The Half: Photographs of Actors by Simon Annand
Top photographer shoots for the stars at The Lowry
The Lowry, Salford Quays
Sat 19 September 2009 – Sun 3 January 2010
The North West gets up close and personal with legendary stars of the stage in September when Simon Annand’s photography exhibition opens at The Lowry.
This exhibition allows a rare glimpse into the more private moments of the country’s most celebrated actors including Vanessa Redgrave, Gillian Anderson, Jim Broadbent, Martin Sheen, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Krinstin Scott Thomas, Holly Hunter, Daniel Craig and Jude Law, in the intimacy of their dressing rooms.
The portraits have all been taken during the 30 minutes before curtain up, known as ‘the half’. The half is one of the most private times for an actor, a time for intense concentration to prepare for the performance ahead. It is a moment rarely captured on film. The Lowry Galleries are part of an arts complex which includes a theatre nationally known for its dance and drama, making it an ideal setting for this exhibition.
Simon Annand is one of the most amazing photographers I have had the pleasure of working with in the theatre . . . He is an individualist with an eye for the unusual. The results speak for themselves’: Judi Dench
Annand’s images document the many ways in which actors transform themselves into the fictional characters about to be played. They provide a glimpse into the backstage world of theatre and reveal a part of the acting process which the audience never sees. The Lowry Galleries are part of an arts complex which includes a theatre nationally known for its dance and drama, making it an ideal setting for this exhibition.
The portraits capture 25 years of theatre history. On display will be photographs that record actors at the height of their powers, such as Eric Porter readying himself for King Lear in 1987; as well as young portraits of Kenneth Branagh, Anthony Hopkins, Colin Firth and Daniel Day Lewis in the 1980s, before they became household names.
There is a photograph of John Gielgud at the Apollo just before the curtain rises on his last ever stage performance (1988) and Juliette Lewis warming-up for Fool for Love in the same theatre 25 years later (2006). The 2008 cast of Hairspray waiting in the wings will be shown alongside Daniel Radcliffe during his West End debut in Equus (2007) and Michael Gambon alone in his dressing room as he prepares to play Deeley in Pinter’s Old Times (1985).
For 25 years Simon Annand has worked as a photographer in and around the theatre with many of the leading companies, including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Court, Comédie Française, Odeon Theatre Paris, Moscow Arts Theatre, Théâtre de Complicité and The Old Vic.
The exhibition, curated by Kate Bailey of the V&A’s Theatre Collections in collaboration with Simon Annand, is the most comprehensive survey of the photographer’s work to date.
Posted on Thursday, 25 June 2009 under Press Galleries Press