The Sleeping Beauty - Hair and Makeup
ABT’s current production of The Sleeping Beauty is by far the most extravagant show for wigs and makeup! Designed by Richard Hudson, the costumes, sets and wigs are inspired by Leon Bakst’s designs and are heavily influenced by the fashions of Paris in the 18th Century.
There are about 200 wigs in this production of The Sleeping Beauty, double ABT’s second largest wig show, multiple character makeups and hundreds of hats and headpieces. Each wig takes an average of 90 minutes to prepare and style, that’s approximately 300 hours to prepare this ballet before being performed!
During performances, there is a team of 14 hair and makeup artists to apply and change all the wigs and makeups throughout the ballet. To help the show run smoothly, each wig is labeled, crew members are assigned specific wigs to be responsible for and we have multiple stations set up throughout the theater to help with traffic flow and efficiency. Since the show is so busy, we try to time each character, pacing ourselves to fit everyone in before the curtain goes up. Carabosse, the ballet’s villain and most elaborate character, has about 45 minutes to get into her full character makeup, prosthetic nose and chin, wig and hat!
Ballet Master Keith Roberts getting ready for Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty.
Video: Rena Most.
