Lancaster’s London experience hones skills

Photo courtesy of Kelly Lancaster
Artist Rosemarie Swinfield supervises SCAD media and performing arts professor Kelly Lancaster as he applies makeup to model Amy Kelly in London.

By: Beth E. Concepción

Published: Friday, September 23, 2005

Some people wouldn’t exactly see doing hair and makeup as a job, let alone an art, but don’t say that to Savannah College of Art and Design media and performing arts professor Kelly Lancaster. He has made a career out of putting spit and polish, so to speak, on performers of all backgrounds.

Always trying to expand his repertoire, Lancaster recently earned a Presidential Fellowship for Faculty Development from SCAD President Paula S. Wallace to study makeup artistry with renowned makeup artist Rosemarie Swinfield in London, England. Swinfield was the main makeup artist for the Royal Academy for the Dramatic Arts for years, and currently is in charge of makeup for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

“She has a wealth of experience and has published three books on hair and makeup artistry,” Lancaster said. “My goal in working with her is to sharpen my skills to teach courses in makeup at SCAD.”

His most recent project was hair and makeup for “The Rocky Horror Show Live,” produced by the SCAD media and performing arts department and onstage Sept. 23-24 at the Mondanaro Theater, 217 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. He worked with the actors in preparation for the August run of the show, then spent Aug. 11-31 in London, working with Swinfield, seeing shows (a total of six), and visiting the sights, before coming back to SCAD to prepare for the September run of “The Rocky Horror Show Live.”

“It is hard to say what I enjoyed the most,” he said. “I really think the best part was being there long enough to really experience the culture — almost becoming a Londoner.”

Lancaster, who has a Bachelor of Arts in speech and theater from Mercer University, a Master of Arts in speech communication from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Oklahoma, joined the SCAD faculty in January 2002.

“While I have always enjoyed performance — I am an actor, singer and dancer — I have discovered some additional talents in design,” he said. “I design and create costumes (and couture evening wear) and have become the ‘hair and makeup guy’ for the media and performing arts department.”

Lancaster also is involved in a variety of community activities and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Miss Georgia Pageant.

Lancaster said his students and the productions he works on all will benefit from his fellowship experience with Swinfield.

“I have received validation of my current skill base and learned so much — new skills, new techniques, new products,” he said. “It really has been amazing.”