And a further note...

[cassaclyzm]

So, the role I'll probably be playing - mum's usual role - is that of a 40-something woman. At least, it's supposed to be. First off, this is funny because when I was in in High School I was always cast as old ladies or fat girls. 40^* may not be old, but it's way older than me, at my spry 21. People often mistake me for 25. I don't think they'll readily accept me as being 40+.

So I have two favours of those folk on my friends list who are make-up inclined:

1) How can I make myself look older, for stage? I need something fairly subtle, since I'd also be close enough to people to wait on tables.

and

2) Help! I need to femme-ify myself. (Or, more accurately, heterosexual-married-woman-ify myself.) I have little idea as to how to do this. Y'all see my user icons. This is what I've got to work with. Help?


* Actually, I'm very tempted to change the supposed age of my character. They're supposed to have been married for around 20 years, but there's a line I can change that would make it much less, and much more believable. Besides, the original line goes: "We'd been married for 10 years at the time, and he was the nicest man I'd ever known." So I'd be sorely tempted to change it to: "We'd been married for two years at the time, and he was the nicest man I'd ever known." (beat) "Actually, he was the only man I'd ever known."

Comments

[shirenomad]

A wig would help with the latter; might help with the former as well if it seems like a sufficiently-40-year-old hairstyle. And clothes can go a LONG way toward establishing your character; check what actual 40-year-old women are wearing. (Hint: this will probably involve a dress or skirt. Be warned.)

[cassaclyzm.livejournal.com]

My aunt said she might have a decent blonde wig, which I think would really help. That, and earrings. Clip-ons, considering I only have the one ear pierced.

What is this "dr-eh-ss" of which you speak? :-P

[poers.livejournal.com]

As for the makeup, subtle shadowing and highlighing can help a lot. You can use an eye pencil to give yourself a couple of little wrinkles around the eyes and so forth. And also watch how you carry yourself. 40 year old people often carry themselves a lot differently from 21 year olds.

[cassaclyzm.livejournal.com]

I remember back in High School they did some subtle stuff around my eyes to try and make me look older. I'll have to experiment a bit over the next week and see if I can come up with something decent.

Luckily, my mum is great inspiration for my movement. She has great posture. I hope I can channel her come performance time.

[lardpig.livejournal.com]

I recently did a play where I played a 62-year old; The best advice is to look at yourself in a mirror and see how you walk and move and judge how that is different from a 40-year old; they'd probably be slightly more tense and less fluid. 40 is always difficult to play though ebcause you can't go out-and-out old but you also can't move completely normally.

[cassaclyzm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it'd be easier to play a stodgy 70-year-old convincingly. I think keeping good posture will be the best thing I can do - well, that, and get my nails done. Having paint on one's nails immediately makes one want to use one's hands in a particular way.

[thunderflyer.livejournal.com]

I don't think you'll need a wig, just coif your hair differently. I know plenty of hetero married 40 year olds who wear their hair short. As to looking fortyish, think "less fresh" than a twenty-something. If I were trying to look older than I am, I would over-powder over a heavy base a shade or half shade darker than my own skintone. I would over accentuate my eyes and downplay my mouth. Maybe even some shadowing under the eyes for that puffy eye look?

[cassaclyzm.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Differently..... hmmmm... I'm not exactly the world's most experienced, uh, "hair coiffeur". I'll see what I can do. A touch of grey would probably help a *lot* with the style I have now. And I like the idea of downplaying my mouth and accentuating my eyes.

[anadriel.livejournal.com]

Well, if your hair is really as short as it is in your icons, a wig. But not a shitty one, nothing drag queen. Just a little longer - fourty something = midlife crisis = short'er' hair = makes woman feel young. So you're a fourty year old prentending she's twenty. Go for it. And clip it on so it hurts to move it. Then it is NOT going to move.

As for looking old - your mannerisms have a lot to do with that, but a week isn't enough time to prepare for that. Just very, very slight crow-eye-lines will help - slight makeup aside. Make use of highlights AND low lights - depending on how busy/stressed/worn she is, more low then high. Accent the cheek bones, the depressions near the eyes - maaaaaybe slight forehead wrinkles. But depending on the venue, the lights, the audience, the intimacy, less is more for those. Very, very thin lines, not dark at all, if you do it.

Damn. Wish I were there to show you - find your local theatre's makeup technician, call her up, and ask some questions. Depending on the person, his/her level of expertise, and her/his career?or hobby? status, she or he may be willing to help.

[cassaclyzm.livejournal.com]

Cool. Thanks for all the suggestions. I think it's going to come down to sitting in front of a mirror and experimenting a bit. This is fine. I love dressing up.

And I'll definitely get my nails done. That'll unleash a set of mannerisms that will definitely help with the character in general, if not specifically the age.

[anadriel.livejournal.com]

Good. Good good.

Don't forget to try to find a stage makeup proffesional/any theatre professional in your area - they'll help massively, more then I can from Edmonton.


Oh, and don't forget: Think not about how it looks in your mirror, but how it looks to someone in your audience, how ever many metres away.

[cassaclyzm.livejournal.com]

Done and done!