Final call: intimate moments of actors backstage

Tilda Swinton in Mozart & Salieri at the Almeida theatre in 1989. 'Live performance is a unique, handmade piece of work, which is created in front of you and cannot rely on another take… The performer is therefore very exposed and there is something endlessly romantic and heroic about it,' says Annand. Photograph: Simon Annand

Matt Lucas taking some last-minute refreshment before going on to perform in Les Misérables at the Queen's theatre in 2010 Photograph: Simon Annand

Cate Blanchett in Plenty at the Albery in 2000. 'To photograph actors when they are "getting into character" is to see them at their most photogenic as you can see why they have been attracted to this particular thrill of becoming another,' adds Annand
Photograph: Simon Annand

David Tennant in an RSC production of Sheridan's The Rivals at the Barbican theatre in 2000 – a few years after he first joined the company, and long before he became a household name Photograph: Simon Annand

Amanda Holden in Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2011. These images are all about preparation – whether it's touching up makeup or taking a last breather
Photograph: Simon Annand

Kevin Spacey in Richard II at the Old Vic in 2005. Dressing rooms become the 'ephemeral space each actor will call home' where their negotiation into character takes place, says Annand Photograph: Simon Annand

A (surprisingly young) Colin Firth in The Lonely Road at the Old Vic in 1985, readying himself for battle Photograph: Simon Annand

Kelly Brook in Calendar Girls in 2009 at the Noel Coward theatre Photograph: Simon Annand

Daniel Radcliffe in Equus at the Gielgud in 2007. Annand shows the conflicting emotions of anticipation and nerves once 'the half' has been announced. Photograph: Simon Annand