'The Half - Before the Show' ( Images | Introduction | Print Sales )

Simon Annand has been given rare access to dressing rooms around the West End where he has photographed many leading actors over the past 20 years, ranging from Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Judi Dench to Jude Law and Cate Blanchett. The Photographs have been taken during 'The Half' when all actors have to be in the theatre. This half an hour before curtain up is used for focus and concentration and is strictly private. All members of the public are required to leave. The photographs pay tribute to the dedication of stage actors and reveal not only their technical skill, but also aspects of a very personal nightly ritual. (courtesy the Theatre Museum)

"Simon Annand is one of the most amazing photographers that I have ever had the pleasure of working with in the theatre. I have a vast collection of photographs that he has taken over the years, both of me and of Michael Williams, and many of productions in which we were not involved. He is an artist who becomes totally involved in what his subject is doing, rather than what he is doing. Simon is an individualist with an eye for the unusual. The results speak for themselves." Dame Judi Dench