Royal & Derngate’s Footloose is a smash-hit thanks to glam delivered by UON students

It was curtain call for the opening performance of Footloose at Royal & Derngate last week, where a team of University of Northampton’s students were waiting in the wings to deliver the show’s iconic looks.

Hair, MakeUp and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen students, Chloe Howard and Harmonie Mattless led a team of 13 students who where on hand to deliver the on-stage looks for all actors, including the iconic characters of Footloose’s Ren, Ariel and Woody.

There was no ‘holding out for a hero’ for the opening performance on Monday, as the students delivered applause-worthy looks with their hairspray and rollers, and continued to create the make-up looks for each evening performance of Footloose last week (28 October-2 November).

On her creative process, Chloe explains: “My process for designing the makeup for the show started with researching the film, the musical and general makeup looks from the 80’s. We also got some information from a few cast members who were adults in the 80’s to talk about how they used to do their own hair and makeup. From this, I could then design the bold eye looks which would stand out on stage.”

“Creating the looks has been so much fun and it is incredible to see it come to life on stage,” Harmonie adds. “We were both a fan of the original film so being able to work on the show has been such a pleasure.”

University of Northampton’s Deputy Head of Subject: Culture – Media, Film and Special Effects, Anthony Stepniak reflected on the opening night show: “I’m incredibly proud of our students for the looks they created, and the professionalism with which they delivered these to the performers.

“It’s important for students to gain industry experience like this, and to gain it before graduation to ensure they’re entering their professions with as much practical hands-on experience as possible.

“The nature of this industry requires artistic professionals from across the board – including make-up, hair and costume design – to work collaboratively to achieve final goal. Behind the scenes of Footloose, our students have had the opportunity to experience this, and build on their professional skills in the workplace.

“The challenges they faced in creating the looks for Footloose is what this course is all about, and opportunities such as this will shape them into high-level working professionals of the future.”

Find out more about studying Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen at the University of Northampton.