As part of my 3D module I had been concentrating on dramatic structure which I felt was starting to restrict me to internet research and my own experience and values. I felt I needed to expand the subject and look at a Theatre itself to get inspiration for shapes and materials to play around with. As I was an actress myself for many years I was starting to make assumptions in my research and rely on old memories, this has value, but I felt it would be interesting to go back to a Theatre now I am no longer a performer and see it with fresh eyes. I was lucky enough, due to my old connections, to gain access to The Queens Theatre the new home of current longest running musical in Britain - Les Miserables.
Whilst waiting for my friend Emma, currently performing in Les Mis, to meet me after the matinee, I tried to look at any shapes I could see of interest from the outside.
interested in. Photos: Authors own Queens Theatre 2010
The first image I was hit with when I walked in was the mannequins used in the battalion scene. They were hung up in order to save space resulting in rather a surreal sight... I felt like a spectator at a public hanging.
I love costumes and the way they transport me to another time, as an Actress I think I always like to pretend that I am in a different eras and live out stories in my head. The mannequins relate very well to dramatic structure, objects that are suspended create tension for the viewer, they could fall at any time. It made me think back to an exhibition I visited at The Barbican Centre, Sept 2010- The Surreal House. A piano was hung from the ceiling and viewers had to walk under it, every 10 mins the rope would lengthen, suddenly dropping the piano lower- I found it thrilling.
I love this image with the curtain pinned back revealing the stage reflecting the footlights. I love the idea of what is behind closed doors and enjoy the role of "The Voyeur". In my eyes there is nothing more seductive than something being peeled back giving you a peek of what is beyond. I love the depth in this image, do we need to physically step into a space to experience its expanse, or will a glimpse be enough, in fact will the glimpse give us an even bigger feeling of space as it feeds our imagination enough for us to create our own space without limitation. We can use illusions to give a feeling of space without necessarily the space being there. This could be an illusion as we aren't actually setting foot through the curtain and are making a series of assumptions on the information that we are given.Photos: Authors own Queens Theatre 2010
This is definitely the weirdest wallpaper I have ever encountered! All the props are stuck onto it as it gets used as a table in the 1st Act. I love anything this surreal, I like my perception challenged and to see things from an unexpected angle and scale.
Photos: Authors own Queens Theatre 2010
Another behind the curtain shot.....
Photos: Authors own Queens Theatre 2010
I am interested in the different relationships between the spectator and the spectacle. Here I have taken a photo of the view from the stage thus reversing the roles as the audience becomes the focus.
Photos: Authors own Queens Theatre 2010
Do we accept a role by merely by sitting in a designated seat...?
Photos: Authors own Queens Theatre 2010
I walked past these wig stands on the way in. They appear to be waiting patiently to become their characters.
On the way out I saw that two stands were already getting into character, it makes me smile when objects appear human to me.
Photos: Authors own Queens Theatre 2010
Clothes can make you feel utterly different sometimes. It was the icing on the cake when I used to act to put on my costume during the dress rehearsal everything seemed to fall into place. I use clothes in the same way now, I dress according to what character I want to be that day. This is linked to my interest in facade and how what we see on the outside may not correlate to what is on the inside. We all play roles in society at some point, costume is a nice way of referencing this.
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