SIMON ANNAND
FOR MANY photographers, the darkroom is a sacred place, a fiercely guarded sanctum of creative magic where the alchemy of developer and paper under a dim red light conjures faces from the past. When I call, Simon Annand is in his darkroom looking actors squarely in the eye as they emerge on the prints he’s preparing for the latest showing of his celebrated exhibition The Half at the Lawrence Batley theatre in Huddersfield. I feel as if I am intruding on this important stage of his work, but then I imagine that he has a similar sensation when opening the door of a leading actor’s dressing room as they get into role for that evening’s performance. These are familiar faces, the leading lights of the West End stage, but his photos offer a glimpse into a private moment, unseen by anyone else. Some gaze intently into the mirror dabbing make-up, others are slouched and calm, or dragging on a last cigarette. Then Simon knocks and enters the room…
01 ANTHONY HOPKINS, IN THE NATIONAL THEATRE, 1986
The celebrated star in animated form before going on stage as the media tycoon Lambert Le Roux in the satirical comedy Pravda by David Hare and Howard Benton
Lens 50mm
Exposure Not recorded, Kodak Tri-X 400 film
03 COLIN FIRTH, THE OLD VIC, 1985
The Oscar-winning actor prepares for an early stage role as Felix for The Lonely Road, by Christopher Fetts, before his film and TV career took off
Lens 80mm
Exposure Not recorded, Kodak Tri-X 400 film
The photographs are created by the relationship between me and them, and between them and themselves in their own head
Are you printing these images for the exhibition all from scratch?
One of the themes here is time because it’s the 25th anniversary of the theatre. The tag line I’ve got is that I’ve done 35 years photographing 35 minutes. So, I’m putting
