You can practically smell the greasepaint and scent of dust burning up in the footlights in these photos taken over the course of a year in the West End.
Photographer Matt Humphrey visited the backstage areas of 60 shows, taking 18,000 pictures as he documented the secret panic and preening that goes into making a big night seem so effortless.
Humphrey's fascinating photos cover shows including wonder.land, Gypsy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Elf, Everyman and My Night With Reg and features a host of stars such as James McAvoy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliet Stevenson and Damian Lewis.
The book has a foreword by David Suchet and interviews with theatre insiders like Sally Greene (The Old Vic) and Vicky Featherstone (Royal Court).
Curtain Call: A Year Backstage In London Theatre by Matt Humphrey is £45 and available to buy here.
