Shakespearean Wig Styling

A Practical Guide to Wig Making for the 1500s-1600s

Brenda Leedham, Lizzee Leedham

• Publisher: The Crowood Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781785008832
• Topic: Medios de comunicación y artes escénicas
• Subtopic: Arte y escenografía teatral

The poetry and plays of William Shakespeare continue to provide inspiration for designers in all aspect of media. Shakespearean Wig Styling offers detailed historical guidance on the styles and fashions of the day, and guides yo through twelve different wig designs covering a wide range of archetypal Shakespearian characters. Each example offers different techniques to meet the needs of the design, from material, knotting and curling to the final styling choices. Covering both the Tudor and Stuart periods, there are clear instructions within each example for making wigs from start to finish and adapting from the universal full-lace foundation to create alternative foundations, including added support for complicated styles such as the fontange. In addition, the book covers what to expect when working in the theatre or as a freelance wig-maker; fitting your client, measuring and taking a shell; methods for preparing the hair under a wig; knotting facial hair, hairpieces, hairlines, napes and partings; methods for breaking or dirtying down and finally, creating bald caps and receding hairline effects. This comprehensive book is an ideal companion for the newly qualified wig-maker and all professionals looking for a detailed reference guide to hairstyles from the Shakespearean era.

The Work of the Wig Maker

1

This chapter covers advertising your skills, developing your skills, the work of a wig maker in a wig-making business or in a theatre and a timeline to ensure you meet your many and varied deadlines.

ONGOING WORK

1. Advertise Your Skills and Contact Details

You are now a brand and must have a professional front to put on. Wig Maker, or Hair and Make-Up Artist, followed by name and contact details should be seen loud and clear. Your work portfolio should be easy for clients to find online. Keep your digital platform landing page brief. Make your contact details obvious, and accurate. A missing digit from your mobile number or a change of email address will lose you an offer.

The same applies to your CV, preferably just one page, kept concise and accurate. You will be one of many applicants for any position, so begin with your most relevant experience and qualifications. Then double-check for grammar, spelling and accuracy.

Knotting at a workstation in the corner of a wig room.

2. Update Your Online Sites and CV Regularly

Web pages and cards must be updated as you gain enough professional experience to call yourself Wig Designer or apply for work as Wig Supervisor. You will find daily social media presence will help too.

3. Practice

Set up a workspace and collect enough ‘tools of the trade’ to work with at home. There is much more detail on this in Chapter 3. Hone those skills in any way you can afford. For practical skills, you need to develop muscle memory and must begin to pick up speed if you hope to work commercially. Rather than fullsize wigs, make smaller items, partly to save money on materials, but also in order that each working step becomes clearly understood and automatic. There are lots of techniques mentioned in this book such as taking a shell, wrapping hair and gripping wig caps which can be practised easily at home on a wig and block or on volunteers.

4. Develop Extra Skills

Practise whatever skill is affordable and enjoyable in your spare time. Consider some of the following:

• Punching a bald cap or prosthetic ears, or implanting hair in wax.

• Buying cheaper fibre party wigs and adding lace fronts to them.

• Designing and making frames to style eye-catching fantasy wigs.

• Knot toupees and toppers.

Put only the best pictures and film of your work on social media. Take your samples to industry fairs, contact drama groups and networking websites, sell at cosplay and re-enactors fairs. If you find a good niche, you may have found a new income stream!

PRO TIP

• Business cards, headed compliment slips, supplied with each item you sell, will also be a handy advertisement.

• Always record and publicize your best work.

5. Make Over Your Friends

Doing the work on yourself is not the same as working on other people or enough to develop your skills. Knotting ability does not make you a wig maker; the wig is not complete until styled and ready to use. Practise your hairdressing on friends, family, the delivery person, as well as on wigs. Treat it as an opportunity to develop people skills and to learn to work quickly while chatting casually.

WIG-MAKING EMPLOYMENT ROLES

To begin, alongside starting your own business, apply for every vacancy in wig-related work. They are rare. Short-term, part-time vacancies are less likely to attract experienced professionals, so your competition will be newcomers like yourself.

1. In a Wig-Making Business

If you are accepted as a trainee or part-time assistant in an established wig-making business, you will primarily be knotting backs of wigs, freeing up the more experienced makers to do foundations, fronts and partings. You may also be blocking up, cleaning and combing out wigs.

This work will be on the stock wigs so your starting skill level can be assessed. You may be required to sign a form that you will not use the training they give you to work for a rival company or indeed yourself.

If all goes well, expect to be given more responsibility when they have busy periods and be first in line for full-time work when the opportunity presents itself.

You will work in-house so that your work can be supervised, and training given. If they are impressed with your work, and if there is a vacancy, you may become one of their senior wig makers, knotting the more delicate laces and making foundations. At this point, you may be able to choose to work from home, collecting and delivering work from their premises.

Finally, a position with responsibility for fitting and supervising the making and finishing of complete wigs for their clients may become available. Some wig-making businesses offer internships. Search them out! These are rare opportunities to work with your fellow professionals and although you may not be paid much, you will be building your skills and portfolio.

2. Out Knotter

Some organizations will take on out knotters. This work is usually short-term and offered first to people whose standard of work they are familiar with, such as an ex-member of the department or someone who has been recommended to them.

You will be given a foundation, already made and fitted. The hair is supplied with a design and detailed instructions and delivery date. You will be trusted to work at home, alone, to a professional standard and deliver the item on time. It should go without saying that you should not eat, drink or smoke near the workroom for fear of the hair being contaminated. You will not be expected to cut or style the wig.

The fee will vary with the work and as there is competition for this type of work, it is often not negotiable. However, for knotting a complete lace-fronted wig, expect to receive the equivalent of a week’s pay for an assistant wig and make-up artist in that organization. There is no extra pay to cover the expenses of working from home, including your insurance premiums, and you are responsible for your own health and safety.

3. Theatre Employee

If accepted as a trainee or wig-assistant in a wig department associated with a large theatre, perhaps producing classical drama, opera or musicals, you will become part of a team, monitored closely, mentored, trained and supported.

You may begin as a part-time knotter, working in-house, but will be expected to assist with the collection, cleaning, blocking and re-furbishing of wigs for shows, progressing into full-time work. After two years’ experience as a full-time assistant wig and make-up artist, you may become a wig and make-up artist, responsible for daily maintenance and running of a show.

It is rare to find full-time work only as a dedicated wig maker or in-house knotter. Theatres need efficiency; their staff must be multi-skilled, willing to work flexibly.

Wig makers are expected to have trained as hairdressers and make-up artists too, able to style the wig they have made and to work on performances. Staff stay during the show to help with changes of wigs or hair or make-up and at the end of the performance to remove and store items safely. This work may be done in the wig room, a dressing room or one of the quick-change areas near the stage.

A senior wig and make-up artist will deal directly with the designer or costume supervisor to assess the needs of a new production and be responsible for organizing staff and materials to provide them within the time and budget allotted.

They will deal with the stage manager of the show to arrange fittings for the cast and attend note sessions if required after the technical and dress rehearsals. Communication within the organization and with the members of the department is the key to success.

Unlike the wig company, the theatre will expect flexible working hours, including evenings and weekends. Even if the show does not travel the country, there are usually several auditoriums to be serviced in one organization.

When a show tours, the theatre will require staff to travel with the shows. The senior wig and make-up artist will become wig mistress/master for that run of performances, running the touring wig department, reverting to senior status on return.

Seniors may be regarded as deputy heads of department and are qualified to run departments in other venues when they leave.

The wig mistress/master/head of wig department is responsible to the production manager directly or the head of costume for administering the wig staff, and supervising their work rooms, possibly in several auditoriums or other spaces, indoors and out. This involves employing, training and mentoring staff, record keeping, monitoring health and safety, planning, and distributing workloads and responsibilities.

The role ensures the production and servicing of each show achieves, adheres to or exceeds the standards of expectation set by the director and designer. These standards are overseen at every performance by the stage and company managers.

Backstage, each department is part of one diverse team: the crew. Communication, mutual support and respect are vital to ensure you are all working to the same goals and vision.

4. Freelance Wig Supplier

Designers, producers, actors, production managers and costume supervisors who have worked with you, or those who have seen your advertising, will make contact to offer work to support them when they are employed elsewhere, including on films and television.

Films and television:

• Your skills are readily transferable. Be prepared to work in different locations for each job, travelling is as predictable as knowing that each job lasts only for a limited time.

• You may be contacted by the wardrobe department, the make-up department or by the key hair directly to supply wigs or pieces and may be required to stay to fit them on the actor.

A freelance career may have begun to finance your training, or started later, after a time employed in a theatre or a wig business. After developing the confidence to work alone, you have become a sole trader, advertising for work, supplying private clients with their personal needs and making wigs, ...