The zombies will walk this Saturday, but before they can stumble down the city streets of Cranbrook hungering for brains, they will need to look the part. That's where a zombie makeup workshop comes into play.
The workshop is one of two taking place on Saturday Oct. 5. It takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., just prior to the Zombie Walk at 1 p.m.
The workshop is being instructed by Caroline Murray, a former active member of the Cranbrook Community Theatre and now a teacher at Numa International Institute of Makeup and Design.
Murray created the workshop and will be coming to Cranbrook to teach it.
"You will learn how to work with latex, so creating rotting flesh and zombie blood and different effects to make your zombie look interesting," Murray said.
She went to school for makeup at Blanche Macdonald Centre in Vancouver. She also has a background in theatre.
It was back when she was with the Cranbrook Community Theatre a couple of years ago that she thought about creating a makeup workshop.
The workshop is only $10, and for an extra $15 you can get your own zombie makeup kit.
The kit includes things like blood jam, base colours, latex and many other things.
"I made a lot of it myself and you're getting a lot for the actual cost of what it is."
Later in the afternoon, Murray will be doing a workshop on bruises, cuts, scars, wounds and aging for the theatre.
That workshop runs from 2 – 5 p.m. Cost for members is $20, non-members $40.
She said the aging makeup process is a long one and it can take several hours to do the makeup for TV and film.
"The zombie stuff is always fun; the aging stuff is more technical when you're doing the latex," she said. "I'm a fan of both, but zombies are always fun because you do a full character makeup instead of a breakdown makeup."
You can preregister for the workshops by emailing Terry Miller at the Cranbrook Community Theatre at tmiller@cintek.com.
"Come out and make a nice gory zombie and learn some tips of the trade," Murray said.
The undead will begin to gather for the Zombie Walk at 1 p.m. Saturday, in the parking lot beside Koko Beach on 8th Avenue. Bring a non-perishable food item along with your best zombie guise, as it is a fundraiser for the Cranbrook Food Bank. The walk starts at 1:30 p.m.