For mask and wig designer Stephanie Metzner, music is an important key to the creative process. If the music is good, it becomes a working tool that sparks the desire to create.
– I have to like the music – only then does it create atmospheres and thoughts within me that I bring into the design of masks and wigs.
Another reason why music is so significant is the fact that she will be listening to it a lot during the course of her work – first to understand the piece, then throughout the many rehearsals, and finally during each performance.
The desire to create different expressions using hair and makeup has always been there – ever since childhood. Countless hairstyles and makeup looks later – on herself, family, and friends – she enrolled in a makeup program. But once there, something didn’t feel quite right.
– We learned how to make people beautiful, but I wanted to work more broadly than that. I wanted to create different expressions that conveyed stories.
It was when she found her way into the world of theatre that she felt she had found her place. Here, she gets to create different kinds of expressions that contribute to the audience’s understanding of the story and deepen the actor’s interpretation of their role.
– I especially enjoy working with theatre and opera because I appreciate the developmental process that takes place during rehearsals. Time allows space for the creative process to evolve. I can observe singers and actors, and as the characters emerge, I see how I can enhance various features and expressions.
But time is also the greatest challenge in her work. Some elements can be prepared well in advance, but much must be done within a short, intense time window just before the performance.
– For example, there is a limit to how early the first singer can be at the makeup station. Then I need to consider who can be instructed to do their own makeup, how many people I need on my team who can assist with makeup, and so on. For everything to run smoothly, careful and meticulous planning is required.
Stephanie is backstage before every performance, but also during and, not least, after each show. Before and during, she helps actors and singers to step into their roles with mask and wig; afterward, she helps them step out of them. Makeup is removed, and wigs are taken off. Once the audience has gone home, Stephanie begins the meticulous planning for the next performance.