Inspired by Luigi Pirandello’s play “Six Characters in Search of an Author”, this series aims to explore the relationship between characters and theatre practitioners. In particular, I wanted to show the importance of the actors' interpretation to bring their role to life. 

 

A character itself doesn’t have any physical quality, it is only a concept, a fantasy creature born from an author's mind and it becomes alive only after someone takes and plays its part.

 

In order to illustrate this process, I took two pictures of each practitioner positioning them on a theatre stage, the environment in which the “transformation” takes place. In the first shot, I have asked to close their eyes and show the bare appearance of the role, without revealing any emotion; I wanted to portray the character as an empty container without a soul, featuring only the aesthetic appearances of the subject. In the latter, I have asked the actors to think in depth about their role and to interpret it, bringing its personality to life.

 

By presenting the two pictures side by side, I hope to make this contrast effective and give food for thought about the boundary between a character and its performer’s personality.