In this series, Theatre in Pictures covers one of the oldest facets of theatre/performance: masks. For the past 17 years, professional Canadian mask maker, Douglas R. Witt has been making and teaching masks for theatre, film and television. Through the creation and performance process of mask, Witt is able to explore new cultures, artistic practices and storytelling techniques, and forge lasting bonds with the people he meets on his travels. The following seris of photographs chronicles the creation process for three ‘Hawk masks’ commissioned by the Calgary Stampede festival. All images © copyright of Douglas R. Witt.

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About the Artist
Douglas R. Witt has been working as a mask maker, a teacher of mask and an FX makeup artist for TV, Movie and Theatre for over 10 years. As a professional artist, he has traveled all over his native Canada and parts of the USA. His passions are in creating high end theatre masks and passing on his skills as a traditional mask maker to others. He is driven by his encounters with people from all over the world and the exploration of world cultures through mask making and performance. He is currently seeking opportunities to extend his work from North America to Europe through mask making workshops.

Related links
• School of Witt: Douglas Witt’s professional masketry portfolio.
• Flickr photos: view more images of Douglas’ masks.