The Wabash Community found many ways to celebrate and prepare for Halloween this year, one of which was through the Theater Departments Stage Makeup workshop last Thursday, October 28. Held in the basement Experimental Theater of the Fine Arts Center, the workshop was led by Allison Jones, a Costume Designer & Technician who dabbles in horror and gore often.
She covered all types of techniques to replicate realistic bruises, cuts, and other gruesome stage makeup components that might complement many Halloween costumes. Andrea Bear, Wabash’s Theater Department Costume Designer, participated in the workshop.
“There was a good turnout for the event, with a mixture of students, faculty, and family members,” said Bear. “Everyone was excited and at times disturbed, by the realistic nature of the makeup techniques.”
Jones showed the workshop techniques ranging from quick and easy accents to more detailed and labor-intensive pieces. Jones demonstrated using materials from your local store to more expensive specialty materials to carefully craft the perfect Halloween costume.
“One of the main focuses of Allison’s workshop was safety. You can have a lot of fun, and do many cool things with makeup, but safety should be your first priority,” said Bear.
The Theater Department recently announced that Jones will be joining the Department as an Interim Costume Designer. Jones will design the costumes for the Spring The 39 Steps production and will be leading two other workshops in the future.