All the World's a Stage
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts
- William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII
In this excerpt from one of Shakespeare’s most famous monologues, the author draws attention to ways in which life is a performance. Over the course of a lifetime, one person will play many roles: that of child, sibling, mother, father; friend, acquaintance, lover, enemy; student, teacher, judge, and jury. Additionally, we all perform for each other on a daily basis, whether deliberately or unintentionally. The way we dress, the way we talk, the way we walk — these routine actions not only reflect who we are but who we want to be. Unlike the roles performed by professional actors on stage, these are performed in reality. No matter where these performances are enacted, however, they demonstrate how individual identities are fluid, how personas are malleable, how makeup, masks and clothing can influence one’s behavior and other’s perceptions. All of the works on display touch upon the notion of performance, whether literal or metaphorical, reminding us that, indeed, all the world is a stage.
Heather N. Cammarata-Seale, Curatorial Associate, Modern & Contemporary Art
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Interior of the Gankirō Tea House (Butterfly Opera)Interior of the Gankirō Tea House (Butterfly Opera), 1861
Meiji period, 1868–1912
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IphigenieIphigenie, 1973
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Mlle. Bécat at the Café Ambassadeurs (Aux Ambassadeurs: Mlle. Bécat)Mlle. Bécat at the Café Ambassadeurs (Aux Ambassadeurs: Mlle. Bécat), ca. 1875
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Noctes Ambrosianae (Middlesex Music Hall, Drury Lane)Noctes Ambrosianae (Middlesex Music Hall, Drury Lane), ca. 1906–08
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Elmwood, New JerseyElmwood, New Jersey, 1977, printed ca. 1992
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Untitled, from the series "Theatre du Monde"Untitled, from the series "Theatre du Monde", 1993
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Vaux-HallVaux-Hall, published 1785
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Box Lobby LoungersBox Lobby Loungers, 1785
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Tenth Anniversary Benefit for the KitchenTenth Anniversary Benefit for the Kitchen, 1981
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Dancer in MotionDancer in Motion, 1911
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Dancer in MotionDancer in Motion, 1911
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Miss Loie FullerMiss Loie Fuller, 1893
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