A Ram in the 'Kitchen': WSSU alumnus Nathaniel Jones, hair and makeup supervisor for Alicia Keys’ ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ talks about his craft from campus to Broadway

Before the bright lights of Broadway, tour buses and curtain calls, there was Winston-Salem State University, the place where Nathaniel Jones sharpened his talent as a hair stylist, nurtured his business sense and learned to believe that anything was possible.

Today, the 2009 WSSU graduate is wig and makeup supervisor on the national tour of “Hell’s Kitchen,” the Tony-award winning, Alicia Keys-produced musical that has drawn widespread attention.

Jones’ path to professional theater began with curiosity and a desire to see what existed beyond the salon.

After moving to North Carolina, he began his training at Dudley Cosmetology School before enrolling at Forsyth Technical Community College for a year. He later transferred to WSSU, where his reputation as a hairstylist quickly spread across campus through word-of-mouth from classmates to cheerleaders to the royal court.

His interest in backstage work was sparked by Winston-Salem’s biennial Internatioal Black Theatre Festival, where he found himself asking the question that would change the direction of his career:

“Who does the wigs?”

In hair school, there was never talk about film, television or theater, he said. “I wanted to know what this world looked like backstage. I wanted to go back to school to have a seat at a different table.”

That curiosity ultimately led him to graduate school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he sharpened specialized skills and learned the technical detail required for high-definition cameras, realistic hairlines and industry-specific vocabulary used on set and backstage.

“Building a wig for film or television is not as simple as how you build one in the salon. It’s very detailed … in making it look real. There’s a vocabulary and things you need to learn and be prepared for,” Jones said. “The world of wig and makeup was a totally different entity outside of the salon space. The salon space gave me the foundation.”

A breakthrough opportunity on Broadway
Jones’ first major professional break came during the pandemic after a connection from Instagram reached out with an unexpected invitation – a short-term opportunity in New York that turned out to be a role on Broadway’s, “Harry Potter.”

He joined the production during a major transition as the show was condensed from two parts into one, and Jones helped open the new version from inside the wig room.

“It was one of the hardest decisions to make because I had to leave home and venture off into a different career from the salon, but I learned so much,” he said. “I was thrown to the wolves, but it made me stronger. If I survived that, surely, I could do anything else.”

He also learned that wig work is not only technical, but deeply emotional and requires knowing how to read actors and whether they are having a good day.

“The wig world is very intimate for a lot of actors,” Jones said. “A lot of times they’re very vulnerable, and you have to know how to navigate through that.”

From Broadway to tours and television
Since “Harry Potter,” Jones’ career has expanded through theater productions across the country, including exploring the design world. He’s worked as a supervisor with Broadway Sacramento on their fast-paced summer stock series; at The Muny in St. Louis in their wig shop working on “Chicago” and the “Sound of Music,” and has worked on “Wicked.”

His first venture into television was Apple’s limited episodic series called, “Lady in the Lake,” which took him to Baltimore for on-location production.

With each new project, Jones said, relationships matter as much as talent and has connected him to the next project.

“You can be the most talented person in the world, but if people can’t get along with you, that can affect your career in a great way,” he said.

Ram in the ‘Kitchen’
Now, Jones is building a new chapter through touring, an experience he described as both challenging and rewarding, especially in a leadership role where he supervises rotating local crews in every city in addition to creating wigs.

“It’s pushing me to be a stronger asset to the show,” he said.

The “Hell’s Kitchen” tour launched in October 2025 in Cleveland with stops in the Carolinas at the Tanger Center in Greensboro Feb. 26-March 1 and in Charlotte Sept. 8-13.

Jones also emphasized the business side of the industry from union contracts and negotiations to payroll, budgeting, receipts and advance communications with each venue.

“Negotiations can be difficult,” Jones said. “But I love the fact that you can be bold enough to say, ‘This is my worth … these are the skillsets that I bring.’”

WSSU as the launch point
While Jones had already started building his brand before enrolling at WSSU, he said empathically that “Winston-Salem State was really where my career took off.”

He credits faculty mentorship with teaching him lessons he didn’t realize he would need until later, including financial literacy that shaped the way he approaches business today.

“I learned … what is the principal, what is the interest, know what you’re paying,” Jones said. “Some things that weren’t relevant at the time that are so relevant now.”

As a full-time student with a full-time business and established LLC, having “my professors pour into my business and teach me things I didn’t understand about the business and marketing really helped me,” he said.

“These are the types of things that I learned and was able to gather at Winston-Salem State University that has definitely taken me on in the future of my career. I’m so ever grateful for my professors taking moments after class to talk with me about these things,” said Jones, adding that he remains connected to some of his WSSU professors.

Advice for today’s students
As he continues to grow in a competitive industry, Jones said the most important lesson he can offer current students is simple: Take the risk.

“Never be afraid to say ‘yes’ to open doors that you’re unsure about,” he said. “We can’t always wait for someone to give us permission to be great. Success is something that you have to choose.”

And, he added, your next opportunity may come from places you don’t expect. “Network with people who don’t look like you. Ask the questions. Surround yourself with people who know more than you. Ask advice from those who have already done it and do your own research. Read, read, read,” he said.

“Sometimes your next job could be in the room where you’re just serving coffee,” Jones said. “That could be the access to your next gig.”