A silhouetted performer raises a chair overhead in dense haze while another figure sits at the edge of the light.

Bellairs Theatre2023

The Permanent Way

The Production

Guildford School of Acting’s 2023 acting production of David Hare’s The Permanent Way was staged at the Bellairs Theatre in the Ivy Arts Centre. The documentary drama offers a sharply political account of Britain’s rail privatisation and its aftermath.

48 photographs in the curated edit

Director: Michael Toumey
Lighting Design: Brett Kasza
Commissioned by: Guildford School of Acting
Photography: Steve Gregson

A smiling operator works at a lighting or sound console, with rows of glowing controls leading toward the stage.

A person at a laptop is lit by strong blue light in a backstage or control area.

A large ensemble gathers across the stage with suitcases and high-visibility costumes under blue and amber lights.

A performer sits alone on the stage floor, hunched forward with hands near their face in a pool of low light.

Two performers stand close together in haze, looking urgently offstage under bright backlight.

Performers appear as dark silhouettes against a vivid blue backdrop, including a seated figure at a desk or table.

An ensemble is arranged in a line against an orange backdrop, with two seated figures at the centre.

An empty chair stands in front of a bench on a purple-lit stage.

A standing performer holds a tray beside a seated performer in purple light, with a bench visible behind them.

A seated performer in a red dress smiles under warm front light against a purple stage background.

Three seated performers are spaced across a purple-lit stage with a bench behind them.

Two performers sit far apart on chairs in a wide stage picture cut by white beams and red side light.

One performer stands with their back to the audience facing another seated on a bench against a pale blue backdrop.

A lone performer stands in silhouette as white light beams through haze from the side.

A performer in a white blouse stands against a deep blue background, lit by a soft circular spotlight.

A performer in orange high-visibility clothing kneels under a cone of blue-white light while raising one hand.

A group of performers sits bowed around chairs in warm amber haze.

Performers tumble and struggle among chairs, with one figure in red lying on the floor amid harsh theatrical light.

Bodies lie on a dark stage as narrow blue-white beams cut through smoke above them.

A performer in a yellow high-visibility jacket stands among covered bodies and chairs in orange and green haze.

A high-visibility-clad performer stands isolated in red haze beside scattered chairs.

Two performers in formal clothing hold each other closely against a red-lit haze.

Several performers face each other across a smoky stage, including figures in formal dress and high-visibility clothing.

A performer in black gestures outward while another stands with arms folded under warm stage light.

Chairs, clothing and bodies lie scattered beneath green light and haze.

A wide ensemble scene fills the stage beneath blue and amber lighting, with projected panels across the backdrop.

A performer with a suitcase stands in the foreground while others gather and face a raised figure upstage.

A performer in dark green stands in the foreground while a group faces a raised figure in the background.

A lone performer stands in smoky light with head lowered, surrounded by empty stage space.

A close performer wearing glasses looks ahead under orange light, with another figure blurred behind.

Two performers face each other tensely while a seated figure watches from the background.

A performer in dark green stands with hands clasped as another performer with a suitcase appears behind them.

An ensemble sits in a wide circle under warm overhead lights and haze.

A seated performer turns to look back toward the audience while others sit around a lit central figure.

Three performers stand in a formal formation beneath symmetrical warm and cool stage lights.

A small table with papers sits alone in a tight overhead spotlight on an otherwise black stage.

A solitary performer stands inside a narrow cone of light surrounded by darkness.

Five performers are spaced across a dark stage, with the central figure isolated in a bright overhead spotlight.

A performer with glasses holds papers to their chest while standing in a soft grey spotlight.

A large ensemble kneels and stands facing a raised performer under blue and amber stage lights.

A suited performer stands in the foreground while an ensemble kneels behind him facing a raised figure.

A suited performer stands at the edge of darkness as a bright beam of light cuts through haze toward a small table.

A performer in a military-style uniform stands in misty golden light.

A seated group in formal clothing faces forward in low light, with several figures fading into darkness behind them.

A full ensemble stands in formation across the stage beneath bright blue and amber lighting.

The ensemble raises their hands in a wide final-stage arrangement under bright theatrical lights.

Continue exploring

Under the Kundè Tree

Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little2023

Explore drama school photography