Madison Mitchell

US Tour - 11/2010 - 06/2011 - Demeter

US Tour - 12/2011 - 06/2012 - Demeter

Broadway - 07/2016 - Cats Chorus / Swing (cover Demeter, Bombalurina, Cassandra, Tantomile)

2016 Broadway
Broadway debut! National Tour:  Cats  (Demeter). Regional:  Les Miserables ,  Cats  (Jellylorum). B.A. English (Summa Cum Laude). Immense gratitude to Andy, Kristen, Trevor, Andrew, Gillian, Tara Rubin, BBR, friends & family. Praise God for His blessings—dreams come true! Ps. 37:4. www.madison-mitchell.com

Credits
 * Little Women - Jo
 * West Side Story - Anita
 * The Fantasticks - Luisa
 * Monty Python's Spamalot - Ensemble
 * Oklahoma! - Ensemble
 * Legally Blonde - Stenographer
 * The Light in the Piazza - Ensemble
 * Damn Yankees - Lola (understudy)
 * Catch Me If You Can - Ensemble
 * Nice Work If You Can Get It - Olive

Interview, 2012
Being a cat is easy if you know the right makeup artist

By Breanna Lafferman | Orange County Register - ocregister.com, 22.01.2012

"Cats," a perennial audience favorite, is currently playing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Madison Mitchell, 19, of Anaheim Hills, left, has been a cast member for two years, playing the role of Demeter. On Wednesday, Mitchell talked to Orange County Register intern Breanna Lafferman, right, about the process of making herself up to look like Demeter then transformed Lafferman into her character. The whole process took about half an hour. "In rehearsal in New York, they showed us how to do it. During tech week that's when you really practice every night. At first, I was not good at all." Mitchell has winnowed the process from 45 to 20-25 minutes.

As I walked into the dressing room at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts, I had no idea the amount of time and attention the transformation from human to cat would be.

I met Madison Mitchell, 19, who plays the role of Demeter in “Cats.” The national touring production plays at the Segerstrom Center through Sunday.

Mitchell, an Orange County native, explained that all the cats do their individual makeup. The task takes them anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes from start to finish.

As she began with applying the white base of my cat makeover, also known as the “clover base” because it covers the center of the forehead, both cheeks and chin, Mitchell explained that her character, Demeter, is one of the more seasoned felines, having a mature, feminine look compared to the other cast members.

After the white base was finished, Mitchell applied orange face paint to fill in the spaces that the white did not, since Demeter has a more orange-colored coat.

The face paint, although it was just the base, felt very thick and heavy on my face.

After the orange color is applied, Mitchell then began to give my face accents so that my features would become more cat-like: a black nose, whisker lines, and dots around the nose and mouth. For this part she used brushes much like a painter would, which was very odd (and sometimes a bit ticklish).

Mitchell then showed us a trick the cast uses to keep their makeup from coming off during a performance: caking powder all over my face, dusting off excess powder with a brush, spraying my face with water – which was startling at first – and then patting it dry. Mitchell explained that the combination of powder and water makes the makeup stay vibrant on the face, even after all the sweat the every performance produces.

After she finished this process, I could feel that the makeup was on my face, but it didn’t feel as heavy; it just felt like your basic, everyday amount of foundation. Finally, Mitchell applied red lipstick – Demeter is one of two characters to wear lipstick – eye shadow and gold shimmer, and mascara.

The transformation was a long, detailed experience. Having to sit still for that amount of time and not scratch my nose or rub my eyes was difficult at times, but the final product speaks for itself. The cat makeup is a beautiful artwork, which goes to show how talented these cast members truly are.


 * "Most characters start with what we call the 'cloverleaf' design of white on the forehead, cheeks and chin," said Madison Mitchell, who applied the make-up she normally wears to Lafferman.


 * Not every character gets the same "cloverleaf" look, Mitchell said. "A lot of the boys do half of their face one color, the other half another color."


 * After applying white and "oriental," the name for the orange-ish color, Mitchel blends the line between the two shades.


 * Mitchell uses sponges and tiny brushes for her work. She doesn't pay for the make-up, "but we get into big trouble if we lose any," she said. "It's very expensive."


 * "It's the little details that really make us look like felines," Mitchell said. Thin black lines are applied to accentuate some facial lines, which adds realism, Mitchell said. "From far away, it's amazing how well everything works."


 * "These lines on her cheeks don't really look like whiskers when you're close up, but from the audience they're pretty convincing," Mitchell said.


 * Details such as the red on the eyelids and the mascara go on last.


 * "She's an adult cat so she gets to wear red lipstick," Mitchell said of her character. "There are only two of us who get to be the 'full woman' cat."


 * After the make-up is finished, it gets powdered to make it adhere to the face. Then water is lightly sprayed on to bring the colors out again. Miraculously, it doesn't affect the make-up at that point, Mitchell said.


 * Mitchell applies water to bring out the details of Lafferman's make-up after a layer of powder had been applied.


 * "There are different ways of getting make-up off," Mitchell said. One trick: spray-on olive oil. Cold cream, the actor's age-old stand-by, is also effective.


 * The make-up isn't hard on her skin, Mitchell says. "It's the wigs that make (my skin) really freak out." They're heavy and must cover all of her head except for her face.


 * Spirit gum is still used to keep wigs in place, and that's a problem for Mitchell. "Sometimes it really irritates my skin," she said. That's not uncommon among performers, she has discovered.


 * Advice Mitchell gives to new actors when they're applying make-up for the first time: "Even if you do mess up a bit, just keep going. Don't be too fussy."


 * "There will be 30 feet of smoke in front of us by the end of the show, so the small details get kind of blurry," Mitchell said.


 * Mitchell is one of several characters who ventures into the audience during intermission. It gives her only a couple of minutes to touch up here make-up, the performer said.


 * Demeter and all the other "Cats" characters look exactly as they did when "Cats" debuted in 1981. "If you look at photos that are decades old, Demeter looks exactly the same," Mitchell said.


 * "At this point, the company members check each other to see if we look right. Sometimes the director will give us some minor instructions," Mitchell said.


 * "The swings who are learning a new part every day, we have to check their make-up pretty closely," Mitchell said.