Heartbreak Productions Commission: Portraits in Rehearsals

The last day of rehearsals for Emma was Friday 1st May, so the challenge was: to try to finish the portraits in time for the actors to be able to use them during rehearsals and for me to be able to photograph this.  I managed to take them for the final outdoor dress rehearsal, on a fairly chilly, windy afternoon, and watch the portraits and actors interacting.  It was a real treat to watch such a talented group, who were generous in their praise for the work I had done, and to sit back and enjoy seeing how they would use my work.  The production is a "play within a play" - six artists who decide to put on a play.  The actors used blank frames to introduce the characters and made the most of every opportunity to interact with the audience (of three!)

Six actors were used to play twelve different parts so there was a lot of doubling up.  The portraits were used as "stand-ins", to show the presence of someone with a non-speaking part, as dance partners, dinner party guests etc.  It was exciting to meet them after working so intensely on the portraits - firstly to see whether or not I had captured their likeness, and secondly to see whether or not they were like I had imagined.  During the painting process I became very fond of the actors and was delighted that they liked my work.