Ballerinas and singers sport flawless makeup and costumes onstage

Antalya State Opera and Ballet (DOB) artists undergo huge, and dramatic, transformations for every show, sometimes having to apply six hours of makeup for a two-hour show. Their makeup and costumes enthrall the audiences often, as the artists frequently perform characters from different eras, from the 1500's to the present day.

The artists, working for the show for months, become completely different after wearing the costumes and makeup. They get their makeup done hours before the start of a show.

The artists joke that they find it difficult to recognize their colleagues, with whom they have been preparing for months, especially after their transformative makeups.

Sema Çavuşoğlu Suna, one of the artists in the Mediterranean province of Antalya who gives life to the two-act "The Barber of Sevilla" by Gioacchino Rossini, which is one of the important works of the Italian comic opera, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that they were working for months before putting each work on stage.

Speaking about the importance of makeup in the show, Suna said, "Sometimes very interesting makeup is done. Once I had makeup done to look like a bird, then I was very surprised when I saw myself. We were like creatures in the character of the nymph; my ears were pointed. I was afraid of myself when I saw it in the mirror after the makeup."

Tenor Devrim Demirel stated that they time-traveled thanks to the costumes and makeup and took on different character from different centuries.

Emphasizing that they make long preparations day and night, Demirel said, "After the makeup, I am now the character I will act as. I act with her thoughts and feelings."

Gülçin Gültekin, who plays the role of "Berta" in "The Barber of Sevilla" and often...