One of very few wigmakers

Rebecca Bank is head of wigs and makeup at West Australian Ballet. She is one of a small handful of people in Western Australia who make wigs for shows for a living.

“It is a very niche job, so a lot of the time people don't really know what I do in a day.”

Transforming dancers with hair

With human hair, moustaches and goatees, Bank transforms, ages and defines dancers on stage. Good wigs work invisibly, making the era and feel of the show right.

“If you do it well, people don't know there's a wig on.”

Weeks of precise handwork

Bank speaks with the designer, takes a mould from the dancer's head, pads it with cork and nets it before knotting begins. Each wig can take weeks to complete.

“We have to sit in quite a specific position to see the very small mesh to get the hair in.”

Expensive and demanding work

Most wigs are made from human hair, costing about five thousand dollars each. Bank must swap wigs on dancers in less than two minutes off-stage during performances.

“Security for them is such an important thing.”

Training the next generation

Since February, eighteen young creatives have been learning wig making, costume, special effects and makeup at Perth's North Metropolitan TAFE. They learn techniques from eighteenth century wigs to synthetic pieces.

New opportunities in Western Australia

Hair and wig lecturer Delia Stanley says the course allows young wigmakers to work in WA. With Perth film studios opening, there are now more opportunities than before.

“Rather than getting people from over east, I think it's a great thing that people are getting trained in our own state.”