Christiane Darensbourg (Certified Make-Up Artist)

“During my time at Centenary University, the theater environment brought on challenges that helped me become the person I am today. As a Make-up Artist, I have to deal with all types of personalities. When dealing with these conditions, a make-up artist has to learn how to diffuse situations when a client does not agree with a designer or director about the makeup. You are always up close and personal with your client, so you have to know how to address people and be able to carry out a conversation while applying makeup.”

“When I was a shop supervisor in 2013, there were many times I had to diffuse situations between students disagreeing or having safety issues. This goes along with the fact that I had to be a leader in some instances and a follower in others. At crunch time, when the set had to be finished, it took all of our teamwork to be successful. Even when everyone was tired and frustrated, we put all our efforts into getting the job done.”

“Taking the tech classes and working in the shop taught me about lighting and how it affects the makeup applied on an actor. This, in turn, was one of the ways I learned more about color theory, which is extremely important in my field. Upon learning of Centenary’s Stage Makeup course, I decided to enroll in the class, which became the beginning of my career. If it were not for Centenary Stage Company’s willingness to educate students on all aspects of the theater, I would not have been able to pursue my interests in makeup and further my education to become a Certified Make-Up Artist.”