Broadway Job - Makeup Artist & Wig Maker
Makeup Artist and Wig Maker
Upcoming 4/1/25
This week, Mirav interviews another working professional in the world of theater, Loryn Pretorius. Loryn works as a professional makeup artist and wig maker for Broadway productions–right now she's working on Sunset Boulevard as the hair and makeup supervisor. She oversees a team of professionals to make sure that the entire cast looks their absolute best when they take the stage.
Makeup and wig making are both highly technical skills–Loryn holds a masters degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She combines her background in fine arts and art history to practice an applied art on a living canvas: the human body. In this episode she tells the story of turning her personal passion into a thriving career and the kind of skills it takes to make it in the fast paced business of the stage.
Topics
00:40 Introduction
03:05 All the work that goes into an opening
05:07 Getting started doing makeup
06:32 Turning a passion into a career
08:32 Collaborating on a production
09:39 Education
11:57 Overseeing and delegating
13:29 Earnings and negotiation
16:36 Building a sustainable business for yourself
20:58 Rehearsal vs. performance
23:51 Breaking into the music scene
26:18 The challenging aspects of Broadway
32:31 Advice for those looking to break into the field
36:51 The world is your oyster
40:07 More about wig making
45:15 Is this job AI proof?
Resources
University of North Carolina School of Arts - Wig & Makeup Design
Exploring the Art of Theatrical Makeup and Costuming
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Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation