Performance Photography : Hull Truck Theatre - Educating Rita

This is the production photography I did for the Willy Russell play 'Educating Rita' at Hull Truck Theatre (unsurprisingly in Hull in England). 

Here's the review from 'The Stage' by Will Ramsey

"Great stacks of books dominate James Turner's set. They bulge from the shelves and the piles heaped above the door frame makes you fear for whomever dares to enter. It's a fitting metaphor for how Rita is about to have her life shaken up in Hull Truck’s revival of Willy Russell’s play – a little learning can be a head-turning thing.

Mark Babych's production of Educating Rita is lithe and leanly-muscled. In the mouths of the two leads, Simon Armstrong and Taj Atwal, the words flow like poetry. A lot of work has gone into getting the rhythms of the speech right – lecturer Frank's exacting turns of phrase and the Scouse inflections of his student Rita. They’ve been honed to the point where they feel completely natural; it’s as if we're listening in on them.

As the destructive Frank, Armstrong keeps his character's fears beneath the surface. There are points when, whether silently staring into space or sharply reacted to Rita after she tells him about the young students she's been speaking with, we sense of the deep disappointments buried in him.

Rita brings joy back to his life. As played by Atwal, she is sparky and engaging, but her performance is more than just a humorous turn. We sense the sharpness of the character's intelligence, the hopes that she holds that this course of study could change her life.

The themes of the play seem more pertinent now than ever, given the financial pressures involved in taking a degree. Babych nods to this with a brief snatch of a radio report - it sounds like the dulcet tones of John Humphries – about the strains universities face. It makes you wonder what Rita – and others like her – would do today."

Rehearsal Photography : Educating Rita - Hull Truck Theatre

Yesterday it was across to Hull to join Mark Babych and the cast of 'Educting Rita' in their rehearsal room at Hull Truck Theatre. 

Simon Armstrong and Taj Atwal play Rita and Frank and I spent a happy hour their whilst they ran scenes and polished what promises to be a terrific production.

From their website:

"Rita is a twenty-something Liverpudlian hairdresser with a hunger for knowledge. Frank is her Open University tutor, a cynical failed poet who hides the whisky behind the Dickens. Captivated by her honest and enthusiastic approach to Chekhov, Eliot and Lawrence, Frank finds his love of teaching returning, until Rita’s newfound independence leads her away from him and into cultural limbo.

A British theatre classic, this hilarious comedy about the clash of two sections of society is as relevant today as when it was originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1980. The play won the Society of West End Theatres award for Best Comedy and Best Play and the film version, starring Julie Walters and Michael Caine, was Oscar-nominated and won three BAFTAs."

Rehearsal Photography : The Mountaintop - New Vic Theatre

It was across to the New Vic Theatre gain this week to photograph rehearsals for 'The Mountaintop' which opens in a week.

From the New Vic website:

" Intimate yet epic, winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play and a huge Broadway hit, The Mountaintop is a heartbreaking, powerful and surprisingly humorous re-imagining of events in the hours before the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

April 3 1968. The Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Tennessee. Tomorrow, it will be the scene of a nation’s tragedy. But tonight, it’s just another stopover motel room for Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

With a storm raging outside, a young maid arrives to deliver his cup of coffee. As they talk, King
is forced to confront his past, his ideals and his hopes for the future. But who is this mysterious young woman? And what is the true purpose of her visit? "

Theatre Photography : New Vic Theatre - Talent

Last night I photographed the Dress Rehearsal for the New Vic Theatre's latest offering Victoria Wood's 1978 play 'Talent'. Performed in the round by a cast of five.

From Wikipedia:

Talent centres around two friends, the plain, overweight Maureen, and her more glamorous friend Julie, who has entered a talent contest. According to Screenonline:

"Julie is one of the hopefuls - a 24-year-old secretary and young mum caught between her youthful dreams of showbiz glamour and the realisation of her more likely future: soul-crushing domesticity and drudgery with upwardly mobile boyfriend Dave. With her for support is the awkward, frumpy Maureen, long in the shadow of her slimmer, better-looking friend."

Have a peek at this great production - 

Performance Photography : Staffs University - Pericles & Richard II

As well as fully professional productions I do occasionally photograph both amateur and student theatre. This week I went along to Staffordshire University Drama Department to photograph their 3rd Year productions of Shakespeare's 'Pericles' and 'Richard II' - the latter, as you'll see, transposed to a women's prison. Take a peek - 

Rehearsal Photography : Talent - New Vic Theatre

I popped across to The New Vic Theatre in Staffordshire to photograph rehearsals for Victoria Wood's 'Talent'.

After a fun warm up to the sounds of the 70s it was straight into rehearsals of one of the beautiful songs from the show. I'm really looking forward to photographing the Dress Rehearsal of the show next week.

Theatre Photography : New Vic Theatre - Diana of Dobson's

Last night I photographed the Dress Rehearsal of 'Diana of Dobson's' at the New Vic Theatre in Staffordshire. Here's a little look at the production photography - it's a great looking show with it's minimalist setting and gorgeous costumes.

Rehearsal Photography : Diana of Dobson's - New Vic Theatre

I popped by the New Vic Theatre today to photograph rehearsals for a new production of a 'lost' Edwardian play 'Diana of Dobson's' by Cicely Hamilton, directed by Abbey Wright. I spent an hour photographing a beautifully choreographed scene change and I can't wait to see some of the acting(!) when I photograph the dress rehearsal later in the month.

The Archers : Radio 4 - Behind The Scenes

In September 2014 I went behind the scenes of Radio 4's 'The Archers' for an editorial piece in the WI Life magazine. It was a fascinating experience to get a look at a live recording of radio's longest running serial drama - it was an even better experience to be able to photograph what was happening as an actual recording took place.

Here are a few of the images I took on the day:

Theatre Photography : New Vic Theatre - Kiss Me Quickstep

Last night I photographed the Dress Rehearsal for Amanda Whittington's new play at The New Vic Theatre in Staffordshire set in the world of amateur ballroom dancing in Blackpool.

Click here for a peek at the rehearsal photography.