Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542690
and Telesis Top Guard were our lifesavers when a dancer had an allergic reaction to the latex prosthetic cap!) and lay down a glatzan cap underneath where the prosthetic cap will be placed. The glatzan cap holds in some of the sweat that comes off the dancer's head and prevents the prosthetic from sliding around. Avoiding and directing sweat is a huge factor in making sure that everything stays put so when laying the cap down, we leave channels over the ears and at the back of the neck for sweat to run out of. Once the first cap is down, we set the prosthetic cap, taking care to match the ventilation channels. Next come the scars that have been pre-painted with PAX to match each dancer's face and neck. After all the prosthetic pieces are laid, the sealing and final painting begins. One artist seals while the other paints with Kryolan BIC, Illustrator, and EBA palettes to blend and enhance the scars before applying generous amounts of Fresh Scab Gel to the scars and the large indent in the creature's head. We highlight and contour the creature's head and neck to create the impression of gauntness and bruising, especially around the left eye. The most intense part of this make-up is watching the dancer move and knowing that our touchups will be fast and few between. While sparks fly and our creature awakens, we cross our fingers that none of them land on his skin. Our touchup time between Acts 1 and 2 is therefore easy but it doesn't really let us know if there are any issues about to pop up. In the second act, the creature dances and moves a lot more so we have a couple of moments under dim headlamps to see how things are holding up, squeeze as much perspiration out of the cap as possible and touchup glue. At the end of Act 2, we use the 20-minute intermission to peel up the entire back of the cap, dry the dancer out while being careful not to chill the muscles, and reapply the entire back of the glatzan and prosthetic caps with telesis and a lot of prayers. The third act is the most intense and strenuous for the dancer and shows so much of the conflicting emotions of the story—between longing and rage, jealousy and disgust, as well as love and regret. To show all of this, the dancer, both alone and in partnership, oscillates between beauty and writhing, dancing alone, as well as in the impressive pas de deux with Victor Frankenstein that puts tension on the pieces for almost the entire act. Once we've sent the dancer off, all we can do is watch and hope that the glue holds and finally release our breath when it does. I was trained mainly in film and still photography make-up techniques, so my work has always been minute, with the ability to course correct if there was an issue with the make-up. Learning to work in the world of theater where you must let go and enjoy the wild ride has been a challenge and a joy. None have been as complex and satisfying as Frankenstein's creature to date. Collaborating with the dancers of the San Francisco Ballet and the make-up artists back home, as well as the locals in Costa Mesa was an amazing time that I am looking forward to repeating. Last, we need to thank both hair and make-up teams for their amazing work. For SF Ballet: The Creature Team: Tim Santry (designer), and Jordan Plath (assistant). Makeup Team: Mari Garcia, Toby Mayer, Lisa Patnoe, and Vanessa Lee. Hair Team: Robert Mrazik, Marcelo Donari, Jenny-King Turko, Shana Astrachan, Raegina Joyner, Leilani Norman, Kristen Campbell, Erica Villanueva, Christina Martin, Karalynne Fiebig, Vanessa Root, and Calli Carvajal. For Costa Mesa: Makeup Team: Victor Del Castillo, Donna Levy, Bruna Nogueira, Amy Sparks, and Tania Vega. Hair Team: Kimberly Robinson, Carol Mitchell, Flo Witherspoon, Joyce Cantrell, Karen Zanki, Marylou Hernandez, Tasha Calderon, Teresa Mariscal, and Victoria Robinson. We could not have done it without you. • San Francisco Ballet dancers. Photographer: Lindsay Thomas Cavan Conley