We're doing a play with a flashback scene that requires a character to be twenty years younger than he is for the rest of the play. The actor is closer to the younger of the two ages he has to portray. He'll have only a 5-10 minute scene on either side of the flashback to change. We will have backstage assistants available. Any suggestions on quick changes we can make for the age difference to be both apparent and realistic?

Melissa

Hi,

    I'm not an expert on this but if I were doing this I would try to achieve the change mainly with costume and maybe a change of hair style.(a real good wig).  A change of mood in the lighting might help with the transistion as well.  I'm not sure if the time frame alows a make-up change.

A few things I could suggest that have worked in the past are:

1)  Grey the hair using white powder -- not a liquid or a spray.  Often, the grey can be quickly brushed off with a towel or sturdy hairbrush.  A spray-bottle of water on hand will help as well.

2)  Unless your actor sweats profusely or has extra-oily skin, use double-sided toupee tape to adhere a moustache or other facial hair.  ("Top-Stick" is the brand name most commonly found.)  It comes in handy strips and can be powdered as well to dull the shine.

3)  If you use a creme or powder-based age makeup it can be quickly removed using simple Baby-Wipes.  Keep a large supply on hand to swipe away the wrinkles and highlights.  Avoid grease-paint as that is heavier to remove.

The change back from young to old will require practice among your crew.  Wrinkles, lines, and highlights can be quickly painted in with thin paintbrushes. 

A towel placed around the shoulders will protect the costume as another assistant powders the hair with a puff.

A fresh piece of toupee tape applied to the netting of the moustache or other facial hair can be slapped on once the make-up is completed.  DO NOT RE-USE the tape from the preivious scenes as the skin oil will have rendered the adhesive practically useless.  Discard the old piece after the first transformation and have the new tape already in place on the hair-piece and standing by for the next.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

I hadn't thought of using facial hair for one age. I also wasn't sure if it was possible to get grey out of the hair quickly. When you say white powder, do you mean something made especially for that purpose, or just regular white powder?

We're in a small space and don't use a lot of stage make-up, so I was looking for some different ways to make the age change apparent. This really helps. Thanks.

Melissa

Corn-starch ... flour ... baking powder ... talcum powder.    Whatever.

There is a pan-cake style clown white make-up powder available, but the other stuff listed above is cheaper and easier to find.

Experiment a little.  See which works best for your actor's hair-type and time constraints.

Glad I could help.