ABSTRACT
The actor’s dream is to play a wide range of characters, to explore many facets of life in roles that encompass all humanity. To fulfill this dream, the actor requires not only talent and training, but an unstinting devotion to the art. Except for the rare production so exotic or stylized that a specialist is necessary, actors must design and execute their own makeup. It is the responsibility of each to learn the craft of makeup, that final dressing of the character that will enable him or her to perform the role as fully and as effectively as possible. The most detailed characterization can be performed only with full freedom and authority when the actors know that visual image supports and defines their work. Actors untrained in makeup are deprived of an invaluable aid to their art—and little is done to remedy the situation. Richard Corson’s approach to makeup is meticulous and eminently practical.
