Name: Jan Ross

Age: 63

Occupation: Theatrical wig and makeup artist/designer

My job is to make the actors on stage look their part by applying makeup and using wigs styled in the period of the show being performed.

My work on a show begins with research months before the curtain opens. I look at old programs and books and I watch period films to learn about the time period that the show is set in.

Then I get head measurements from cast members for the wigs and also determine how many people will be in the cast, including principals and chorus members. I match wigs to people and start planning the makeup colors based on what roles the actors are playing. If the roles are upper class, that requires more makeup than a peasant role, which is more of a natural look.

A stage director once told me, "The audience will remember two things about a show, the hair and the costumes and whether they were period correct."

Every face is a new palette because everyone has unique character. In order for the audience to be able to see the actor's expressions, I use contouring and highlighting. The eyebrows define the face, so it's important that they are visible from the audience. I use eyebrow pencil to add to the actor's brow and extend the brow beyond the eye.

For some shows, I have to build special noses or faces out of latex, and I have many books that show how to create unique features. I've made a 22-year-old look like a 90-year-old.

I apprenticed under professionals from the San Francisco Opera including the head makeup and wig steward and have been doing this professionally for 25 years.

Opera has been part of my life since I was a child. My mother was a trained opera singer who performed with the Madison Opera and I became involved in Madison Opera when it first started in 1962.

I work with Madison Opera, Four Seasons Theatre, Madison Ballet, Madison Savoyards and the Indianapolis Opera in Indiana. I also work at the Overture Center with traveling shows doing wigs, makeup or wardrobe.

It's rewarding to have an actor say "Now I'm Rigoletto," or "Now I'm Carmen," after I've completed their makeup and wig because they can now see the character they are playing.