We're 11 days from opening The Tempest and, as usual, it is beginning to stagger out of control.  One of the things that is bothering me is Caliban.....he's just too clean.  I know nothing about makeup ( maybe  put mascara on once or twice) and there is no one else who seems to be thinking about makeup.  Most of the actors do their own but most ( being an almost all male cast) just shave, brush their teeth and they're done.  Our Caliban has very white skin....the sort that freckles, burns and peels.  I have him in a loin cloth and black sheepskin vest/coat/rag so he is pretty naked.  Any ideas besides rolling him around in the creek? 

There is a lot to be said about the real thing ie "rolling him around in the creek". I have done a couple of shows where we were given buckets of dirt and ashes. We just rubbed it all over us  including getting under the fingernails. The good things were it washed off easier then grease paint, no one was allergic to it and it was real cheap. The bad thing was you were really dirty. Grease paint can be a bit tricky. I just saw a production of Urinetown. The actors used gray and brown grease paint to varying degrees of success.

Thanks for the ideas.....I'll experiment with them this week and report back.  I kind of like the burnt cork and real dirt because it will be easier to wash off.....

Not sure what company makes it, but our costume resourse company has a product called "Texas Dirt" and it is a make up project applies with a brush.

Marty is right - TEXAS DIRT or FULLERS EARTH - comes in browns, black, ruddy (rusty) and so forth.  Basically it's a powder but it does wash clean like dirt would and is a little more controllable because you can use a makeup or cheap BRUSH to apply it.  Even a very light coating of Vaseline or Vaseline Intensive Care lotion BEFORE applying the dirt and then moving it around as needed, provides adhesion for the Powdered dirt, PLUS the added benefit of it being good for the skin as long as your actors aren't allergic to the product - testing beforehand is always smart.