WOKINGHAM Youth Theatre (WYT) members presented horrifying injuries after their classes recently.
The organisation’s junior and intermediate groups left the theatre bearing ugly scars, bleeding sores, and gory bullet wounds.
But they were very happy about it.
They had just enjoyed a special-effects make-up session from industry professional Amelia Richmond-Knight.
Amelia is designing the make-up for Wokingham Youth Theatre’s forthcoming production; Rona Munro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece, Frankenstein.
It will be performed by WYT senior students in February, and by all accounts, Amelia’s make-up for the monster is very impressive, her stitches and scars almost completely obscuring the actor’s own features.
Delighted by Amelia’s creative talents, Wokingham Youth Theatre invited the make-up artist to demonstrate her skills to younger students too.
At the group’s weekly classes, she demonstrated how to create a stomach-turning wound on a willing victim’s arm, before letting the children loose on their own limbs.
Armed with prosthetic putty, sponges, spatulas and two kinds of sticky ‘blood’ the youngsters needed no further encouragement, and their resulting injuries were impressively revolting.
Within half an hour the room was filled with ‘bleeding’ children.
Many were so thrilled by their scars that they begged to be able to create further wounds, and finding they were running out of arm space, moved on to their ankles.
Amelia wasn’t at all surprised by their joyful enthusiasm.
“I started doing this when I was at school,” she said.
“At 16, the subjects I chose were film studies and art, and the plan was to go into film editing.
“But when I discovered special effects hair and make-up was something that you could do at university, I completely fell in love with the idea.”
Fascinated, Amelia watched hundreds of YouTube tutorials and make-up demonstrations, and spent time in her bedroom creating cuts and scars with prosthetics.
“I loved all the creature creations, and the magical transformations of Harry Potter and Guardians of the Galaxy,” she said.
“I was hooked.”
Studying hair and make-up design at Southampton, she graduated in 2016, and now works free-lance.
But she doesn’t only provide gory special-effects make-up for films, commercials, and music videos through her special-effects business Amelia RK Makeup.
She also creates glowing looks for brides on their wedding day via her glamour and bridal platform, Ark Beauty.
For obvious reasons she keeps the two areas of work separate.
Teaching youngsters, however, is an entirely new addition to her palette – and one that she is enjoying.
For their part Wokingham Youth Theatre members certainly relished their gory session with her.
Comments afterwards included: “It was really great – we learnt lots of new skills.”
“I loved it, and I’m really enjoying seeing myself with a really cool scar.”
“I’m definitely going to be trying this at home.
“It looks so realistic, and I can’t wait to scare my mum with this.”
WYT’s production of Frankenstein will be performed at Wokingham Theatre, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, February 19, 20, and 21.
Performances are at 7.45pm, with an additional Saturday matinee at 2pm.
Tickets cost £11, (WT members £10) and £6.50 for children.
For information, visit: wokinghamtheatre.org.uk.
For information about Amelia’s work, search Instagram for @ameliarkmakeup and @arkbeauty.
