Nathalie Gagné
Makeup Designer
Makeup Designer Nathalie Gagné has been fascinated by makeup and its influence on the actor’s craft since her teens. “It’s a reflection of the character’s soul,” she says. “It’s also a magic wand that sweeps away inhibitions.”
Nathalie studied theatre production at Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, a community college in Quebec, then went on to become one of the first graduates of the Montreal branch of the famed Paris-based makeup school École Christian Chauveau.
Before joining Cirque du Soleil, Nathalie worked in theatre, film and television. She has twice been nominated for a Gémeau award for best makeup, all categories combined. The honor is conferred by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.
Since 1995 Nathalie has crafted more than 1,000 separate makeup designs for Cirque, culled from over 5,000 sketches. But since Cirque performers have to apply their own makeup, she also involves them in the creation of their onstage look. “Unlike actors, acrobats aren’t used to studying their own faces,” she says. “One of my goals is to get them to do just that, and help them find within themselves what I call ‘lines of force’ that will serve to build their characters.”
Nathalie introduced new makeup concepts to the shows Mystère, Alegría and Saltimbanco, which led her to work with director Franco Dragone and costume designer Dominique Lemieux. Following her work on Quidam, “O”, La Nouba, Varekai, ZUMANITY, KÀ, Corteo, DELIRIUM, LOVE, ZAIA, CRISS ANGEL Believe and Viva ELVIS, IRIS is her 16th contribution to the creation of a Cirque du Soleil show.
She is also responsible for ensuring the integrity of all makeup designs that bear her signature. Since the performers apply their own makeup, workshops in makeup techniques are now part of the general training provided to Cirque du Soleil artists. Nathalie first teaches performers how to do their own makeup, and then writes a step-by-step application guide for each of them.
In 2010, Nathalie designed the makeup for the play Il Campiello by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Serge Denoncourt, and for the 3D movie about Cirque du Soleil produced by James Cameron and directed by Andrew Adamson.
"In IRIS, the makeup harmonizes with the play of light and shadow that characterizes some of the scenes," she says. “For some of the characters, I wanted to create an effect that would be reminiscent of 19th century magicians’ posters. For others, I was inspired by the faces of the great stars of classic movies, and added a little touch of Cirque du Soleil. "
Nathalie Gagné was born in Trois-Pistoles, Quebec.