Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics for Performance

Hair, make-up, and prosthetics for performance is a specialist creative discipline that serves the needs of theatre, film, television, and live performance. Unlike commercial hair and beauty, performance-focused work is primarily about the transformation of performers into characters, requiring skills in period and contemporary hair styling, cosmetic make-up, special effects make-up, body painting, prosthetic design and application, and wig making and dressing. These skills must be applied with speed, precision, and consistency within professional production environments, where the demands of camera, lighting, and live performance place specific requirements on the work.

At the University of the Arts, London, this three-year full-time programme develops the full range of specialist skills needed to work professionally in performance hair, make-up, and prosthetics. You will develop technical craft abilities alongside an understanding of historical and contemporary design references, the needs of different performance contexts, and the collaborative professional practice that working on productions requires. The programme includes a sandwich year with placement, giving you professional work experience in a relevant production context during your degree, which is essential in a field where entry typically depends on a combination of training and demonstrated industry experience.

Graduates work in film and television production, theatre, opera, dance, music performance, and the wider entertainment industry. The prosthetics specialism is particularly in demand in film and television, where practical effects remain highly valued alongside digital techniques. Many graduates enter the industry on a freelance basis, building a portfolio of production credits across different contexts, while others secure positions in established departments in major studios, broadcasting organisations, or theatre companies.

The UAL environment, at the centre of London's creative industries, provides significant advantages in terms of industry contacts and professional visibility.