-bones, as it forces the light down to your eyelids making the eyes look bigger.

Now to the fifth thing that attracts the lighting adversely – shine.

Shine de-structures the face and spoils the best of make-ups. It is particularly problematic for black skins. The common habit of powdering with a big brush is the culprit here, powder is designed to be pressed firmly into foundation – impossible with a brush. Try a velour puff instead, Superdrug do a bargain pack of two for less than £2.00.

The two photos illustrate what I mean about subtle make-up. Redwings was a one-hander about Richard Burton produced at the tiny Latchmere Theatre in Battersea. This is Richard Waters au natural and in my make-up design.

See Rosemarie Swinfield’s website : www.rosiesmake-up.co.uk for further information on workshops and individual advice.