the way of wigs

how 1 wig can equal = from $20 to $20,000

How does a wig designer make a living? or, more useful information - how much does/can a wig designer make per hour?

Designers are fee-based. so, the hourly rate has a big variation. I mull a design for a year. Those hours are not really billable. Could not be - even if that were a thing in theater. Even if I had a tally mark system written in soap for shower-eureka moments … how would the accounting department put that into their quickbooks?

Who called my dad and asked him for his hair? Goodness. What a wonderful wig Nathan Lane is wearing. Perfect.

Some designers make things. Those hours are quantifiable and very billable - but a big chunk of us don’t actually tend to bill for them. I am not a wig designer, I’m the kissing cousin to wigs - a costume designer. I occasionally make clothing, or I pay someone to make them for me, or I buy them myself.

I used to do this for free - no questions asked. Part and parcel of the design fee. This is standard operating procedure for costume designers - our hourly wage in that system is about $1/hour. Not an exaggeration. When a show’s fee is $750 and the…