Local 706 - The Artisan

Spring 2019

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that means most of the roles are double or triple cast. To make it even more challenging, you may not get the dancer at the same time as the other dancer performing that same role on the previous performance. The reason is that the dancer may be performing another role before getting to you, so that changes your timing for your show. It wasn't unusual for a dancer to come in franticly needing a wig for the next role that they are going to be doing. Then the next time, for that same role, the other dancer has all the time in the world. Everyone on the crew worked together getting the dancers into their wigs. Sometimes it took one person to get a dancer in a wig but other times, it was like being part of a pit crew member for the Grand Prix. You never knew when a dancer would come flying in the room needing a wig fast or a make- up change. This was a common occurrence for our Spanish dancer characters. Sometimes we even had to follow a dancer to stage in order to finish their change. Let me give you another example. One of the specialty make-ups I did on the show was for the Arabian King. The character was bald so I needed to apply a bald cap and add the character make-up. I had three guys that were doing this role. Their make-up applications were different from each other, even though they were doing the same character role. Dancer no. 1 didn't do any other role except the Arabian King character. He wanted his make-up done early, so we started his make-up application when the first act began. Dancer no. 2 also didn't do any other role. However, he wanted to start a little bit later. What made it different between the two of them was dancer no. 2 had tattoos that needed to be covered. I usually had about 30 to 40 minutes to complete the Arabian King character for dancer no. 1 and no. 2. Dancer no. 3 was my biggest challenge. We only had the intermission (20 minutes) to complete the bald cap and make-up application. The reason for this is he was performing the role of the Rat King in Act 1 before performing the Arabian King. To make it even more challenging, he was sweating. In order for me to be able to apply the Arabian King make- up quickly, there were a few things I had to get ready before the make-up application time. All bald caps were pre-painted to match each dancer's skin complexion and caps were also pre-cut. During the application of the cap, it helped that the dancer's hair was short and I didn't have to use anything to slick it down, as their sweat took care of that. Telesis 5 was the glue that I used to apply the cap. It even worked well on sweaty skin. I didn't have to worry about the bald cap edges blending in because it was being performed on a large stage and the lighting washed out any edges you might see. I had so much fun working on The Nutcracker. From the beginning of the show call, two hours before curtain, I felt like I was being shot out of a cannon, never stopping until the end of the ballet and everyone was out of wigs and make- up. I never got bored because it was busy, challenging and unpredictable. This show is a perfect example of why I've stayed working in the theater for all these years. • Go to for how-to videos and professional tips. Hookuptattoos.com 1. Apply your Tattoo 2. Brush on the Matte Sealer 3. Remove using our dermatologist - approved Remover Wipe Lorem Ipsum Introducing HookUp Tattoos' complete temporary tattoo system From local 706 member Alexei Dmitriew

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