Jon Stojan
Photo Joshua Woerner
Credit: Victoria Sirakova
Joshua Woerner is a Creative Hair & Makeup Designer whose work focuses on character-oriented design in the performing arts. Trained within the rigorous German industrial training system and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Production and Design in the United States, he understands hair and makeup not as a mere service, but as narrative tools through which identity becomes visible and embodied on stage.
His design philosophy is based on the idea that every visual decision, from hair texture to the color temperature of makeup, carries dramaturgical significance. In his concepts, he combines technical precision with aesthetic research, character analysis, and a profound understanding of stage lighting, movement, and the effect of distance.
Originally from the Hamburg area, Joshua first gained attention in 2016 when a self-conceived creative photographic application portfolio earned him apprenticeship offers from five established salon companies. This early recognition underscored not only his extraordinary talent but also his ability to develop a comprehensive visual concept.
He began his training at Nicolaisen Intercoiffure Hamburg under master stylist Lars Nicolaisen and later continued his education with master stylist Eike Ernst, earning his journeyman’s certificate from the Hamburg Guild of Hairdressers in 2019. The German dual training system provided him with the highest level of structural accuracy, a chemical understanding of color design, and disciplined technique, a foundation that continues to significantly shape his design work today.
Even during his apprenticeship, he developed a growing interest in character transformation through wig and makeup work in the fields of cosplay and performance-inspired design. What began as an experimental side pursuit increasingly evolved into a design specialization: transformation as a narrative instrument.
In 2021, Joshua moved to the United States to study Theatre Production and Design at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, he deepened his knowledge in dramaturgical analysis, costume design, scenic design, and interdisciplinary collaboration. He completed his studies summa cum laude in 2025.
During his studies, Joshua served as Hair and Make-Up Crew Lead on the musical Godspell (2025), among other productions. He was responsible for hair and makeup design, the creation of design elements and masks, and the instruction of performers in independent, stage-appropriate execution. Of particular note is that he designed and crafted the curly hairstyle for the role of Jesus, deliberately referencing the aesthetic direction of the original Godspell production.
In this production, he combined advanced salon techniques with dramaturgical character development under specific stage lighting conditions. His approach was not purely decorative but conceptual: each hairstyle was an integral component of character development and of the overall visual concept.
Photo credit:
Godspell (2025)
Chris Humphrey, Oral Roberts University
Parallel to his academic work, Joshua expanded his professional visibility through engagements in the fashion sector. He worked as a Hair Artist at Los Angeles Fashion Week and was selected as one of twelve stylists for backstage work at the inaugural Vegas Fashion Week®. This selection underscores his ability to work under time pressure, within international creative teams, and at professional production standards.
Despite these engagements in the fashion field, his professional focus remains clearly oriented toward theatre- and performance-based design. For him, fashion aesthetics represent a space of inspiration. The stage, however, remains his primary site of storytelling.
In the summer of 2025, he relocated to Los Angeles and began working as a Hair Artist and Colorist in the high-end salons “The Establishment” and “Southpaw” in the creative Silver Lake district. Even in the salon environment, he pursues a character-conscious design approach. Rather than following standardized trends, he develops personalized concepts that take into account facial structure, lifestyle, and visual identity. His work combines structural precision with conceptual design, even within a commercial context.
In January 2026, Joshua was appointed Lead Creative Hair and Makeup Designer for Performing Arts at Oral Roberts University. In this leadership role, he oversees all hair, makeup, and wig designs for the university’s theatre, dance, and arts productions. He mentors students in professional execution under stage conditions and ensures conceptual alignment with dramaturgical themes.
His responsibilities encompass not only design, but also organizational leadership, material coordination, continuity management, and conceptual consultation in collaboration with directing and costume design. In doing so, he serves as a creative leader within the academic performing arts sector and contributes significantly to the visual identity of the productions.
Joshua is fluent in German, English, and Bulgarian and brings international perspectives to collaborative productions. His multicultural background enables him to engage sensitively with diverse aesthetic traditions and visual codes.
His combination of European craft training and American theatre education positions him at the intersection of artistic mastery and character-based visual design. While many hair and makeup artists focus on trends or purely technical application, Joshua understands his work as a structured artistic medium.
Guided by the principle of “transformation as an art form,” he regards hair and makeup as integral components of stage identity. For him, design is not ornamentation but dramaturgy in material form. His development from a German journeyman craftsman to an academically distinguished theatre designer, and ultimately to a leadership position within the performing arts, reflects consistent professionalization within a specialized creative field.
With his conceptual approach and leadership role, Joshua Woerner exemplifies a new generation of Creative Hair & Makeup Designers who unite craftsmanship, scholarship, and visual storytelling into an independent discipline within the performing arts.