Wig makers truly a headline act
Teasing out his role as wig makers did not come easy for hairdresser Philip Cox, writes Alex Lalak. PHILIP Cox's entire working life has focused on hair. He became an apprentice hairdresser inhis native Perth at the age of 15, but an unexpected opportunity to work to become wig maker of a major musical inspired him tochange direction.
``The stage musical 42nd Street came to town and they needed people who could finger wave and pin curl and I was always able to do that so Iwent for it,'' Cox says.
He worked a dual life as a hairdresser and became a wig maker for several years before taking on the role of chief wig maker for a series of big-budget musical theatre productions touring Australia.
After 10 years, he was ready to put down some roots so he accepted the job running the Opera Australia wig department where he oversees a team of five wig makers.
Although traditionally wig makers trained by doing an apprenticeship at TAFE, this is no longer an option due to limited demand. As there are only a handful of wig departments in Australia, including two commercial studios, many people in this field choose to freelance from home, making pieces to order.
Aspiring wig makers must now do informal training that combines a hairdressing apprenticeship with on-the-job training at Opera Australia, which involves learning to make the lace foundation for the wigs and knotting the hair, sourced from overseas.
It is a fiddly, precise, time-consuming job that can be rewarding for those suited to it. ``To sit there and knot is a rare skill and it's hard to find people who are good at fine work and happy to sit there doing it for eight hours a day,'' Cox says. ``It's about commitment and I'm waiting to meet someone who wanted to become a wig maker their whole life. I have my fingers crossed.''
Like any job, wig making can lead to occupational injuries that are mostly due to small repetitive movements and the delicate nature of the work, but Cox insists it is no worse than an office job.
``We all end up in glasses for obvious reasons, and our little hooks are as sharp as anything and they go through our fingers on a fairly regular basis,'' he says. ``Some people get carpel tunnel and tennis elbow because the movements are very small.''
To create a set of wigs for a new show, Cox works closely with the production designer, researches hair styles in different time periods and creates sketches aimed at capturing the desired effect.
Occasionally the department is pitched a tricky design concept but Cox says that they relish challenges.
``We have people who have been doing this for 20 or 30 years, and they have knowledge beyond belief, so we are able to achieve pretty much anything in this place,'' Cox says.
The department can sometimes work on up to five productions at a time and some, such as Opera Australia's production Manon Lescaut, contain up to 80 wigs.
With national and international demand for wigs unlikely to fade while the arts industry continues to produce new shows, Cox points out that wigmaking is an ideal occupation for anyone who is keen to travel.
``One of our wig makers has just taken a job making wigs for a film in Dublin, so this career offers those opportunities that mean you could be not just travelling Australia but the world.''
How to become a wig maker
Course TAFE NSW offers a variety of hairdressing courses www.tafensw.edu.au. From the inside ``It's a good little industry because there are not many wig makers,'' says Cox. ``But if you are good then you will always be employed, and the work may seem tedious but it's not boring.''
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