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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Dancers from Barnard College Greek GamesDancers from Barnard College Greek Games, 1911
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Mrs. Siddons in the Character of the Tragic MuseMrs. Siddons in the Character of the Tragic Muse, 1787
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Iwai Kumesaburō III as Princess Wakana Raising a Large Spider through Incantation (Wakana-hime 若菜姫), from the series “Contest of Magic Scenes by Toyokuni” (Toyokuni kigō gijutsu kioi 豊国揮毫奇術競)Iwai Kumesaburō III as Princess Wakana Raising a Large Spider through Incantation (Wakana-hime 若菜姫), from the series “Contest of Magic Scenes by Toyokuni” (Toyokuni kigō gijutsu kioi 豊国揮毫奇術競), 1861
Edo period, 1615–1868
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Henri MonnierHenri Monnier, ca. 1865, printed 1877
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Marlene DietrichMarlene Dietrich, 1930s
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The Performance Group: Dionysus in '69The Performance Group: Dionysus in '69, 1969
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Martha Graham, FRONTIERMartha Graham, FRONTIER, 1935, printed 1980
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There's a tragedy on Broadway and it isn't ElectraThere's a tragedy on Broadway and it isn't Electra, 1999
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In this theatreIn this theatre, 1998
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Unidentified WomanUnidentified Woman, 1976
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Unidentified WomanUnidentified Woman, 1976
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Unidentified WomanUnidentified Woman, 1976