States of Grace » Theatre

I am not an artist…

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:50:59 +0000

So. I turn up at a gig yesterday evening quite early as I usually do. I am standing around getting my bearings deciding where might be the best place to position myself in this small venue that is set up like a dingy WWll era cabaret bar when “man under pressure” (MUP) approaches me:

MUP: “Are you Gary?”

ME: “No I am Patrick the photographer”

MUP: “Oh I thought you were an artist” (MUP walks off)

Well at least I know now. All that angst I have about whether I am an artist lifted off my shoulders just like that.

The decisive moment?

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:45:35 +0000

Audrey Brisson-Jutras reacts in character to a stupid comment during a performance of Oliver’s Army at Central School of Speech and Drama.

Gone to the Dogs

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:27:23 +0000

The Call of The Wild performed by Central Drama School students in an adaptation by Blind Summit Theatre. I am always entranced when I photograph puppetry. If it is well done which this production is I find it really easy to suspend my disbelief. I think my dog Buddy would have found this particular show very interesting!

Its dark in here…again

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:56:00 +0000

1/60th sec f1.4 @ 8000 ISO. Camera: D700

This image is from a shoot I did for Border Crossings Theatre Company.

Photography of Sir Donald Sinden

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:05:11 +0000

I spent an afternoon at the Garrick Club in London’s west end photographing Sir Donald Sinden. He was making a short film for the Garrick talking about all the amazing portraits of the members that adorn the walls. One hilarious anecdote after another tripped off his tongue. His career spans such a long golden age of theatre that his knowledge and stories give the impression of stretching back over 100 years. He is in rude health and is as sharp as a pin with perfect comedic timing all still intact.

My job was to photograph him and also the students from Central School of Speech and Drama who made up the audience for the film. Some of the American students present had very little idea who some of the older actors being discussed were and Sir Donald rubbed it in by encouraging them to keep up with their English lessons!

Joss Ackland

admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 10:14:20 +0000

I had the pleasure of photographing one of Britain’s great actors, Joss Ackland, the other day. My first memory of him is when I was about 15! watching a thing on TV called “The Cres”. To meet him after all that time was a great pleasure. He was in conversation with Geoff Colman of Central School of Speech and Drama. It was so entertaining to listen to that I had to really concentrate on taking the pictures and not just sit there laughing at his anecdotes and stories. Did you know that the first American actor to burst through a set of French windows and ask “Anyone for tennis?” was Humphrey Bogart?!

Theatre Photography…sort of

admin — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:28:56 +0000

I do a lot of theatre photography naturally but not all of it is in theatres! This shot was done in a disused warehouse in Kennington.

Every year students at Central School of Speech and Drama create a site specific piece of theatre. A large group basically move into an environment chosen for it’s potential for the weird and wonderful. They then spend a week or so devising a show using all the different spaces to create their theatrical event. Invariably it involves the audience being led through the event to experience and sometimes participate in little corners of theatre happening in unexpected places and rooms. It is always a visual extravaganza. I always have no clue what to expect. I always have no idea what it all means-because I am concentrating so hard on getting good photographs-and I always love every minute of it and usually go round twice.

It is quite a challenge in some ways to photograph the event because it is mostly very dark and mysterious so exposures are usually the wrong side of slow and high ISO’s are essential. On the other hand the shows themselves are so free spirited that I shoot with total abandon and get some extraordinary images from these events. I also get a lot of rubbish which all dies under my delete button when I get home. The joy of digital.

For reasons still not explained to me the image here is from a show called “Squishy Bananas”. I think it was a working title that never changed. Seemingly as a result of that all subsequent shows now have names with a bit more gravitas…like…”Hamlet”.