How UNCSA alumna Christina Grant built a career in makeup artistry

From Broadway’s biggest stages to immersive productions and opera houses, Wig & Makeup Design alumna Christina Grant (M.F.A. ’04) has played a key role in shaping unforgettable performances. Her theater career showcases both creativity and technical mastery, spanning timeless repertory, blockbuster musicals and bold contemporary works. Beyond the stage, her skills have been carried into television and film, where her impact continues to shine.   

Growing up in the theater 

Grant’s path to the theater began early. Growing up in Chicago and Milwaukee, she often accompanied her mother — a performer turned arts manager — to rehearsals. To entertain herself during long hours at the theater, Grant began sketching costumes and scenery as she watched her mom on stage. By high school, she was fully immersed in the performing arts, studying acting and discovering a love for the technical side (especially sound design and stage makeup).   

At the University of Evansville, Grant continued pursuing acting. She was still captivated by makeup, but unsure it was a viable career. That changed when a guidance counselor introduced her to UNCSA’s graduate program in wig and makeup design, an opportunity that set her future in motion.   

The three-year master’s program at UNCSA provided Grant with an “invaluable education,” where assignments and projects were tailored to each student’s interests. Being able to move seamlessly from theater to opera, ballet and film gave her both the skills and the confidence to know she could do it all.   

Breaking into Broadway 

By the time she walked off the graduation stage, Grant felt fully prepared to step into a professional career. She started with her network: with her master’s degree in hand, she reached out to UNCSA alumni working with Cirque du Soleil and on Broadway. After interviewing in both places and securing two solid options, Grant chose New York and began working on Broadway as a swing.   

Reflecting on her 21-year career, Grant says two Broadway productions hold a special place in her heart: “Shrek: The Musical,” which was an incredible showcase for makeup, and her top favorite, “Twelfth Night and Richard III” with Mark Rylance. The production strove to recreate Shakespearean practices as authentically as possible; Grant had to craft the makeup entirely from scratch. She was pregnant with her daughter at the time and even named her after a character in that show.  

A versatile career 

Most of Grant’s career has been freelance, working project by project, with Broadway’s “The Lion King” as her longest run at six years. With shows constantly in rotation — and some closing with little notice — the search for the next job is a constant priority. Over the years, this has led Grant to branch into film and television. Her film and television credits include “West Side Story,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Severance,” “Fallout,” “Search Party,” “Tick, Tick... Boom!” and many more.

 

 

 

 

 

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Recently, Grant served as makeup designer and department head for “Queens of the Dead,” a glam-gore queer zombie film directed by Tina Romero, daughter of legendary filmmaker George Romero. The horror film fan magazine Fangoria featured Grant’s work on its cover, along with an in-depth article highlighting the artistry behind the film’s makeup design.    

The project gave her the chance to be highly creative and have fun. “It was one of the best artistic, creative, collaborative things I’ve worked on in a while,” she says. “There are days when you’re like, oh my God, why did I choose this  — like when you’re sitting outside for 14 hours in the freezing cold and getting rained on. But then some project comes along, like ‘Queens of the Dead,’ where you think, this is exactly why I’m doing this.”  

The wig and makeup mafia

In both theater and film and television, Grant often crosses paths with fellow UNCSA alumni. “We’re the wig and makeup mafia,” she says, laughing. “We’re literally everywhere! It’s nice to run into people; we all have a shared experience.”  

And that shared experience means shared expertise. In her current role as hair and makeup coordinator for the off-Broadway, immersive production “Masquerade” (based on “Phantom of the Opera”), Grant oversaw the setup and run of both departments during production. To help, she hired two UNCSA alumni — an easy choice, she says. “I know we all know how to do this.”  

Grant was drawn to “Masquerade” for its immersive theater format. Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus, the production features six shows happening simultaneously each night. “It’s been a wild experience! It’s unlike anything else I’ve ever done,” she says. Now that the production is in full swing, Grant focuses primarily on makeup, with a separate supervisor overseeing hair.   

Thinking forward 

Having a family has given Grant a new perspective on her career. Broadway demands nights and weekends with only one day off, while film and television often require early mornings and long 18-hour days — though they at least allow for free weekends, making them more compatible with family life. Balancing those realities, she plans to shift her focus toward film and TV after wrapping with “Masquerade.”  

Grant shared her advice for students and graduates entering the field: “The landscape is constantly changing. Flexibility is probably the most valuable trait you can have right out of school. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket — develop a range of skills and know how to pivot. Find ways to use your skills in different ways.”

For a full list of Grant’s television and film credits, visit her IMDb page. 

by Rebecca Burkeen

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