Bradley Theatre Department invites Emmy-winning makeup artist

November 24, 2025

From a young age, Brad Look had an eye for makeup. Inspired by both beauty and character makeup in shows like The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone, Look was lucky enough to have teachers that went out of their way to help him grow into his passion. Now, he hopes to do the same for Bradley theatre students. 

An Emmy-winning makeup artist with over 30 years of experience in Hollywood on productions like Star Trek: Voyager, Captain Marvel, Westworld, and the Hunger Games films, Look knows firsthand how important good makeup is.

“As I tell the students, when an actor walks onto the stage, even before a single line of dialogue is spoken, the audience is already picking up visual cues about the character solely based on appearance,” Look said. “I really hope the students understand that makeup, just like costuming and hair, plays a crucial role in bringing a character to life.”

Having taught a makeup course in the spring, Look was proud to see his lessons come to fruition as guest makeup designer for the Bradley Theatre Arts Department’s production of Into the Woods. He was also proud of the ventilated hairpieces he fabricated by tying together individual strands of human and yak hair.

“This mesh, known as lace, is often used to create mustaches, beards, and even full wigs,” Look explained. ‘It’s a time-consuming process, but the results can be amazing.”

However, time-consuming processes are part of the job—more so than the general public might be aware, Look figures.

“There was an epic three-day music video shoot for G.U.Y. by Lady Gaga,” he recalled. “Gaga wanted to be styled as a fallen angel. She stood patiently for hours while I applied silicone glue, prosthetics, and airbrushed makeup all over her bare skin. Not once did she voice any complaints about the process. It was the same on Thor with the Frost Giants. For both of those projects, I would arrive at the studio at 1 a.m.”

Looking ahead, the artist is currently developing a tattoo cover-up system for Graftobian, a makeup company in Madison, Wis. He’s also been spending time writing.

“Both excite me differently, but I’ve noticed that the industry tends to pigeonhole talent,” Look said. “As a makeup artist, I won’t be taken seriously as a writer.”  To that end, he’s never mentioned his previous Hollywood gig.

His method seems to be working, with wins at 140 script festivals from around the world under his belt.

–Jenevieve Rowley-Davis