EMPOWERING Creativity

I love bringing up the next generation of performers.

In the past, I have camp-coordinated for a theatrical summer camp, and I’ve taught theatrical makeup classes. With the skills I have gained, I am capable of teaching pretty much any theater class for kids.

Who am I as a teacher? Read below!

Week 1

I get to know the students, set up class rules, and lay out how the class will run.

From day one, I empower the students to showcase their creativity by letting them set the class rules. Here are some past examples of rules.

Handwritten notes on lined paper with instructions and advice, including: "No Harrassing, No Escaping, no coughing, don't wear wigs".
Close-up of handwritten notes on lined paper, written in red ink, listing words such as "encourage" "respect," and "clean."
A handwritten note listing rules about wearing masks, including: 'No cry zone (your mascara will be ruined)', 'Don't mess up on purpose', 'Be confident in yourself', 'Bully free', 'No Beef Zone', 'No roasting', 'No Swearing'.

Weeks 2-6

I use past designs I made to teach the students how they can utilize different types of makeup, including:

  • Basic stage makeup

  • False Eyelashes

  • Age Makeup

  • Face Paint

  • Basic SFX makeup

Diagram showing how to apply makeup shades on an older person's face using cream palettes. The diagram indicates dark, light, and blush shades with corresponding instructions and color swatches.

As I go, I talk about how and why I made design choices. Showing them how to quickly understand a character and show that through color and shape.

This gives the students a foundation, so once they start making their own designs, they know how to communicate who a character is through the makeup.

A diagram illustrating the steps for applying eyeshadow, showing a woman with eye-shaped outlines on her eyelids and instructions to follow the eye shape, blend dark shade in the center of the eye, and wing it out.
This image shows a step-by-step tutorial for applying face paint for a Gertrude character. There are several line drawings of a face, each with different face paint designs including blue shades representing eye makeup, with instructions on how to apply light, medium/dark, and black colors around the eyes. Text instructions guide to apply light color to the eyes and follow eye shapes, with emphasis on not too runny face paint. A color legend at the bottom indicates different shades used—light blue, medium/dark blue, and black. The overall focus is on creating a face paint design with eye emphasis.

Weeks 7-10

The students work on designing their own makeup.

We work with one class of design where they pick a character and design. Then one feedback day where all of the students do their designs and make edits.

I have them do two assignments.

  1. Design for a “show”

  2. Design based on a character of your choosing

Designing and then doing makes the students understand what translates from the makeup design sheet onto the face. Understanding how makeup looks on a face not only will let them design for their own show someday, but also empowers them as actors to be able to better do their own makeup.

Here are past designs that students have done.

A worksheet with instructions for a character makeup project, including a title, spaces for the student's name and character name, and black-and-white outline drawings of a face for makeup ideas, with some colored facial features in one drawing.
A worksheet with instructions for a character makeup project, including a title, spaces for the student's name and character name, and black-and-white outline drawings of a face for makeup ideas, with some colored facial features in one drawing.
This is a step-by-step makeup guide featuring illustrations of a person's face. Each step shows different makeup application techniques, with some notes on the side for color and placement, including shaded areas indicating where to apply product.
A printed sheet with instructions for editing a theatrical makeup draft. It includes black-and-white illustrations of a person's face with different makeup ideas, some colored green and red, along with handwritten notes and printed text.

The final week!

Parents and friends are invited to come see what the students have done.

Using the makeup they have designed and the skills they have learned about applying makeup, the students put the makeup on their parents’/friends’ faces.

Children in a circle holding hands, dressed in costumes for a show, in a dimly lit indoor space.

Week 11

Empty theater stage with colorful rainbow and green hill backdrop, red curtains on sides, and various chairs and tables arranged in front of the stage.

I LOVE Teaching

A young woman with glasses and a yellow-green sweater is taking a selfie in a dressing room with multiple mirrors, wigs on display on the wall above, and various chairs around a white counter.

Teaching brings me joy because I get to see the students grow in their skills and their confidence. I have had students on the first day let me know that they have never really done makeup. Through their own determination and my encouragement, I have seen them transform into people I would trust to not only design makeup for a show but lead a team to apply the makeup.

I also get a lot of joy in fostering a community that students want to keep coming back to. From making sure I have a playlist filled with their favorite songs to quickly checking in at the top of every class about what's going on in their lives. To encouraging them to showcase their own creativity by making it clear that I don’t want them to copy me, but to discover their own unique style.

It is this learning community that I create every class that has students asking when I am teaching again, so they can repeat my class.

A person wearing colorful makeup and glasses, making a playful face, seated in a car.
A young woman with light skin and dramatic sad-looking makeup, wearing a black hoodie over a red and purple graphic t-shirt, taking a selfie in a room with a green cabinet in the background.
A person with closed eyes, vibrant makeup, and a glittery beard, posing in front of a decorated background with holiday-themed letters, stickers of a snowman, and a kitchen setting.
Instructional guide for applying face paint and glitter to face. Step-by-step illustrations showing how to use caps with face paint, Q-tip for glitter, and safety precautions. Color-coded face paint and glitter placement on facial features.
A young person with zombie makeup, face paint, and special effects makeup to look like a zombie, standing inside in front of window blinds and curtains.