Art of Stage Dancing — Chapter 20: Ned Wayburn's Professional Stage Makeup

[Illustration] The Ned Wayburn Courses teach every form of stage makeup, for men as well as for women, and for every known character part as well as the "straight" makeup for youth.

To put all the expert professional makeup knowledge into this book would be to practically crowd out everything else or so enlarge the volume as to make it cumbersome.

To avoid this and at the same time meet a strong public demand, I have in contemplation a book devoted exclusively to this important subject, that shall post a world of waiting aspirants for stage honors in every detail of the art of correct makeup.

Meanwhile, the subject has an important bearing on the art of stage dancing and so demands a prominent place in this present work.

I have, therefore, chosen for demonstration here the one most popular stage makeup, which is that adapted to the use of the professional stage woman in every modern theatre, opera house and music hall, and am here giving it a complete and thorough exposition.

In presenting this form of makeup thus prominently, I do not wish in any degree to convey the idea that men and male youth are ignored in our studio teaching of makeup, and that our sole concern is to make the young woman presentable on the stage.

This is not the fact.

We teach makeup to men as well as to women, and every correct form of the art.

Do not confuse a stage makeup with the customary society makeup that milady applies in her boudoir.

They are two entirely different problems.

To makeup correctly for the modern stage, with its multiple lights of great intensity and all the colors of the rainbow, requires special study of yourself individually and a knowledge of what effects the various lighting schemes will produce on the human countenance.

Three ladies standing side by side on the same stage may require three different makeups, depending upon their types, in order to appear at their best to the audience.

The brunette, the blonde, the auburn-haired, each needs a different treatment, and if through ignorance or indifference any omits proper attention to a single item of the very important detail of her facial makeup, the result will be disastrous.

All of which emphasizes the need of one's being properly taught on the start just how to makeup in a manner to bring out one's personality, to enhance one's beauty, and create the most pleasing appearance before her audience.

We are now speaking, of course, of the woman who is to appear in a youthful part; character makeup is an entirely different proposition, with which we are not concerned here.

It is impossible to go on the stage today without makeup.

Should any actress try to do so, the appearance of her features would be almost deathlike.

She would be repulsive to the eyes of the audience, a condition that neither she nor the producer of the show would tolerate.

The very lights that render superbly beautiful the person with proper makeup cause the bare flesh to lose its natural tints, cast shadows under the brows and above the face, create hollows where they do not exist and are not wanted, and utterly destroy the pleasing picture.

Makeup, then, is one of the first essentials to stage success, and it makes no difference how truly beautiful you may be in features and natural coloring off the stage, the fact persists--you must makeup, and makeup right.

But the uninstructed amateur, whose sole knowledge of makeup is confined to the boudoir, is very prone to overdo in her maiden attempts at stage makeup, and so disastrously decorate her face that under the unaccustomed and little understood lights of the theatre she appears hideous to the folks out in front.

And this is especially true of the most beautiful type of women, who think they know, and don't. Anyone with regular features can learn to apply makeup so that on the stage she will be as prepossessing as her naturally more favored sister-woman.

A beauty unadorned by facial makeup, or a beauty not properly made-up, will be far outclassed in apparent beauty on the stage by the plainer woman who has mastered the art of makeup and knows how to apply it judiciously and correctly.

It is all in knowing how, and the learning is not difficult.

The professional actress will not fail to obtain personal instruction in this art from expert teachers, which is decidedly the best way.

Pupils in our studios avail themselves of our classes and private lessons in makeup and in doing this lay a foundation of invaluable knowledge that will continue with them through life.

The aspirant or amateur who for personal reasons cannot come to our studios for this instruction will absorb much of value by a perusal and study of this chapter.

For, while it is not possible to advise an unseen person, whose type you do not know, with the same exactness as you could if she stood before you, there is much here that is general in its application to all types, and the care we are taking to make our information broad enough to cover all these greatly simplifies matters for the absent students.

There are two steps to a correct knowledge of your personal needs in the makeup art: First, what to use; and second, how to use it.

I am going to start you right on both of these steps.

Any actress of experience will tell you that her most valuable stage possession is her Makeup Box.

It contains the necessary tools of her trade, without which she would be helpless to carry on.

It is to her what the brush and colors and palette are to the painter; the needle and thread to the seamstress; the hammer and saw and plane to the carpenter.

Before you enter upon a stage career supply yourself with a complete makeup box equipped with all the needed tools and ingredients for making up for the part you are to assume.

This is a necessary purchase, and will prove one of the best paying investments you ever made.

Ordinarily a makeup box stocked with the best materials will cost about . 00 and is not extravagantly expensive at that price.

So many of our students sought our advice as to their purchases in this line, as they left our studios for the professional stage, that we fitted out a line of makeup boxes, completely stocked, for each complexion type, which we are selling to them over the counter at . 50. The actual cost to us of each set is about eight cents more than we sell it for; plainly indicating an absence of grasping commercialism in our nature, for which we hope and expect due commendation.

[Illustration: THE NED WAYBURN PROFESSIONAL STAGE MAKEUP BOX AND OUTFIT

A--BLACK COSMETIQUE.

B--BLACK MASCARO.

C--BABY BRUSH.

D--BLACK CRAYON

PENCIL.

E--DARK BLUE PENCIL.

F--CARMINE GREASE PAINT.

G--BLUE LINING

GREASE PAINT.

H--FOUNDATION GREASE PAINT.

I--ORANGEWOOD STICK.

J--PAPER FELT LINERS.

K--COSMETIC STOVE.

L--PINK VELOUR POWDER PAD.

M--FACE POWDER.

N--COLD CREAM.

O--DRY ROUGE.

P--RABBIT'S FOOT.

Q--MOIST LIP ROUGE.

R--ART STEEL BOX.

S--SPECIAL MIRROR.

] Buying expertly and in quantities has enabled us to get together this _Ned Wayburn Professional Makeup Box_ of the best stuff in the world for its purpose, some of the ingredients being made in America, others in Paris, and still others in Berlin,--all standard goods and used every day in the year in every theatre of the civilized world,--and at the same time keep the cost to our students down below a ten dollar bill.

(Applause.

) We thank you.

Now we are getting orders for our professional makeup box to be sent by mail and express to professionals and amateurs throughout this continent, and while we are glad to accommodate all who honor our own profession by their presence in it, please do not expect us to do so at cost.

It is one thing to hand a box over the counter, and quite another to pack that box for shipment so as to conform to established requirements by the government post office or the express companies, prepay postage, insure it, and deliver it to the New York postal authorities.

So we have put a price of . 95 on this makeup outfit for parties who do not call for it in person at our studio, with postage extra, according to the zone in which you reside, if it goes by mail.

We would rather send it by express and let you pay the charges for carriage at your end, if it is all the same to you.

The weight of this outfit packed for shipment is about seven pounds.

We insure it in transit at , which adds a few cents to its cost to you.

It will save correspondence and the disappointment of delay if when you order you tell us your age, sex, color of hair, color of eyes, color of complexion, for what character you wish the makeup (youth, maturity, old age, advanced old age, or any of the possible character parts known to the stage); the nature of the play; whether for a large theatre or the more intimate small theatre or hall; if for moving pictures (which calls for a decidedly different makeup from all other stage work), and everything else bearing on this matter that you can think of.

Always bear in mind when you order, that each box is fitted for one type of person only, and cannot be used indiscriminately by a brunette and a blonde and someone else who ranks between the two in coloring and type, and that in consequence each must have a personal makeup box of her own.

The Ned Wayburn Professional Makeup Box for a "straight" stage makeup for a blonde youth, suited to the use of a young woman with light hair, blue eyes and light complexion, in musical comedy, light opera or any dancing or speaking part in the usual stage performance, for presentation in a hall or theatre, with modern stage lighting facilities, is as follows: _The Box.

_ Art steel, about 6-3/8 in.

wide by 9-1/2 in.

long, 5 in.

high, with handle and lock and key.

Strongly made on purpose to stand the wear and tear of travel and dressing room handling, and should last a lifetime.

Have your name painted on it as soon as you get it, to make it your very own.

It may be your frequent companion for many years.

_One-half Pound Tin of Cold Cream.

_ Usually Stein's, to which we give the preference, since it is slightly less hard and contains a little more oil than most of the others.

This cold cream is the same for all types, blonde, brunette and the others.

_One-half Pound Tin of Face Powder.

_ Stein's No. 2. (Brunettes would use Stein's No. 2-1/2 face powder.

) _One Glass Jar Moist Rouge.

_ Stein's medium.

This medium lip rouge is suitable for blonde and brunette types.

It is standard, can be bought anywhere, is always uniform and the colors run true.

If you are ever in Chicago, visit Warnesson's. He specializes in lip rouge and makes a very good kind.

_One Stick Foundation Grease Paint, Flesh.

_ Stein's No. 2. (For brunettes, Stein's No. 3. ) This is the large stick.

_One Stick Grease Paint, Special Blue Lining Color.

_ Stein's No. 11. For lining the eyes.

_One Stick Grease Paint, Carmine.

_ Stein's No. 18. Red foundation, for both blondes and brunettes.

_One Box Mascaro, Black.

_ Leichner's No. 60. For darkening the eyebrows.

_One Package Cosmetique, Black.

_ Roger and Gallet.

For beading the eyelashes.

_One Box Dry Rouge.

_ Dorin, No. 18. _One Pink Velour Powder Pad.

_ Gainsborough No. 350. This is about the finest procurable; is of large size, so it will not fall in the powder box and scatter the contents.

_One Black Crayon Pencil.

_ 6B Venus, American Pencil Co. For putting shadows under the eyes.

_One Dark Blue Pencil.

_ Faber No. 6625. For shading around the eyes.

_One Orange Wood Stick.

_ For applying beading to the eyelashes.

_One Rabbit's Foot.

_ Also called rouge paw.

_One Baby Brush_, with handle.

For blending.

Very necessary tool.

_Paper Felt Liners_, one package.

To outline lips and to place red dots in corners of the eyes.

_Cosmetic Stove, Lockwood's. _ For heating cosmetique to bead the eyelashes.

This stove is approved by Fire Insurance Underwriters.

It encloses a candle in a safe way and avoids the use of dangerous fuels in the dressing rooms.

_One Mirror.

_ 6x8 inches, in wood frame, with metal support.

Will stand alone or serve as hand mirror.

Strong, clear glass.

The best to be had for its purpose.

[Illustration: MARY EATON] This completes the list of contents in the Ned Wayburn Professional Makeup Box, for a "straight" stage makeup, for young ladies.

For other types and different characterizations the ingredients are changed to suit each case, while the price remains uniform.

There is but one necessity for completing the makeup that is not included in the outfit as given, and that is Liquid White, which comes in white or flesh.

This is to be applied as a wash to exposed flesh not otherwise made up.

It comes in liquid form only, and can be purchased locally in any first-class drug store.

We know Suratt's make of liquid white to be good, and there may be others.

A towel, a cake of soap, a basin of water and a few yards of cheese cloth should be assembled before commencing makeup operations.

A makeup is easiest applied while seated at a table with your materials spread out conveniently before you.

If possible, elevate your mirror so that you can see the reflection of your features without the necessity of bending over.

Always make up in incandescent light, never in daylight.

When making-up is a matter of daily routine the clothing will become badly soiled in a short time if worn during the process.

To save your costume, either wear a washable kimono over it, or better, don the kimono over undergarments and put on the costume after the makeup is applied.

In private lessons at our studios we teach all the required forms of stage makeup, taking every type of person that comes to us and developing each individually along such lines as the character or part demands.

Men, women, and youth come to us here for development of their correct makeup in private lessons.

In our class instruction in this line of work only the "straight" makeup for youth is presented, that being the one our young lady pupils find especially adapted to their stage needs.

These special classes are held as occasion requires to meet the students' demands, and are given in our own Demi-Tasse Theatre, connected with the studios.

Usually a demonstration is made with a blonde, a brunette and a red-head, to show the class the different requirements of the different types.

Following this demonstration, each member of the class puts on a makeup under the advice and constructive criticism of the teachers, until thoroughly versed in the art, as it applies to his or her own individual type.

Since the reader of this may not be coming to us for either private or class lessons, we will describe the correct manner of applying makeup in simple language that will enable the distant aspirant to learn all that may be learned by reading without the presence of a personal teacher.

You are now seated at your dressing table, your mirror at a convenient elevation in front of you and between two good lights, your lay-out of tools and materials spread on a towel on the table top, a kimono or other garment spread over your person.

Now take a strip of cheesecloth three or four inches wide and tie around the forehead, back of the ears, and behind the neck; or one may use a close-fitting skull cap.

Tuck in all straying locks.

The idea is, of course, to keep powder, grease paint and cold cream from getting into and soiling the hair.

Now you are going to apply makeup.

_First stage.

_ Cold cream.

Apply this liberally all over the face from the hair line to the upper part of the throat, but not on the neck.

Rub it in thoroughly to fill all the pores of the skin.

Be careful to cover all the space around the eyes, also rub in on the eyelashes, using care to keep it out of the eyes, for it will cause stinging.

Greasing the eyelashes this way makes the removal of the makeup much easier.

Now rub your face with a piece of cheesecloth until all the superfluous cold cream has disappeared.

If the face shines too much, you have not removed enough of the cream.

The surface should give the appearance of being well oiled, but not have a sticky, pasty or greasy surface.

_Second stage.

_ Foundation Grease Paint.

The quality of your makeup depends upon this.

It will be smooth or rough according to the way you develop it.

Rub the end of the grease paint stick several times on each cheek, once across the chin, once or twice on the forehead and once down the nose.

Use the ends of the fingers and pat this into place rather than rub it, till it is thoroughly worked into all the surface you have just covered with the cold cream.

Every pore must be filled with the grease paint.

Do not apply it too thick, which would give the face a pasty, unnatural look.

Do not forget underneath the chin.

Do not apply it to the ears or behind them.

Leave no streaks or neglected spots.

Have it uniform all over.

Blend the paint till the face has an even tone.

Watch your mirror carefully.

It is better to have the grease paint a little too thin on the face than too thick, but you will soon learn to get it just right, which is what you are aiming at.

_Third stage.

_ Under rouge; foundation red; Stein's No. 18 carmine.

Make a few dots with the carmine grease paint stick on each cheek and on the end of the chin.

Use but little, and blend it by patting with the first and second fingers of both hands, rather than by rubbing.

Begin well up against the nose, go under and around the eyes, and toward the temples, working it down below the ear and off the jaw in case there is a hollow in the lower part of the cheek.

The color should extend down on the cheek, over on the temple and well up to the eye, patted and blended till no one can see where the red fades into the foundation.

The chin is then blended in the same way, to leave no line between foundation color and under rouge.

If your chin is pointed, blend in front, not below, or it draws the chin way down.

Put on a lighter makeup for a small, intimate theatre, and a heavier one for the large auditorium.

_Fourth stage.

_ Enlarging and beautifying the eyes.

This is a very important detail of correct makeup, and is indispensable on every well-lighted stage, where even the most soulful orbs with long, thick lashes will dwindle to half their size and have a faded, dull appearance if not properly made up.

It is essential that the two eyes match in every detail, and to secure this result will require the taking of considerable pains and close study of your mirror.

Stein's No. 11 blue lining stick is for use by the blue-eyed, regardless of the color of the hair or complexion.

Stein's No. 17, for the dark-eyed.

Titian-haired folks use Stein's No. 21 purple for the same purpose.

With this grease paint stick of the color suited to you, draw a line across the upper eyelid between the eyebrow and the eyelashes, as close as possible to the lashes.

With the fingers blend this line into a shadow, making it dark close to the upper lashes.

Either pencil can be used for this purpose also.

Do not get the shadow up to the eyebrows, but cover all the upper eyelid, and a little beyond the eye at the outer corner.

Use the Faber No. 6625 blue pencil or Venus 6B black for shading under the eye.

Draw a line with it directly under the eyelashes, and with the fingers blend this into a shadow.

Carried too far down this blue suggests illness, so be careful.

The shadows thus placed above and below the eyes serve to outline them to the spectators in the theatre, where otherwise the eyes would practically disappear and not be seen at all owing to the strong footlights.

_Fifth stage.

_ "Fixing" the makeup.

Powder No. 2 for blondes; No. 2-1/2 for brunettes.

The creamy tints are for the dark skins, the flesh and delicate pinks for the fair ones.

Press the powder first on the chin.

It is feminine instinct to start on the nose, but let your start in this case begin with the jaw or chin.

Don't rub it in.

Pat it on thick till the underlying paint is fully covered up.

The powder absorbs the grease.

From the chin work upward, reaching the nose after the pad has lost some of its original load, and the nose will not stare out so white on your face as it would if you began there first.

Raise the eye and powder underneath; look down, and powder the space beneath eyebrow and eyelid.

_Sixth stage.

_ Smoothing off and blending.

Use the baby brush for this; there is nothing else so good.

It is surprising in its results.

Do not press the brush too hard on the face; dust the surplus powder off carefully with a light touch, to leave no streaks or patches anywhere.

If now the face has a greasy look, you have not used sufficient powder.

_Seventh stage.

_ High lighting.

Take some of your No. 18 Dorin's dry rouge on the rabbit's foot and dust a very little on your cheeks.

Do not press it down, just tickle about the edges of the rouge to be sure it blends perfectly with the foundation.

If there is too much white about the nose, dust it lightly with the rabbit's foot.

You can turn the paw around and blend with the end that is free of paint.

Never show a white ear to the audience.

If ears come into style again, as they will, the lobe and rim should be made a healthy pink, but not a strong red, with the rabbit's foot.

_Eighth stage.

_ Darkening the eyelashes and eyebrows.

Use Leichner's No. 60 black mascaro; dark brown for light blondes.

The lower lashes are better left without the treatment, since they are almost certain to smear the face if treated, and the shadow you have already placed there takes care of the lower lashes all that is necessary.

Apply the mascaro to the upper lashes with the brush that comes with the mascaro, or any fine brush will do.

Start a delicate line on the edge of the eyelid at the outer corner of the eye, let it curve slightly downward at the start.

This line should not exceed half an inch in length and is never carried beyond the eye socket.

Do not make the line heavy nor longer.

A very little mascaro must be brushed lightly on to the eyebrows, following the curve of the upper eyelid.

Fix the eyebrows carefully about three-quarters the size of the mouth, using black or brown mascaro according to whether your type is dark or light.

In this place we are going to tell you how to bead the eyelashes, but unless you are a professional actress and your part will be decidedly enhanced by having the eyes very much in evidence, we advise against your undertaking it.

It is not a necessary stage in the makeup process, but it comes into the story of makeup naturally and we give it here for the benefit of those who may wish to make use of it.

Beading the lashes consists in placing a small bead of cosmetique on the extreme tip of each lash.

This is best done on the upper lashes only, leaving the lower ones free.

The Lockwood Cosmetic Stove is a small affair that holds a piece of candle and a baby-size frying-pan, or skillet, and is one device for its purpose that has the approval of fire insurance companies and so will not be objected to by the theatre fireman.

There are some heating devices that you are not permitted to use in any theatre, and persistence in their use after being once cautioned has caused arrest more than once.

[Illustration: CLASS IN STAGE MAKEUP AT THE NED WAYBURN STUDIOS] In this connection many interesting true tales might be told of principal actors being taken bodily from the stage in the midst of a play and landed in the local jail, causing the curtain to be lowered and the audience dismissed.

The stage fireman, assigned to every first class theatre during a performance, has authority to enforce all ordinances intended to prevent fire and eliminate fire risk in playhouses, even to go to the extremity of arresting offenders against the public's safety.

So be careful to use only a Lockwood Cosmetic Stove or some equally safe affair in your dressing room.

You light the candle, place a small amount of Roger and Gallet black cosmetique in the little pan and heat it over the candle flame till melted.

Take up some of this molten cosmetique on the flat end of your orange wood stick and apply it with a deft quick stroke to the upper lashes, painting each one separately and without clotting, so that a little bead hangs to the tip of each upper lash.

Use care not to drop any of the black on your makeup.

The effect of this beading is to beautify the appearance of the actress by bringing out her eyes in a wonderful manner under the strongest of spot lights.

_Ninth stage.

_ Red dots in the inner corners of the eye.

Dip the paper felt liner in the moist lip rouge and with it make a tiny red dot in the extreme inner corner of each eye, but on the lid--not in the eye--to space the eyes and make them look to be the distance of one eye apart.

Keep these dots well away from the nose, or they will tend to make you look crosseyed from the front.

_Tenth stage.

_ Rouging the lips.

Stein's moist lip rouge, medium.

If the lips are left their natural color the footlights bleach them white and colorless.

Shape the upper lip into a cupid's bow and round out the lower lip.

Dip the little finger into the rouge and press it tightly against the lips, being careful not to smear it; open the mouth and draw the upper lip tight over the teeth.

When necessary the upper lip can be shortened in appearance by blending and putting the cupid's bow a little higher.

Do not put color on the lips beyond the angle of the nose, otherwise it will make your mouth appear very large.

A blonde should not apply the rouge full strength, as it is too dark for her.

The lips should not be heavily painted, and the line about the edges should be soft and smooth.

_Eleventh stage.

_ Finish with a little powder, dusting the face very gently, using a swan's-down puff.

Put a very little powder on the lines about the eyes, but not enough to dull them.

Now look in your mirror with critical eyes.

Your handiwork should have resulted in a velvety, soft yet rich complexion that will stand the strong lights of the modern theatre.

What you have just put on is known as a grease-paint makeup.

There is also a cream makeup, so called, but it is less desirable for the modern professional stage.

It fails to give the right effect for a real musical show with powerful lights.

I have used both and do not hesitate to give this opinion based on my own experience.

There is also a dry makeup, with powder, known in theatrical parlance as a "lazy" makeup, suitable only for a "dumb" chorus girl who has no interest in her work, who comes in late and does not care whether she appears to advantage or not.

To complete any makeup, apply liquid white with a soft sponge to the neck, chest, arms and other exposed flesh that is not already made up.

If, as in some of the modern revues, the legs are not covered with stockings or tights, they too must have an application of liquid white.

To look right, any flesh that is exposed must be made up, because the lights bleach the exposed flesh, making it appear bloodless and giving one a gruesome, corpse-like color.

You are wise if in the matter of makeup you study your own face.

Experiment, and note the results.

When you are certain you have acquired the best for your own purposes, practice it often, till you can put it on properly and always with the same result.

Don't seek to look made-up, ever, but to look your best for the part you are playing, always.

If the makeup ingredients are in evidence to the audience you have not created the proper illusion and must practice making up until you acquire skill.

It usually takes about one-half hour to put a good makeup on after you have perfected the process with your own features.

_Removing Makeup.

_ First remove the beads of cosmetic from the lashes.

Then get rid of the little red spot in the inner corner of the eye.

Work this toward the nose with cold cream.

Then take plenty of cold cream on the fingers of both hands and massage the face thoroughly, to soften the makeup all over.

Wipe it off with cheesecloth or an old towel, that you can throw away.

Now wash the face with warm water and soap, dry thoroughly, apply a bit of powder, and you are all ready to dress.

SOME MAKEUP NOTES

You makeup for the lights of the theatre, which nowadays are very strong, and may come from many directions and in various colors.

The switchboard controlling all the lights is in the first entrance of the stage, and the electrician in charge has his plots and cues all carefully planned for each act.

He does not throw lights on or off for the fun of it or at his pleasure, but exactly as carefully designed and mapped by the show's producing director.

The front lights are those in the body of the house as distinguished from the stage.

On the stage we have the footlights in red, white and blue, a row of each, and overhead are the border lights in the same three colors.

There is the first border, second, third--sometimes even seven border lights, according to the size of the theatre stage.

The spotlight is an arc light.

It has usually a color wheel that revolves so that either red, blue, straw, light straw, or pink or any other color may be projected onto the "spot" on the stage that it is to illuminate and emphasize.

There are dimmers for the footlights and the border lights.

With these you can go from daylight effects to sunset, to moonlight, dawn, etc. , with gentle gradation.

There are two kinds of moonlights on the stage.

Number 29 blue in the spotlight gives a summer moonlight; number 35 is best for a winter moonlight scene.

Good gelatines, or "mediums" as they are called, are made by the Gelatine Products Company, in Brooklyn, or may be had from Kliegl Bros.

, the New York Calcium Light Co. , the Display Stage Lighting Co. , all first-class concerns in New York City.

Under strong blue lights the under-rouge in the makeup will come to the surface, which is not desirable, so get to your dressing room and powder your makeup down if you are going to be under a blue light.

The makeup will stand a white spotlight or a pale yellow, but will not look well under too much blue and never well under green.