Backstage in any theatre is a hallowed space. It is a sanctum.

While the set and stage area change from show to show, the corridors, dressing rooms and staircases remain the same.

It is here that the actors make final preparations, go through their rituals, and compose themselves before setting foot on stage each night.

You have to tread carefully. Especially when it is a heavy play.

Ruth was playing Hedda Gabler - a character trapped in a house and marriage that she does not want.

Having spent the afternoon with the company, I asked if I could take her portrait. We shot a few frames in her dressing room, then I proposed the idea to shoot a frame in the clinical backstage corridor of the National Theatre on her way to stage.

Ruth generously agreed and understood what I was trying to capture - the uneasy stillness before the storm.

There was something so endearing about the slippers that grounded her.

1/1 Photograph

NFT sale includes a 10" x 15" archival print, shipped to the first collector.

Dimensions: 4800 x 3200px

License: Can be used to display privately, or in non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The license includes unlimited use and display in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no commercial rights. Provides no editorial rights.
Copyright retained by the photographer, Matt Humphrey. All rights reserved.