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Apr 03, 2006

DePaul University Will Launch Unique Theatre Wigs And Hair Certificate Program In June of 2006

DePaul University’s Continuing and Professional Education division will offer Wigs and Hair Chicago, the only existing certificate programs focused on teaching students to design, create and maintain stage hair, beginning in June at the university’s Lincoln Park Campus.

The program’s faculty will be led by Nan Zabriskie, head of the makeup program at The Theatre School at DePaul, and Rick Jarvie, wig master and makeup director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The program is designed for makeup artists, wardrobe professionals, costume designers, actors, theatre students and anyone who is interested in the craft of stage hair.

Wigs and Hair Chicago is a collaborative idea between DePaul, Northwestern University and Columbia College, whose theatre departments recognized a need for specialized stage hair instruction beyond the costume and makeup classes offered in most theatre programs. Wigs and Hair Chicago aims to teach the techniques and top industry secrets utilized by wig makers and makeup artists throughout the country.

Wigs and Hair Chicago is composed of two, five-day certificate programs:

  • The Wigs and Hair Production Certificate Program will teach students how to create and ventilate facial hair and wig fronts. This program will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 19 to 23. Tuition is $1,575, plus a $150 lab fee, per person.

  • The Wigs and Hair Maintenance Program will cover all facial hair and wig design, dressing and maintenance issues. It will meet from from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 26 to 30. Tuition is $1,575, plus a $100 lab fee, per person.

    Students will earn a Certificate of Professional Achievement from DePaul upon completion of each program. Class space is limited to 20 students.

    Zabriskie, the program’s director and teacher, has headed the makeup program at The Theatre School at DePaul for 25 years. She has taught both designers and actors the art of stage makeup. She is an active makeup artist as well as costume designer whose work is seen in Chicago and beyond. She designs makeup for The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and trains their actors in makeup application. She works extensively with The Ben Nye Makeup Co. in developing new products and colors, as well as conducting seminars throughout the country.

    Jarvie has been the wig master and makeup director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since its 2000 season. He has created hundreds of wigs and beards for many Lyric Opera performances. Jarvie received a bachelor’s in theatre arts from Nazareth College of Rochester, New York, and was part of the San Francisco Opera wig and makeup training program. He was the wig master for the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, and the supervisor of wigs and makeup for the Tom Patterson Theatre for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival in Ontario.

    More information about Wigs and Hair Chicago, including online registration, can be found on the Web site: http://www.learning.depaul.edu/standard/content_areas/continuity_pages/coursegroup.asp?group_number=206&group_version=1, or by contacting Moses Hudson at CPE: (312) 362-6292 or mhudson2@depaul.edu.