>>> My name is La Sonya Gunter and I am the makeup
artist / makeup supervisor for the Broadway show
Kinky Boots.
♪♪♪
I'm originally from Detroit, Michigan.
We have a relatively small family, so they really
kind of let me do my own thing.
I was really a quiet kid.
♪♪♪
I liked a lot of old films, old musicals and I was particularly
fond of, this is pretty interesting,
of how they looked.
Wow. How did they get, how did they do whatever it is they've
done on that person to make them look like they look?
I went to um College Prep High School, Cass Tech.
When I got there I went to school and studied fashion
design and illustration, and then I eventually went
to F.I.T., Fashion Institute of Technology here,
and I got my degree in fashion design.
But while I was in college
I was like I need to have something to do so that I
can make some money, so I started doing makeup.
They had a photography program, so I would just
ask some of the young budding photographers,
“Hey. Do you think you might need somebody when you do
like a fashion spread you might need somebody to do
the makeup?” And I really cultivated my skills on
being a make-up artist.
My initial desire was I was either going to be a
fashion designer, or I was going to be this amazing singer.
♪♪♪
And I just started to notice even though I sang,
I did a whole lot with singing.
I always made a lot of money doing make-up,
so I like, well, let me just keep going in that direction.
The biggest makeup thing that I where I felt like,
Oh. I'm a makeup artist is I started working for MAC
cosmetics and in between doing that I started to
work doing a couple of different things on Broadway.
I taught at a beauty school for five years and
then from there I ended up going to work where I work now,
which is Kinky Boots on Broadway.
I started Kinky Boots in 2012.
The makeup designer approached me and was like, “listen,
We need a swing. I told them you'd be great.
Are you interested?” I was like yeah, let me check it out.
Get up for one second.
Push you up.
They're not a lot of makeup artists on Broadway
to begin with unless it's a specialty show.
To the best of my knowledge, I don't know
that there are very many black Americans or black
makeup artists out on Broadway.
I feel like it would be beneficial because you do
have black actors.
They need things done for their hair, and they need
things done for their skin tone.
Sometimes with people of color you have to add a
little more you have to make sure that everything matches.
As a black American.
I feel like some have to work a little bit harder.
For me to be well-rounded as a makeup artist.
I wanted it to be so that you had to have an
absolutely fantastic reason to tell me no.
The whole thing is you have to give him a
feminine beat even though you're beating on a guy.
>>> You know what beat is right?
>>> No.
>>> A beat is make-up beat.
>>> Beat your face-
>>> Like beat your face.
>>> Into submission.
>>> Yeah, like right. There you go.
>>> Beat It.
Like this this helps him you know what I mean.
He puts him in into-
>>> It's the second to the last scene partner for me.
>>> And it's just lovely.
I have a wonderful time. I have a fantastic time.
♪♪♪
The strength and power of Black America lies in our knowledge.
The more you know, the more educated you are, the
better it makes you.
Because I always feel like once you know,
you can't not know.
If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything.