be

1. Evaluation of Billy Elliot 2017
Evaluating my own role, what went well?
- In my role I found that my due to my organisation during the pre-production it
helped me out a lot. This was because I was able to use the designs and styles I had
created for the hair and then try them out on different textured and styled hair, so
that when I then did the hair on the actor I was prepared for any malfunction that
may have occurred. I also found that by buying products (grey and white hairsprays
for grandma) earlier meant I was able to test them in advance and ensure that they
were long lasting and would last the duration of the show. I found that with a lot of
the ballet girls a lot of them could do their own hair to a high standard, due to this I
was able to show and tell them their hair style design and they were then able to
come with their hair already done in the way I had designed. This was useful to me
so that I could focus of more of the principles and ensure that their hair wasn’t going
to change as they were on stage for most of the show.
What could be improved, why and how?
- I felt that by working by myself was quite difficult as there was a lot of ballet girl’s
hair to do. It was difficult because I had designed styles like the ones from the west
end show e.g. French plaits and buns, this was difficult due to the limited time I had
before the show started. However as a few of the girls could do their hair I was able
to do the more difficult styles on those who couldn’t do their own hair. Never the
less this could have been improved by me telling the girls previous to the show what
hair style they were having giving them time to practise and work on coming with
their hair already designed in the way I had created. Also the microphones this year
didn’t work well as in the past years this involved; the mics being very visible, some
mics being on when they shouldn’t, sound not coming through the mics.
Working with others….?
- When designing grandma I had to work with the makeup department to ensure that
the look I was trying to convey for Grandma was the same as them. This meant we
had to discuss ideas and come up with a design that not only was effective but also
was to be completed. I also had to speak to the director about Grandma’s hair due to
the discussion on whether spraying the hair was a better option than a wig and we
found that spraying it was the better option. I also discussed with the director about
the ballet girl designs and if I was able to design these myself or did she have a

2. specific design she wanted, however I was able to create my own styles. I found
working with others useful due to getting other people’s opinions helped me to
come up with a style that best suited the part. The communication between the
departments was useful as then everyone had an understanding of what was going
on and what needed to be done to help others out.
Professional values- time, commitment, support, punctuality, respect?
- I felt that I was very professional in this role. I maintained a professional standard as
I was very committed to my role and made sure that all my research and designs
were completed in advance to the show so that I was prepared. Then throughout the
duration of the show I made sure I turned up 2 hours prior to the starting time of the
performance to allow time to complete the actor’s hair. Due to this I was very
punctual in my role and turned up to all the lessons leading up to the show and
ensured I always had something to be doing to complete the job successfully. I had
professional support from members of the makeup team who helped me do peoples
hair that I did not have time to do in the time before the show started. They listened
and looked at my designs and completed the hair to the standard that I wanted and
were professional in the way to take on any critic I gave them. I ensured that I got
respect from the members of the BTEC Production team and those in the show by
being pleasant and respectful and not being demanding and rude. With the
members of the BTEC Production team I offered them help with jobs if needed e.g.
asked the ASM’s if they wanted me to find feathers due to having people I knew.
And for those people in the cast I made sure that they knew what I wanted them to
do, so that they were in places where I needed them to do their hair and promptly.
Artistic Values, fits the ‘design’ the look the feel?
- I had to ensure that Grandma’s hair was grey so that when she was on stage the
audience would be able to understand that the girl was playing and older woman
and show how she is aged. Also for characters such as; Dad, George, Big Davey, I
sprayed the sides and the top of their hair grey so that they also looked aged. This on
stage didn’t show up as strongly as Grandma’s hair however they still looked older
than 17/18 years of age. For Mrs Wilkinson I curled her hair and then tied it up, this
style is for when she was teaching Billy and the Ballet girls to dance. When she
wasn’t teaching she was able to have her hair down to show she looks different from

3. her usual look. This fit the design of the show as she
was able to convey the same character but in different
ways, due to the way in which her hair was styled.
5 pieces of advice for yourself next year (conclusions):
1. Make sure I’m organised with everything I have to do and not just small sections of
my role.
2. Do extra work outside of lessons to ensure my job is completed to the highest
standard.
3. If I need help ask more often, rather than being unsure on a particular part of the
role.
4. If I have completed all I need to see if I can help other departments out if they are
struggling to speed up the process for the show being ready.
5. Take more evidence of the work I put into the role.