Exhibitions: The Half - Simon Annand / Theatre and Performance Gallery (V&A 5/3/10) 11 March 2010

'Whatever theatre actors do during the daytime, each evening they go on stage to give a performance as "somebody else".

The dressing room is a physical space that allows for concentration and privacy so the psychological negotiation between the actor and this physical character can take place.

When "The Half" is called over the loudspeaker backstage, it signals the start of a 35 minute countdown to facing the audience. There is no escape.

It is rare to see actors in this point in their work.

Over 25 years Simon Annand has been give unprecedented access to photograph this in-between world that the audience never sees.' - V&A Exhibition Introduction



The Royal Court Theatre tipped off its Facebook and Twitter followers to this exhibition about a month ago. Simon Annand has been one of it's main production photographers for years. I did a little looking around on his website and was intrigued at the idea behind his non production photographs. You don't need a trained eye to differentiate between great, average of poor production photography. Just think of what attracts your eye when seeing the photos in relation to an article or review. There are some that you can get lost in and make you want to see a show and there are others that, possibly unintentionally, reveal a production on a low to nil budget. Great and interesting production photographs are really important as they are the ones that get published in publications like Time Out and ultimately help sell show.

What separates a professional production photographer from the rest is the professional can shoot all levels of productions and get wonderful pictures no matter what physical space, costumes or lighting is available. What also separates them is the ability to identify and capture a specific moment with a production that can speak volumes - usually the actors expression or a subtle interplay between two or more actors. This ability to genuinely understand a production or more specifically actors is the reason why The Half, Simon Annand's 'in-between' photos are so wonderful.



I kind of divide the photos into three categories - resting, active and waiting. The 'resting' photos could sometimes be mistaken for posed shots. Two examples come readily to mind. There's a lovely serene photo of Obi Abili leaning against a black brick wall backstage at the Old Vic during Six Degrees of Separation. At first glance it could be mistaken for a fashion shoot but it perfectly captures a moment when he just happened to be leaning against a wall while mentally preparing for his scene. There is another photo of Christopher Eccleston with a cigar (see photo above) which could seem staged but there's something about what is going on behind his eyes that says otherwise.

The 'active' photos come in two forms - actively preparing to go on via makeup or costume which, although interesting to see, didn't reveal as much about the actor as the others, and the physical process actors engage in prior to going on. My favourite of these is of Ruth Wilson, I think from her performance in Philistines at the National, lying on her back on the floor of her dressing room, doing mild stretching exercises. The moment that's captured almost has a religious quality, partly due to her costume and the pose. Finally, I find the 'waiting' photos the most revealing. They could almost be grouped with 'resting' but there's something active about them although their physical pose is passive. You can see the mind working. There's a great one of Cary Mulligan sitting on stairs backstage during the 2007 Royal Court revival of The Seagull where you can almost see her thoughts.

There is another division beyond this. The photos on the three walls of the gallery are all black and white, covering productions basically from 2008 backwards. In the center of the gallery there is a temporary mount with all colour photos from recent productions - some just finished and a few still running - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Over There, Six Degrees of Separation and Annie Get Your Gun to name a few. These are glorious. The colour captures an added essence.

The final element of the exhibition is the moving image. There's a looped short film that gives a little background information about Simon Annand and (my favourite bit) a filmed 'half', backstage at the Royal Court during the recent production of Cock. It alternates between filmed images in the dressing room, and moving images of the same period of time. It then goes onto the Cock stage to show three of the actors doing warm-ups consisting of stretching and running around. It ends in the hallway leading to the performance space as they wait to go on. If you go onto Simon Annaud's site (click this blog title above to go there) you can see the video. There's a portion that isn't on the website, a slide show of more recent production photos - some are also in the exhibition.

If you love theatre or are just fascinated by what goes on backstage than you'll really enjoy this. Simon has a book also called, funny enough, 'The Half' which has been out for a while. Most of the photos in the exhibition are included with the added extras of additional photos of the same subject. The more recent productions however, aren't included.

If you have never been to the V&A or the Theatre and Performance Gallery you more than likely will have to ask for directions. To be honest, I was a bit thrown as I had completely forgotten that the V&A now housed the contents of the old Theatre Museum in Covent Garden. The exhibition itself has not been heavily promoted and the listing for it on the website and in their literature is not obvious.

Before I headed into 'The Half' I looked around the Theatre and Performance Gallery. It has a few interesting things to see with my highlightbeing one of the horse heads form the original production of Equus. Unfortunately, the entire gallery only mildly diverting and one gets the impression that either there isn't alot to put on display or there isn't enough space to put everything out so only the items that pertain directly to the 'theme' of a specific section are there - 'rehearsal', 'design', 'costumes' etc...However, that proved to be a bit problematic because the theatre items are interspersed with costumes and items from the music world - a smashed Pete Townsend guitar, Adam Ant's Prince Charming costume, an early Mick Jagger unitard (god he was small), an early Elton John costume (with platforms) and a replication of Kylie Minogue's Wembley dressing room. It must be a nightmare trying to tie all the various elements together and it's not an easy fit. Overall I would say it is very run of the mill and think it was designed as an general theatre introduction. We can only pray that Theatre gets its own comprehensive museum in the future but until then this is all there is but the good news is - it's free.

Gay Icons (National Portrait Gallery 30/6/09) 2 July 2009

I was looking forward to this one; the Gay Icons exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I found the premise exciting and forward thinking. Here is the official description:

This exhibition brings together ten selectors, chaired by Sandi Toksvig, each of whom is a prominent gay figure in contemporary culture and society. Each selector was asked to name six people, who may or may not be gay, whom they personally regard as inspirational, or an icon for them. These people provide a fascinating range of figures - some heroic, some very famous, others less well known...The only limitation placed on the selectors was that the exhibition would be made up of photographic portraits so the subjects date from the last 150 years. - National Portrait Gallery programme

My hopes were that the exhibition would help dispel the many stereotypes (some founded and some not) and present a more insightful look into the lives of Lesbians and Gay men.

I went to the Opening / Private View with two work colleagues so we stopped in the first main room for drinks, canapes and chat with other colleagues. We we also taking the time to do a bit of celeb spotting but only came up with Rhona Cameron and Sandi Toksvig. There was a formal introduction from a representative from the Portrait Gallery who then went on to introduce Sandi Toksvig. She was very funny, very dry, very insightful and inspiring. Mixed in with the introductions were two performances from the cabaret section of the London Gay Men's Chorus who descended from the top of the stationary escalator to sing for us all.

The 15 - 20 member chorus were all in good voice as was to be expected. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the first song, I was thinking it was something for a Disney film and I was doing some serious Googling hoping to spark my memory with a title, but no dice. As you can probably tell, I don't take notes, preferring to experience events for what they are, without a critical eye. I figure I will remember the things that are most important to me. What I do remember well was their second song, the 5th Dimension's 'Up Up and Away'. They wouldn't sing the word 'balloon', instead they would substitute some ' baaah daaahdaaah dah dah's' in a jazz riff generic cabaret sort of way (up up and awaaaay in my beautiful, my beautiful baaah daaahdaaah dah dah). Funny, to me, but it worked. They also seemed nervous and their facial expressions were priceless, very much as if someone instructed them with 'no jazz hands, put that expression in your face'.

After the music and intros I bought the exhibition catalogue book and poster. The poster features Joe Dallesandro of whom I am a big fan. There were two version of the book, one with Joe on the cover (he is the image of the exhibition) and the other, which is only available at the exhibition, features k.d. lang. I bought the Joe version.

The Exhibition:

I have been to two other exhibitions at the Portrait Gallery. The first was a Scavullo exhibition many years ago, which was - brief, and the other was just last year, which was another Opening / Private View. I couldn't tell you what the second one was, I guess that tells you how much impact it had on me. What I do remember in both instances was the small, small space they were in. Gay Icons is in the same space. Although it's laid out well, with all the other viewers crowded in it's difficult to stop and read - and reading is pretty much what this exhibition is about.

When you enter the exhibition space you are met with a large photo portrait of the first selector and from there the selectors six icons portraits follow. This pattern repeats itself and you only have to follow the exhibition around on one wall which is nice. The selectors descriptions / biographies are quite large and well designed with a somewhat complete career overview, whereas the Icons each have a smallish paragraph which just tells you briefly who they are and why they are noteworthy. Here are the selectors and their choices (I'm just giving you the first line or so of the descriptions, they are longer):

WAHEED ALLI (Lord, politics and media)

David Hockney (Painter, printmaker, illustrator, stage designer, photographer), Lily Savage (Drag alter-ego of TV and radio host Paul O'Grady), Jeff Stryker (American porn star), Village People (Disco band), Diana, Princess of Wales, Will Young (Singer and actor)

ALAN HOLLINGHURST (Novelist)

Joe Dallesandro (American actor), Ronald Firbank (Innovative novelist), Thomson William 'Thom' Gunn (Poet and university teacher), Gerard Manley Hopkins (Poet and Jesuit priest), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Leading Russian Composer), Edmund White (American actor and literary critic)

ELTON JOHN (Musician)

Winifred Atwell (Trinidadian-born pianist and entertainer), John Lennon (Singer, songwriter, artist), Mstislav Rostpropovich (Russian cellist and conductor), Bernie Taupin (Singer, songwriter, poet), Graham Taylor (Football manager and former football player), Gianni Versace (Italian designer)

JACKIE KAY (Poet)

Quentin Crisp (Writer, actor and raconteur), Audre Lorde (American poet and author), Edwin Morgan (Poet), Bessie Smith (Classic blues singer), Billy Tipton (American Jazz musician), Soujourer Truth (Campaigner for abolition, temperance and women's rights)

BILLIE JEAN KING (Athlete)

Christine Amanpour (Journalist), Althea Gibson (American tennis player), Ilana Kloss (South African tennis player), Nelson Mandella (First democratically elected State President of South Africa), Bill, Betty and Randy Moffitt (Father, mother and brother of Billie Jean King), Bob Richards (American athlete)

IAN MCKELLEN (Sir, Actor)

Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer (Norwegian-born Colonel), Edward Carpenter (Writer), Regina Fong (Dancer, actor and TV presenter Reg Bundy better known as his drag persona Her Imperial Highness Regina Fong), Angela Mason (Director of Stonewall), Harvey Milk (American politician), Walt Whitman (American poet, journalist and essayist)

CHRIS SMITH (Lord, MP)

W.H. Auden (Poet), Benjamin Britten (Composer), Edwin Cameron (South African Supreme Court Justice), John Menlove Edwards (Rock climber and psychiatrist), Alan Turing (Mathematician and logician), Virginia Woolf (Novelist, essayist, biographer and critic)

BEN SUMMERSKILL (Chief Executive of Stonewall)

Maya Angelou (American poet, author and civil rights activist), Francis Bacon (Painter), Ellen DeGeneres (American comedian, actor and television host), Martina Navratilova (Czech-born American tennis player), Joe Orton (Playwright and actor), Ian Roberts (British-born Australian rugby player)

SANDI TOKSVIG (Comedienne, actress, writer)

Rosa Bonheur (French-born painter), Jane Cholmeley (Co-founder of Silver Moon Women's Bookshop), k.d. lang (Canadian pop and country music singer and songwriter), Hilda Matheson (Intelligence officer and first BBC Director of Talks), Gene Robinson (Bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of New Hampshire), Peter Tatchell (Activist and writer)

SARAH WATERS (Novelist)

Bryher (Pseudonym of novelist, poet and critic Annie Winifred Ellerman), Daphne Du Maurier (Author), Patricia Highsmith (Crime and psychological thriller writer), Sylvia Townsend Warner (Writer and poet), Denton Welch (Painter and writer), Kenneth Williams (Actor and comedian)

When looking through all the lists you can see some obvious patterns of selectors icons working in the same fields as the selectors. It is also evident that each selector was in some way responsible for describing their icons (which would account for some of the inconsistencies of descriptive words that are used).

Because of the confined space and the number of people jostling for a good view without blocking someone else's, I found myself only stopping at the photos of people I wasn't familiar with. Even then, because of the brevity of description, I was left with an - oh - feeling. I never made it to - wow! - just stayed at - oh. I wanted more. I wanted to know how these people influenced the selectors. At what age? To what extent? More.

Like the other exhibit I mentioned (the one I couldn't remember), the exhibitors didn't seem to have an interest in portraits, and this is the National Portrait Gallery. When were they taken, why were they chosen, what were the circumstances? We are privy to the name of the photographers but that was about it. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. As it's the Portrait Gallery I guess these cold be considered people portraits, as in profiles. Even when I went down that road I found it unfulfilling. I think the exhibition book is good, mainly because I could take it home and properly digest the information (although I noticed that the photo of Jeff Stryker in the book is different to the one in the exhibition). Still, it's a fantastic idea and I believe it will be an eye opening experience for many. I discovered some new people and I will be researching them soon.

I read that Sandi Toksvig dreamt of a website where anyone could nominate and upload their icons. I think that would be a logical next step. We need to uncover more influences and icons from more people, and not just the prominent or famous. She's got something there. What are your 6? This could run and run.

It's on from 2 July - 18 October, 2009

PS - Alongside this exhibition the Gallery is running Iconic - a season of events which explores fantasy, desire, melancholy, beauty, sexuality, joy and ambiguity - through performance, film, music, literature and talks. May I recommend this?

LITTLE JOE

Film - Sunday 6 September, 15.00 - 17.00

The 'Little Joe' of Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side'. The Valentino of the Underground. The original gay Lonesome Cowboy. A special preview screening of a revealing biographical portrait of Joe Dallesandro - unprecedented access to Andy Warhol's muse. Produced by the actor and his family.

Dir. Nicole Haeusser, USA 2009, 90 min, Cert 18

Tickets £10 / £8 concessions