15 Photos Of What Actors See When They’re Onstage

Architectural photographer Klaus Frahm wanted to take people through the "fourth wall" that separates actors from their audience. To do this he photographed some of Germany's most beautiful theatres from the perspective of the actors, looking out into the auditorium.

The result is a fascinating view from the stage that few audience members will have seen before.

"It is the camera's specific perspective, dissolving the traditional order, which questions the hierarchy of the stage and the audience," Frahm says in an artist statement. "The space reserved for the audience becomes flat, like a postcard, and the real space of the theatre, the stage, is explored in many directions.

"The camera looks up, taking note of the scaffolding and lighting structures: the mechanics of the space. Thus we become aware of a workspace hidden behind the red velvet curtain. The contrast between backstage machinery and the sea of velvet seats is exciting."