The following article was featured in the November 2024 issue of the CWEA Griffin. (The entire issue can be viewed here.)
In early June of 2015, I visited wigmaker Kelley Jordan in her CWE studio where she was teaching 10–year-old Kennedy Holmes how to apply theatrical makeup. The actress was about to appear as Little Inez in The Muny’s production of Little Shop of Horrors (read 2015 post here). Nine years later, Jordan and Holmes crossed paths once again when the actress was cast in The Muny’s 2024 production of Dreamgirls.
Behind the Scenes with The Muny’s Wig Manager Kelley Jordan
The 106th season of The Muny is now a fond memory for the 12,000 nightly patrons who were dazzled by 7 fabulous productions this past summer. As Anything Goes was sailing toward its final performance, wigmaker Kelley Jordan said she has never experienced a season like 2024’s.
Jordan, who is manager of the hair and makeup department at The Muny, was also the wig designer for 4 of the productions, Dreamgirls, Waitress, In the Heights, and Anything Goes. “Everyone felt the pressure,” she explained. “There were two big shows back-to-back, Les Mis followed by Dreamgirls, which had 107 wigs because of the play’s timeline,1968 to 1976. It takes 5 days to get a production ready for tech (rehearsal). But in the middle of Dreamgirls prep, there was a holiday and a photo shoot, so we really only had 3 1/2 days to get the actors’ wigs fitted and styled. When we started the season we were geared up for the pace, but even when it slowed down we still had to hustle.”
“After all these years at The Muny, I’m used to operating with speed. We have to be mentally and physically prepared to get everything in and done in 5 days. When you are committed to ‘The Muny Scene,’ this is what you expect. I thank God I learned how to do this job here, so that when I work in other cities I am ready to go.”
“A Muny production is a team effort,” Jordan explained. “I didn’t understand any of that until I was part of the production team and sat at the table with the others. After that first meeting, I went back to my department and explained that we had been operating in our own bubble instead of as an important part of the whole design team working tirelessly to make the production fall into place.” That information spurred Jordan to work even harder.
Jordan’s mother, a self-taught wigmaker who made hairstyles like Afros for back-up singers, taught her skill to her 3 children so they would always have something to fall back on. At age 12, Kelley learned to cut wigs up and sew them together. “I learned more from my mom than what is taught in beauty school,” she said.
As if out of a play script, Jordan got her start in 1985 while working as the elevator operator at The Fox Theater. “Anita Baker was performing and she needed someone to fix her hair. I was asked if I could do it, and I said. “Sure, I know how to work with wigs.” That lucky break led to what has been a long career working in theaters around the country.
When Jordan joined The Muny staff in 1990, she was the only person of color in the wig department. “Since then, things have changed thanks to Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson and Director of Productions, Tracy Utzmyers. More people are getting an opportunity, as they should.”
“I’ve learned a lot from Mike Isaacson,” she added. “ I watch him in production meetings and have gotten a lot of ‘nuggets’ from him. He catches things other people don’t see. He’s really awesome. The Muny is a company that will take you as far as you want to go,” Jordan continued. “If you have the skill and you work hard, It will show. All the connections I have in the theater world are because of my hard work and my connection to The Muny.
The Anything Goes Set
”A typical workday for The Muny’s production team is from 8:30 to 4:30. Jordan comes in at 7 to “get her head together” before her crew comes in. “Sometimes we are working on 3 shows in one day. The show that went down, the one that’s running, and the one that’s coming.” 
Wigs for Anything Goes
Wigs for the theater are made of either synthetic hair—which holds up better in the heat—or human hair. Each morning, day crews come in to ventilate (clean) and restyle the wigs for that night’s performance. From 6:45 to 11:45 p.m., a “wig show crew” comes in to run that night’s performance. 
Each department is given a show breakdown for each production. The breakdown shows each actor’s photo, their scenes, wardrobe, and minutes that the character will be on or off the stage. “For example,” Jordan said, “we know the whereabouts of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes (played by Jeanna de Waal minute-to-minute. We know she wears a certain wig at “10 minutes to places,” then she comes off the show from minute 10 to 19. At that point, we know her wig needs to be maintained to make sure it’s looking good. The breakdown also shows her location, for instance, stage right, boom 1. So if we forgot to put her barrette in, we know where to find her. Microphones are sometimes tucked under actors’ wigs—main characters may wear two in case one fails—so there is sometimes a need to adjust those too.”
A few days after the 2024 season ended, Jordan headed to The Fox Theater to work on Hamilton, one of her favorite productions. She has since been hired to be a “vacation swing” wig supervisor for Hamilton productions all across the country. Jordan recently flew off to Dayton on short notice when the wig supervisor there became ill.
Jordan currently booked for productions around the country into 2025. Her fall schedule includes work on Mary Poppins in Seattle and Frozen in Houston. In January, The Muny will begin reaching out to staff about the 2025 Season. That’s when Jordan will start researching the upcoming productions and setting aside some of her large collection of wigs that will be used for the upcoming season.
“You never stop learning in this business,” Jordan said. “But I want to teach others what I know, I don’t want to take the gifts God gave me to my grave.” She has been working on establishing a Theatrical Hair and Make-up Expo so others can learn how to maintain wigs, apply makeup, and learn how to work on a wardrobe crew in a professional manner. From theatrical productions in the smallest churches to the biggest show ever, she’s determined to share what she’s learned in the theater world over the past 30 years.
To contact Kelley Jordan, email: jazzhairinstitute@yahoo.com