It’s Summerset Theatre’s season again. They’re once again running three shows the first of which was I Do! I Do! The story follows the married life of a couple from their wedding through old age, taking place essentially in their bedroom. We see their joy with their children and anguish with infidelity.
Shooting theatre live is always exciting and every show is different. Here is a show with a cast of two. You walk into such a show thinking, “how many photos will I shoot?” Can’t be a lot with two actors, right? Okay, it’s a musical. For me, those tend to push my counts up. But still, only two actors.
It turned out to be pretty crazy. Yes, there were slower times. I’d maybe grab several shots looking mainly to help ensure I had a few good, crisp shots from which to choose. Then, boom! Suddenly, they’re moving all over the stage, going in different directions. Facing this way and that way. Frantic.
Part of getting the shots I want is being in the right place at the right time. It doesn’t always happen, but I’m thrilled when it does, and I seem to have some help from somewhere. Many times it’s just moving a few feet or even a few inches this way or that. Study the viewfinder, see the image, and adjust.
That’s actually an excellent tip for any photography. You have to see the two-dimensional photograph when looking through the viewfinder and not allow your brain slip into normal vision where you see only what is important. Once you’re out of context and have the image as a photograph, you’ll see everything that you know wasn’t there. How could it be? You didn’t see it. But the camera did.
The set was just the one room with some items brought on and off during scene changes. But we did have a bit fun lighting along the way, something I always enjoy.
The two actors did a remarkable job, and kept up their energy throughout the show. There were only a very few short breaks when only one of the two were on stage, so that’s saying a lot. The songs were fun and my friend Jan was awesome on piano as usual along with her small orchestra.
I’m slowly catching up with some of my theatre work. The Producers is finally finished, I Do! I Do! is close, and I think Kill Me Deadly is in flight. Meanwhile, I also shot a dance performance live which, I think, turned out fantastic and was so much fun to shoot.
Next up at Summerset is Steel Magnolias which opens in a couple weeks. Then, they will finish their season with Spamalot which should be a riot, especially in Spam City. I love that Summerset keeps me shooting theatre during the summer. And it’s great to have live theatre productions to carry us through to the fall.
