World culture: V&A Museum presents Shakespeare Exhibitions in Moscow

In collaboration with the A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum V&A Museum (London) October 31, 2014 presents Shakespeare Exhibitions:

- Shooting Shakespeare: 150 Years of Stage Photography.

- The Half: Photographs of Actors by Simon Annand.

- “Shooting Shakespeare: 150 Years of Stage Photography” Exhibition.

By juxtaposing historical and contemporary photographs of each Shakespeare play, the exhibition showcases the diverse approaches taken to staging Shakespeare plays today and in the past. Including landmark productions and those less well known, Shooting Shakespeare examines decades of theatre making decisions such as casting, set design, costuming, and interpretation. This is a representative overview of British Shakespeare productions from the 19th century to the present.

- “The Half: Photographs of Actors by Simon Annand” Exhibition.

Before the curtain rises, ‘the Half’ is an actor’s 30 minute countdown to walking on stage and facing an audience. Simon Annand’s photographs, spanning 25 years, capture this final half-hour of excitement and intensity before curtain-up. Visitors are invited to peep into the secret world of the dressing room to discover actors engaging in personal reflections and private rituals as they negotiate the transition into character. Annand’s exploration of this private journey makes for compelling viewing, offering visitors a spellbinding glimpse into the heart of the acting process. A specially curated version of the The Half has been commissioned that features actors preparing for roles in Shakespeare plays and widely known Shakespearean actors preparing for other roles.

The exhibitions «Shooting Shakespeare: 150 Years of Stage Photography» and “The Half: Photographs of Actors by Simon Annand” are the part of the UK-Russia Year of Culture 2014.