BOSTON: Art & Soul Consulting has launched Texture Ready, the first production-level competency and readiness standard for texture hair across theatre, film, television, and commercial work. This standard is intended to address gaps when productions have no hair lead or have a hair lead who is not qualified across every hair type, by defining a credentialed hair lead.
“For years, the conversation has stopped at the stylist,” said Art & Soul Consulting founder Kira Troilo said in a statement. “Texture Ready moves it where it needed to go all along, into the production itself. Until hair has a seat at the leadership table, performers will keep paying the price for what no one was responsible for.”
In Trolio’s view, a hair lead is a production team role with the same scope of authority as the head of lighting, costume, sound, or cinematography. When productions don’t have a qualified hair lead, or no hair lead at all, the task of working with textured hair often gets left to the performer to manage on top of their job.
“This pattern does not exist in any other production department,” Texture Ready representatives said in a statement. “No production hires a lighting designer who handles lighting for some performers but sends the rest outside the building. No production hires a costume designer who fits some performers and tells the others to bring their own clothes. Hair is the only department in which some performers, almost always Black performers and performers of color, are routinely treated as outside the scope of the role.”
Trolio argued that the contractual urgency is unavoidable. A 2023 SAG-AFTRA agreement introduced reimbursement provisions for hair and makeup services using the term “qualified“ without defining it. The standard launched following the first Texture Ready Cohort, a private convening of 25 industry leaders held on April 28. Attendees included casting directors, talent agents, producers, employment attorneys, stage managers, union representatives, and a member of the Actors’ Equity Association Eastern Council.
Texture Ready most recently worked on Umbrella Stage Company‘s production of Hairspray. The first published Texture Ready™ case study has now been released. Productions and organizations can engage Art & Soul through the public Texture Ready cohort (next convening dates are June 24, July 1, and July 8); private institutional cohorts scoped for a single team or peer group; the Texture Readiness Diagnostic and Toolkit; and Texture Ready implementation coaching. Pricing and details can be found at textureready.com.
