We have all been performers at some point in our lives, whether in a nativity play at school, as part of an orchestra, or in a street parade.

In Performance Gallery, objects from the collections are used to explore different ideas about being a performer: from the cult of the superstar, to the terror of stage-fright, the agony of training; from the rhythm of the music to the smell of greasepaint, the weight of the mask, the heat of the lights.

Let these objects remind you about being a performer:

Cult of the Stars

	Garrick as Roscius, Maquette, John Van Nost the Younger, Dublin, c.1778, HW937

As a superstar of stage or screen, your name becomes immortal.

David Garrick (1717-79), actor, playwright and theatre manager, is regarded as the giant of British theatre. Garrick fever swept 18th century Britain, and his stardom is commemorated in works by the leading artists of his time. This sculpture shows Garrick as the Roman actor Roscius Gallus (died 60BC) who was famous for his mastery of tragic and comic roles.

Two centuries later aspiring stars still tread the boards at the Garrick Theatre on London's West End.

Superstars

	Record deck slipmats, Used by DJs Fatboy Slim, Midfield General, 2001, DB829 Donated by Skint Records, 2001

Kids want to be a DJ as much or more than they want to be a popstar. With decks, slipmats and records you can be a DJ.

DJs have become superstars. They use the recorded work of other artists to create new performance.

Brighton-based record label Skint was founded in March 1995 by Damian Harris, alias Midfield General. The first release on Skint was the Fatboy Slim track Santa Cruz. Norman Cook as Fatboy Slim is the ultimate superstar DJ and has achieved number ones in both the album and single charts.

Greasepaint

	Theatrical make-up, Leichner, 2001, C004640-C004651

Whether your stage was the school play or the West End boards, the smell of greasepaint on your skin will be part of that memory.

Generations of performers have "put on their face" with these crayons. They conjure with the thick oily colour that won't melt under stage lights. They use painted tricks to animate their faces for distant spectators.

And they scrape off their character at the end of the show.

Masked

	Noh Mask of Ebisu, Japan, 19th century, WA505891, Buffoon's mask Fastes, André Derain, France, 1933

Wearing a mask means that for a time you can be whatever you want.

Noh is a traditional Japanese play where performers wear masks to transform themselves into storytellers. In this mask the storyteller becomes Ebisu, god of the fisherfolk.

Serge Ismailoff danced the Buffoon for Les Ballets 1933. The mask and cumbersome yellow suit completely transformed this usually graceful dancer.

Backstage

	The Ballet Shoe, Dame Laura Knight 1877-1970, UK, c.1932, F000332

The success of each performance rests on a lifetime of preparation.

Backstage, the dancer prepares her shoes. She attaches new satin ribbons and darns the toes to provide the right grip on the stage. The principal ballerina would expect to work through one pair of shoes per act.

Each dancer has personal rituals and recipes for protecting her feet: massaging, binding, using oils or powders, lining the shoes with wool pads or plastic strips.

Sweat and tears

	Ballet shoes, worn by Galina Siderenko for Les Ballets 1933, Made by Elmira Paris, 1930s, C000177

"I struggled to attain the unattainable, the domination of my body in order to serve the most elusive of all physical techniques, that of the ballet dancer" Diana Gould (dancer for Les Ballets 1933)

These strengthened shoes helped Siderenko to dance en pointe - on the tips of her toes. The effect is elegant and graceful, yet it takes strength and years of painful practice to achieve.

Technique and training helps the dancer to avoid torn feet and shattered dreams.

Sound

	Hurdy Gurdy, made by Tixier. France, 19th century, MS100648

As a musician you can enchant with tunes, conjure with rhythms which take us on journeys.

Music is key to every performance in the gallery, from the orchestration of the ballet to the shrill whistle of Mr Punch; from the steel band rhythm on the street to the body-felt beat of the club.
Music is used in performance to set the emotional stage. It can inspire moods and evoke memories long forgotten.

Attaining perfection

	Firemen performing acrobatic feats at new year, Toyokuni Kunisada, 1786-1865. Japan, c.1840, F203061

To astound others by doing the impossible. To hold spectators in the palm of your hand. That is the art of the performer.

You perform and people are moved, they forget themselves in the world of your performance. You may have the nerve of an acrobat, the stamina of a masquerade dancer, the precision of pianist, the reputation of a god. You have harnessed courage and skill to entertain and amaze.