Drama behind the scenes

When your eyes mist over at a beautifully tender scene, do you ever spare a thought for the pains the performer has undertaken to perfect that compelling moment? Let's be honest, most of us self-indulgent drama-addicts don't.

But an exhibition that won't fail to stir a few thoughts for the theatrical process is the National Theatre's series of black and white rehearsal photographs. To celebrate the theatre's rich and fertile quarter of a century on the South Bank - where nearly 500 plays have been rehearsed - it has gathered momentous pictures taken by a collection of prostigious theatre photographers, including John Haynes, Nobby Clark and Zoe Dominic.

The exclusive photo-documentary marks the development of some of the greatest of stage names; Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Harold Pinter, Julie Walters and Vanessa Redgrave to name a few. And not only does it highlight the intense actor-director relationship that develops at work behind closed doors, but the frustrations and rewards reaped from rehearsing.

Each image comes with a comment by one of the performers and captures the essence of theatre-in-progress. Under an image of Julie Walters running through Fool for Love in 1984, is her experience of the theatre.

"The National Theatre is enormous. People have been known to disappear and you never see them again. It was a bit like the first day at school when I arrived here...But we've got a very nice rehearsal room, right next to the canteen, the Green Room and the ladies' loo which is everything you want."

Whilst Alec McCowen talks of his studying Waiting for Godot. "As we began rehearsing Godot, I suffered a bereavement. I found Waiting for Godot to be, for me a play about faith. About holding onto a belief."

The snippets of information supplied brings the viewer closer the people's lives they're peeking in on. This is an absolute must-see for anyone with even the most vague interest in theatre!

In addition to the one off exhibition, is the In Rehearsal at the National book, compiled and edited by Lyn Haill, with a preface by Trevor Nunn (Director of the National).

Rehearsal photographs of the National Theatre's work 1976-2001 is held at the Olivier Exhibition Foyer, Royal National Theatre, South Bank, SE1.
Tel: 020 7452 3000
Open: 10am-11pm, daily except Sundays, from September 24 to November 10.
Admission: Free