Anabelle Veritas, a Play

From Portrait to Performance

Photographing Julian Wickham for a profile piece led to more unexpected work—always a welcome surprise. Julian runs The English Drama School, a Barcelona-based theatre group that teaches acting to both native and non-native English speakers. They also put on full public productions in a beautifully tucked-away space in the Gothic Quarter.

I was thrilled to get involved. It took me back to my London days doing theatre photography, back when everything was shot on film.

Dorian Grey, 1980s Style

The play—Anabelle Veritas—is Julian’s reinterpretation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, updated to the 1980s. A photograph replaces the famous painting, aging and decaying in place of the protagonist. I photographed the dress rehearsals, quickly catching the rhythm of the performance, and time flew.

Unlike the more posed, flash-heavy shoots I often do, this was agile and fluid—almost like street photography. It felt refreshing and reminded me how fun this kind of work can be.

New Gear, New Possibilities

I brought a lot of kit, including a brand-new camera I hadn’t really tested yet. What a revelation—sharp JPEGs, silent shutter, compact size. The RAW files couldn’t initially be used, but now that support exists, I may reprocess some of them to squeeze out more detail.

For this kind of fast, discreet work, the camera was perfect. Next time I’ll definitely pack lighter.