"I love creating life - or death - on people’s faces"

Hometown
I was born and raised in California but have been living in London for just over 10 years

What do you do?
Freelance make-up and hair artist and a part time actress and singer (and pole dance instructor!). I have been self-employed for many years now. I also sit on the panel for freelance hair & make-up artist for BECTU.

How long have you been at it?
I finished beauty school at 19 and have worked off-and-on since then. I didn’t begin to take myself seriously as a make-up artist until a few years ago.

What was your very first role in theatre?
Front of house at the Cochrane Theatre, which is owned by University of the Arts London. I quickly made the leap to performing on stage, and then as the productions became more ambitious, I was asked to supervise make-up and hair.

So what have you done in the theatre?
I was responsible for creating a large cast of zombies for Fright Nite at theme park Thorpe Park for two years in a row. I’ve worked on several indie films and currently am giving hair and make-up advice for the whole female cast of the Circus of Horrors.

Have you got qualifications?
I’m a certified beautician from the Clairemont College of Beauty (in California)

I’ve also done a short course in prosthetics at London College of Fashion and a workshop in SFX (special effects) and camouflage at Charles Fox

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
I toured as a drummer and singer for top 40 electronic band, Inertia. My other projects include modelling, acting for television, film and stage. I still go out on the road when I have a new album release and have currently been under contract to perform with the Circus of Horrors.

How did you make the move to working in theatre?
I started by working in front of house where I was surrounded by people who were currently involved in theatre. It helped me to better understand
theatre and naturally I progressively became more involved.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A rock star!

What do you do all day?
On a typical make-up and hair day it’s an early start, as you need at least an hour to prep and set up your station. Depending on what kind of project you’re working on, whether it’s film or theatre, you have to allocate your time carefully, ie you can’t spend an hour on one person if you have 10 others that need to be made-up within that hour.

Once you’re finished with the preliminary characters, you begin to clean up your station and get ready for the interval.Once this is finished, you clean up your station again and are on stand-by for any touch-ups that you may have to do.

At the end of the show, my job is to make sure that any hair (wigs or false facial hair) and make-up is removed properly and stored for the next day’s use. This is crucial when you are using prosthetics as well. Once again, you clean your station then it’s time to go. Hair and make-up are always the first to arrive and leave.

What’s the best thing about your job?
Creating life…or death on people’s faces

And the worst?
The long hours can be excruciating

What’s your dream job in theatre?
To run my own make-up and hair department in a big West End theatre

Got any wise words for people who want to be where you are now?
Keep on truckin’! Aim high, keep your feet and on the ground and be persistent.

www.alexysbecerra.com