She hit the wig time at the 5th Avenue. Now she cuts it in Burien
“ Eight O’Clock”!, “Showtime!” the call echoed through the back rooms of the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Heather Sincic hurried through the last touches of the long tresses her actor would need to fill the role of Nancy in “Oliver”, playing on stage.
Showtime actually began hours earlier for Heather. As full time assistant wig master at “the 5th” she heads in from her Des Moines home just before dinner on show dates, expecting to find dozens of wigs to tweak, comb, curl and fit for the variety of roles in the play. Some actors dress and re-dress a number of times during the show and each time the human hair wigs need finishing touches. Touches Heather learned just out of high school in San Diego, working for wig master Frank Bowers at the Old Globe Theatre there.
They re-use the wigs numerous times during the season, actually preparing the hair as much as one might change their hair for the holidays or a wedding. Wigs, “with care, can last 10, 20 years,” Heather said. The human hair wigs are hand tied, seven hairs to a knot in a lace foundation. The 5th Avenue Theatre has hundreds of different styles for the variety of shows they do.