In 1997 while half way through my BTEC qualification in photography I approached the theatre I had been working at as a youth theatre director with an idea for a project. They allowed me to turn a small space under the stage at the Liverpool Everyman into a makeshift studio. There, over the course of about 6 weeks, I slowly photographed the 24 members of staff who never got to appear on the stage, each selecting either props or costumes, (or both) that somehow reflected their role within the organisation and how playful they were feeling.

 

The result  ended up being exhibited in the theatre foyer for three months prior to the theatre purchasing the project in its entirety. Back then I wasn't hot on archiving so all I have left to show you are a few low-res scans of the small test prints I made prior to printing the actual larger images, however, I hope you get the gist and can enjoy my first steps, as a toddler hoping one day to grow up to be a fully fledged art photographer. x