A.D. Drumm Images, LLC – Landscape, Portrait, and Fine Art Photography in Rochester MN Photography

Last week, Summerset Theatre in Austin put on their second show of the season, The 39 Steps. This is a comedy spoof of the Hitchcock film with only four actors and minimal props and scenery used brilliantly for comedic effect.

Two of the actors, “Clown 1” and “Clown 2,” portray most of the people encountered by the hero, and the lone female cast member plays three roles. Even some of the props get into the act of multiple roles. A door might represent several doors in a single scene.

When I’m shooting, I’m somewhat disengaged from the show – at least the auditory aspects of the show – while I’m working to compose a good photograph. So, I may chuckle now and then during a comedy, but this was way beyond that. It’s just one sight gag after another. There’s this train scene that was hilarious – and it was funny from beginning to end.

Among the cast members was Greg Miller, artistic director at the Rochester Civic Theatre. Greg is a comedy master, so we made sure the RCT regulars knew about the show. Many made it to Austin, and we attended as audience members on Saturday with a large Rochester contingent in the house. All four in the cast were terrific. What a fun show!

Apart from having to occasionally brace myself to keep the camera from shaking while I laughed, most of the show was lit reasonably well. A comedy like this one, filled with tons of physical humor and action, presents some of the same challenges as a musical. So, managing shutter speed and trying to catch action at peaks is most important.

A little motion blur will slip in from time to time. That can be okay. You just try to keep it under control especially where you need a little more depth of field to capture the shot you want.

Then, after loading the photos all into Lightroom, you start to relive some of the moments and laugh out loud again.

Next up at Summerset is their final production for this season, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. RCT did that show several years ago, so this will be my second time shooting it.

There, we have a musical and a comedy, so it will be a fun and demanding shoot.

Next summer, RCT will be ending their eight-show season with The 39 Steps. There are some comedies that lose something in the second (or third) viewing. Others are funny over and over. I’m thinking this show is of the latter variety – to me at least. And the local audience who didn’t make it out to the Summerset production will be in for a treat!

Last week, I photographed my first show at Rochester Repertory Theatre, their production of Tribute. It’s a 1970s period drama or comedy or tweener as the director, Bill Schnell, calls it.

The Rep tends to put on a variety of shows, many lesser known (at least, to me!), with one big musical each spring. They’ve been around a long time – next season is their 32nd – and provide another local outlet for actors, directors, and theatre-goers.

I’ve seen quite a few shows there, and Lynne has acted on their stage. Their facility is small and can be challenging for the creative staff. But the size can work both ways as the Rep’s shows tend to be much more intimate than at other theatres.

Going into the shoot, I was thinking about how to photograph a show in their space. In many ways, it’s not too different from other theatre shoots for me. I generally work pretty close to the action anyway.

One goal I had was to convey the story and not the size. Regardless of the facility, a good show should draw you into the story. The actors, the lighting, the sound, all help to do this. Once we distill it down to a two-dimensional photograph, though, the other senses are missing. We have to try to capture the emotion in the photo.

Doing so is always my goal, but here I additionally wanted any limitations in the physical setting to be irrelevant and unnoticeable.

I’m pretty happy with the results. I did take a few wide shots which someone will look upon and think, yep – that’s the Rep’s stage. But I feel a few of those shots are important for the documentation aspect of the photographs.

Technically, this is a pretty straightforward show lighting-wise. Box set, reasonably good and balanced lights. There were some bright spots like in the first photo above, a couple scenes with “nighttime” lighting, and a couple places where the contrast from bright to dim required some dancing on my part.

We attended the show last night, so I had a chance to pay closer attention. It’s a great story, touching and funny both. And it’s well played.

This was opening weekend – there are two more weekends of shows, so you can still see it yourself. It’s a great way to spend an evening – watching real live people perform right in front of you. (Just turn off your electronics – cell phones ringing are annoying!)

Thanks to Bill for asking me to shoot the show! It was a blast.

This week, I had the opportunity to shoot at a new venue for me, the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, MN. Phoenix Theatre is producing Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof this weekend.

This is a marvelous play, an American classic, and really a must-see for theatre-goers. I remember RCT producing it about a decade or so ago, back before I was regularly photographing their shows.

Costumes were designed by Sara Shannon and Dace Miller. The simple, but elegant and effective, set was designed by Jeff Chalmers and Rob Meyer. Russell Johnson provided the lighting and sound with Calvin Harper. Props were handled by Jamie Johnholtz. Make-up and hair are being done by Paul O’Connell and Corinne Redman. The show was directed by Julie Martin and stage managed by Kim Chalmers.

My good friends Lindsay Herr and Angus Russell are portraying Maggie and Brick. One of the things I remember from the RCT production was the dialog – especially Maggie’s (aka Cat) constant rambling through most of Act 1. It’s certainly a dialog-driven show, as I think Williams’ plays tend to be. That dialog reveals layers that give dimensions to the characters. You walk out at the end still questioning who they really are.

It’s uncommon and counter to the way we seem to pigeon-hole people, both in fiction and real life.

Other players are Jerry LaCroix, Neil LaHammer, Micheal Lupella, David Oakes, Min Martin Oakes, and Marcy Watzl.

From a photography point of view, this was a nice change from my recent theatre shoots – there was generally plenty of light! There was a single set – the couple’s bedroom. Lighting in the Sheldon Theatre is apparently all LED lights now. These can pose some challenges, but there weren’t the color extremes that make capturing photos a little more difficult.

There were many scenes with two or three actors and some good opportunities to find an angle and focal length to capture an emotional moment.

When several folks are on stage, the goal is figuring out who are interacting and how to collect all of them together in a shot that shows that interaction.

I generally take several shots as they are performing and speaking. I’ll move a little, looking at their physical relationship and backgrounds, and watch where they move, and who is talking.

When the blocking has them all spread out, I will often grab a wide shot or two. While I prefer the more intimate photos, there’s some value to these larger shots. We see – and document – more of the set, and there’s sometimes a feeling there that is just different from what a close-up provides.

But, yeah, I do like close shots!

The show continues its run tonight and tomorrow afternoon. We’ll be there for the final performance tomorrow. It’s well worth your time. And, the Sheldon Theatre is a beautiful performance space with an early 20th century design. It reminds me of a handful of other theatres from that remarkable era. That it exists in the small town of Red Wing is pretty amazing.

I’ll have another post later with a few shots of the Sheldon. Watch for that one soon!