GRIFFIN November 24

6 • CWEA GRIFFIN • November 2024 as the elevator operator at The Fox Theater. “Anita Baker was performing and she needed someone to fix her hair. I was asked if I could do it, and I said, “Sure, I know how to work with wigs.” That lucky break led to what has been a long career working in theaters around the country. When Jordan joined The Muny staff in 1990, she was the only per- son of color in the wig department. “Since then, things have changed thanks to Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson and Director of Productions Tracy Utzmyers. More people are getting an opportunity, as they should.” “I’ve learned a lot from Mike Isaa- cson,” she added. “I watch him in production meetings and have got- ten a lot of ‘nuggets’ from him. He catches things other people don’t see. He’s really awesome. The Muny is a company that will take you as far as you want to go. If you have the skill and you work hard, It will show. All the connections I have in the theater world are because of my hard work and my connection to The Muny.” A typical workday for The Muny’s production team is from 8:30 a.m. Wigs from Page 1 to 4:30 p.m. Jordan comes in at seven to “get her head together” be- fore her crew comes in. “Sometimes we are working on three shows in one day. The show that went down, the one that’s running, and the one that’s coming.” Wigs for the theater are made of either synthetic hair — which holds up better in the heat — or human hair. Each morning, day crews come in to ventilate (clean) and restyle the wigs for that night’s perfor- mance. From 6:45 to 11:45 p.m., a “wig show crew” comes in to run that night’s performance. Each department is given a show breakdown for each production. The breakdown shows each actor’s photo, their scenes, wardrobe and minutes that the character will be on or off the stage. “For example,” Jordan said, “we know the whereabouts of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes (played by Jeanna de Waal) minute-to-minute. We know she wears a certain wig at “10 minutes to places,” then she comes off the show from minute 10 to 19. At that point, we know her wig needs to be maintained to make sure it’s looking good. The breakdown also shows her location, for instance, stage right, boom 1. So if we for- got to put her barrette in, we know where to find her. Microphones are sometimes tucked under actors’ wigs —main characters may wear two in case one fails — so there is some- times a need to adjust those, too.” A few days after the 2024 season ended, Jordan headed to The Fox Theater to work on Hamilton, one of her favorite productions. She has since been hired to be a “vacation swing” wig supervisor for Hamilton productions all across the country. Jordan recently flew off to Dayton on short notice when the wig super- visor there became ill. Jordan currently is booked for productions around the country into 2025. Her fall schedule in- cludes work on Mary Poppins in Seattle and Frozen in Houston. In January, The Muny will begin reaching out to staff about the 2025 season. That’s when Jordan will start researching the upcoming produc- tions and setting aside some of her large collection of wigs that will be used for the upcoming season. “You never stop learning in this business,” Jordan said. “But I want to teach others what I know, I don’t want to take the gifts God gave me to my grave.” She has been working on establishing a Theatrical Hair and Make-up Expo so others can learn how to maintain wigs, apply makeup and learn how to work on a wardrobe crew in a professional manner. From theatrical produc- tions in the smallest churches to the biggest show ever, she’s determined to share what she’s learned in the theater world over the past 30 years. Jordan checks her wig chart for the current Muny production. Nicki Dwyer photo