Students hoping to learn more about the wig creation process used in mainstage productions at Southern Utah University have the opportunity to attend a wig making workshop on Friday, Feb. 28. The workshop will be taught by Brooke Wilson, an SUU student set to be the head of the wig shop upon current wigmaster Saylor Hartner’s graduation in April.
A primary goal of the workshop is for the staff to find two new wigmakers to replace the current ones who will be departing SUU at the end of the semester.
“It’s a lot of thinking about what kind of people we’re looking for, who we want to hire,” said Wilson. “Because we’re looking for two people to replace Saylor and Mary.”
This workshop is the second taught by Wilson, though it is the first that she will be running entirely by herself as she prepares to take over for Hartner.
A majority of the workshop will be teaching participants how to ventilate a wig. Wig ventilation consists of tying hair in lace, and is considered one of the hardest parts of wig-making due to how tedious it is.
“Sometimes actors don’t appreciate all the work that we put into the wigs, and don’t realize how much time it truly does take,” said Wilson. “I feel like coming to the workshop and seeing how tedious everything is, they’ll be more appreciative of having a wig.”
Participants will be given a small piece of lace, and then taught how to tie hair into it. They start by tying multiple hairs, then try to do single hairs, since they are harder to tie.
Wilson hopes that all participants, regardless of whether they choose to seek a job in the wig shop, will learn how much work goes into the creation of wigs.
“I think wigs are not given as much recognition as they should [be], and especially if you’re a theater person, this is something that you should learn,” said Wilson. “You should come to the workshop and learn about how hard people work on wigs.”
A limited number of slots are available for this workshop, so interested parties should sign up quickly. To learn more or sign up for the workshop, email brookemwilson114@gmail.com.
Author: Tessa Cheshire
Photos courtesy of Brooke Wilson
Editor: Anna Mower
arts@suunews.net
