PERFORMANCE BY RANKIN is a celebration of the enormous talent and resilience of London’s theatreland, the cultural heart of the city, as it emerges from a devastating pandemic shutdown. Created in partnership with the Official London Theatre and FUJIFILM House of Photography with funding from the Mayor of London, this ambitious project captures the human face of London’s world leading theatre industry in a unique publication.

From star actors, dancers, writers, directors and producers to stage managers, dressers, designers, technicians, pit musicians, puppeteers, front of house staff, stage door keepers and countless more, Rankin captures a once-in-a-lifetime portrait of a West End reborn, featuring 150 subjects from nearly 60 of London’s top productions and venues.

Interwoven with the portraits, the subjects reflect on their experience of the past eighteen months, with inspiring tales of hardship, perseverance, patience, innovation, despair and joy.

All of the images have been shot on the FUJIFILM GFX100 medium format camera. We hope this ambitious project inspires you to see a show.

RANKIN ON “PERFORMANCE”:

“Not many people realise that most subjects, including lots of the famous one’s, hate to have their photo taken. They’re reluctant to get out under the lights pose. They don’t want to be looked at, scrutinised, or judged. A lot of them hate to have an audience and dislike to be the centre of attention.

It’s always funny to me though, whilst the people in front of my camera, with their hair and makeup perfect, don’t always want to be looked at, they often forget they’re looking back at me.

In that way, everything I do as a photographer is a form of performance. Every move I make is seen. I have to be on, I have to be chatty and I have to be what you want a photographer to be. Over the last 30 years I’ve rehearsed, practiced (a lot) and I think I’ve honed my craft. I’ve learnt the way to speak, the way to direct, the way to act around all types of people. Ultimately, how to get the shot - but I have to perform to get there.

When we started this project I tried to understand why

the lack of live theatre over the last year had meant so much to me. Why I had felt such a personal loss. Then I realised. Theatre, like the photography I practice, is a team sport. It does not happen alone and it is a home of true collaboration. Theatres closing lined up with when my studio fell quiet, my team taken away. I felt the loss of theatre because it was emblematic of the wider creative world shutting down and the isolation we all felt. It was the loss of the performance we all collaborate in every day.

Taking pictures for this new project, the joy that every single subject brought to the sessions was like breath of fresh air, rejuvenating my energy for what I do, as well as giving everyone a chance to perform again, albeit it just for my camera.The joy of being together, working on something collaboratively, was one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever been part of.

Theatre is the beating heart of London’s cultural scene. It is what draws people to the West End and allows all of us to escape into another world or narrative for a few hours. As people we need to entertain and be entertained. It helps us feel things, to connect to laugh, cry and everything in between.

So here’s to performance.

I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate its return.”