By Samantha Stuefer
Mirrors plastered on every wall in a tight space, shoulder to shoulder with other kids there for the same reason as you, having a blast and making art. Faces of all assortments, created by the hands of others. Drama and suspense, painted on the face of an actor, tying up the whole appearance of the outfit.
This is what it’s like to be in Make-Up Crew.
With “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” just around the corner, and there is a need for a make-up crew.
After the person who is wanting to head the make-up crew sits down with the director, and figures out how many actors/actresses are going to be in the production, the meetings are held. The director and the head of make-up crew discuss what kind of makeup should be done, and how it should be designed.
“Students help each other out,” Lincoln High School Theatre Director Justin Holbein, said.
“We also teach techniques. Most of the students who have been head of the make-up crew is usually something that comes around their junior or senior year. So they’ve had experience with all sorts of make-up whether it be base make-up, old age make-up, fantasy make-up, bruises and scarring.” The head of make-up usually helps out the new kids, and teaches them all they know.
Auditions are rarely held. Usually, auditions are only held for one act because there is such a small cast that they don’t need a bunch of people working on such a small amount of actors.
Everyone is welcome to come and join the make-up crew, though it is something that you need to care about.
“It is quite a commitment,” Holbein said. “It is a good 2 or 3 week commitment until the show, then it’s every night of production.” Time and effort is a big factor when joining the crew.
Plus, there are a lot of perks to being in make-up crew. “The first perk is that you’d belong to one of the only high schools, at least in Nebraska, if not the nation, that has its own make-up crew,” Holbein said. “We have had students that don’t act, or maybe choose not to be part of tech, but have been part of make-up for their four years they’ve been here.”
It is quite hard to find any other high schools that let their students run and design all the make-up for the production, like you’d see at a professional level.
“As a director here, I find it invaluable,” Holbein said.
Holbein strongly encourages students to be a part of make-up crew.
“Make up is one of those invaluable aspects that a lot of people don’t pay attention to until they see it,” Holbein said. “Then the reward is endless because you can be the one that says “I created that.””
The first make-up crew meeting was be held on Wednesday, April 1st after school in the theatre tech room. From there more meetings were set up and make-up crew will be in full swing for “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.”
“Plus you get to be around theatre, and what else is there?” Holbein said.
