Senior Thespian Makeup Design

WHAT TO PREPARE

For a Makeup Design entry, the Thespian must prepare and present makeup design renderings for a published work written for the theatre. Designs for performances of original work, poetry, fiction, screenplays, television, concerts, or any other medium are not permitted. For the purposes of Thespy adjudications, teeth and hair are considered part of the makeup design and should be included in the materials outlined below. Only one (1) Thespian may be involved in the design; no collaborations are permitted. Designs for either theoretical or realized productions are acceptable. All rules listed in the Senior Thespian General Rules apply. The Thespian must prepare the following:

  1. 5 Makeup Renderings
    1. This can be 5 different characters, or a single character in 5 different looks.
    2. Board must be 8 inches tall, in full color, and have detail large enough that allows an adjudicator to see.
    3. The board should be presented on a detailed display board or portfolio (Digital or Bound).
  2. The board should have a neatly labeled title block that contains the following information:
    1. Show Title and Author
    2. Character Name, Act, and Scene
    3. Designer’s (Student) Name and Troupe Number
  3. Portfolio of supported materials:
    1. One-page design statement that includes:
      1. Unifying production design concept;
      2. Theme of the show/recurring motifs
      3. Research, including:
        1. Summary of given circumstances from the script;
        2. Functionality requirements;
        3. Genre, locale, and setting of the play (or other explanation of the world of the play);
        4. Artistic and practical needs that impact the construction;
        5. Sources of inspiration for design and color palette (if used)
      4. Budgetary requirements or other constraints and considerations
      5. Sources of inspiration for design and color palette (if used)
      6. Techniques used within the design
      7. Preliminary sketches
      8. Makeup plot showing who wears what makeup when
  4. 5-8 minute (with an optional 4 minutes for Q+A with judges) presentation summarizing work of connection to concept, decision making skills, and collaboration. The Thespian may use digital media during presentation (the thespian must provide their own supplies for viewing) or they can bring photo boards or other visual aid to help assist the presentation.
    1. The Thespian should address general questions such as:
      1. What are some of your responsibilities in your field?
      2. How did the director’s concept influence your work?
      3. How did the style of the play affect your work?
      4. If the production was realized, what challenges did you face in unifying the director’s concept across all areas of your work?
    2. The Thespian should also address category-specific topics such as:
      1. What research did you do to arrive at the final makeup look?
      2. How do you apply this makeup or style the hair this way?
      3. Were you responsible for applying the makeup or teaching the actors how to apply it on themselves? If the latter, what challenges did you encounter while teaching the actors how to apply the look?
  5. Optional written essay response to share additional information about the makeup design with the adjudicators.
Scroll to Top