dancer whose name I have quoted above. Some of them received their
first impetus along this line from me, followed my advice and
instruction, and in consequence became internationally famous and
successful. I am still taking those well adapted to this line and
putting them in the way they should go. I know the type of person best
qualified to make a success in exhibition dancing, and if those I
select will be guided by my experience and knowledge there is no
reason why they should not reap the rewards their merit earns, as well
as those I have named have done.
There is a knack in acquiring the necessary ability as a dancer of
this type that not every instructor is able to impart. I do not teach
exhibition dancing in classes in my studios. Individual private
lessons is the only successful way, and that is my way. Most other
forms of dancing are learned as well or even better in classwork.
I doubt if exhibition dancing will ever be overdone. It is popular,
and good dancers for this line of work are not too numerous. So it
seems likely to be in continued demand indefinitely.
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 $12.00 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 $9.50. 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 $10.95 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 $10, 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]