Bald cap
Encyclopedia
A bald cap is a wig
-like cap
simulating the appearance of a bald or partially bald head. As part of an actor
's make-up, it is often used to make a person appear older.
Bald caps may be purchased ready-made or be constructed on-site by a make-up artist, who applies a thin coat of liquid plastic (such as latex
) to a pattern made by covering the actor's head in clingfilm. The finished cap is glued to the actor's head with spirit gum
or surgical adhesive, and the edges of the cap are blended with the actor's skin using make-up techniques.
Bald caps used in the theatre are made of thicker rubber, intended to be put on and off rapidly and multiple times. Coarser and more unrealistic bald caps are sometimes also used as part of a clown
costume.
Bald caps may also be used for occasions when an actor who has hair wishes to act as if they are wearing a wig to cover up their baldness. In this case, the actor will wear a bald cap with a wig on top; the wig can be removed to reveal the "baldness" beneath. This trick received notable use in the Earthanasia
episode of British comedy program The Goodies
.
Wig
A wig is a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which is worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. The word wig is short for periwig and first...
-like cap
Cap
A cap is a form of headgear. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head and have no brim or only a visor. They are typically designed for warmth and, when including a visor, blocking sunlight from the eyes...
simulating the appearance of a bald or partially bald head. As part of an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
's make-up, it is often used to make a person appear older.
Bald caps may be purchased ready-made or be constructed on-site by a make-up artist, who applies a thin coat of liquid plastic (such as latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
) to a pattern made by covering the actor's head in clingfilm. The finished cap is glued to the actor's head with spirit gum
Spirit gum
Spirit gum is an adhesive, made mostly of SD Alcohol 35-A and resin , used primarily for affixing wigs, merkins, false beards, and other costume prosthetics....
or surgical adhesive, and the edges of the cap are blended with the actor's skin using make-up techniques.
Bald caps used in the theatre are made of thicker rubber, intended to be put on and off rapidly and multiple times. Coarser and more unrealistic bald caps are sometimes also used as part of a clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
costume.
Bald caps may also be used for occasions when an actor who has hair wishes to act as if they are wearing a wig to cover up their baldness. In this case, the actor will wear a bald cap with a wig on top; the wig can be removed to reveal the "baldness" beneath. This trick received notable use in the Earthanasia
Earthanasia (Goodies episode)
"Earthanasia" is the suspected finale of the British comedy television series The Goodies— a BAFTA-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.This episode is also known as "The End of the World Show"....
episode of British comedy program The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
.