Welcome

Melyssa Swensen (MFA) has been doing wigs for over 25 years in theatres across the country—Ballet to Broadway, Sondheim to Shakespeare, and Grand Opera Houses to Intimate Theatres. She's had the great pleasure of working with distinguished designers, directors, performers, and other talented artisans whom she has also come to call friends.

Currently she is freelancing and teaching the next generation through Master Classes, lectures, and demonstrations.

Hair & Makeup Designer

The HMU Designer sets the hair, wig, and makeup style for the entire show. It requires a lot of research and time to design every hairstyle and makeup chart. But in the end, with Designer status you get the satisfaction of influencing the style of an entire production.

View HMU Designer Portfolio

Fronting & Styling

"Fronting" is the term used when adding a natural looking hairline to a commercial wig. Fronts can save time and money, which makes them a popular practice in theatre. I've done hundreds of fronts, but only a few examples are on my online portfolio.

View Fronting Portfolio

Fully Hand-Tied

Unlike fronting that modifies a commercial wig, Fully Hand-Tied wigs are a complete build. Color, texture, length, actor, house size, time and budget are all factors to be considered in creating a Fully Hand-Tied wig.

View Fully Hand-Tied Portfolio

Facial Hair

The easiest way to disguise or age a male actor is with Facial Hair. It's a delicate process that requires natural human hair, but when done right, the effort is worth it.

View Facial hair Portfolio

Hair & Make Up

Hair and Make Up design is about more than application and product. It's about research. When designing a show, I must consider the time period, the country and setting the director has chosen, and the economic status of the character. This was a lot harder to do before computers and the internet, but it's equally indispensible today.

View Makeup Portfolio

Wig Making Process

There are many methods to wig building; sadly the art of proper construction is lost in a wave of "self-taught" professionals and hair stylists folded into the trade. True wig building relies on foundational techniques that can be adapted to a specific wig depending on budget, time constraints, and end style.

Learn More

Head Tracing
Deep Fronts
Premade Foundation