Scene one:
I’m surfing free to air channels and notice one guy pinning another guy to the floor in a cage fight. The guy underneath is having his arm twisted in an arm lock, suddenly, his arm goes floppy, it’s either broken or dislocated at the elbow, a cut to the studio and the host says “guess who just became a southpaw?” The audience laughs and I change stations a little more disturbed than I wanted to be at 8 o’clock on a weekday night.
Scene two:
Condense the disregard we demonstrate towards each other, add in some self obsession and insecurity, then express it verbally in a 70 minute stream of consciousness rant, and you'd probably end up with something like Thom Pain.
Jon Halpin, Jason Klarwein and the Queensland Theatre Co, delivered Will Eno’s play uncompromisingly. Luckily in the tradition of many productions at the Billie Brown Theatre, it didn’t need to be liked. Thom Pain has a higher purpose than that.
It’s harshness appeared to prompt numerous walk out’s and at the Billie Brown no one gets out without being noticed. The exit is up the front along side the stage and the door itself makes a racket when opened.
Thom was 10 minutes in and footsteps came down the aisle. Jason paused and then, with every eye in the house on the guy, called the him a “c#nt” (gasp from audience) as he exited.
Scene three:
The phone rang and it was the almost daily call from some charity, this time it was for two wheel chairs for a couple of kids with muscular dystrophy, but it could have been in aid of any one with a need that they can’t meet themselves.
In this rich country needy people have to beg. Evidently the majority don’t agree that they should automatically count on us.
Scene four:
Interesting, most people think Beckett’s work is absurd, impenetrable, and elusive. But I have a feeling Joe Mitchell who deftly directed the QTC’s “Waiting for Godot” knows better.
The play centres on two anxious characters feeling sorry for themselves and awaiting something, they’re not sure what, but hoping it will make things better for themselves, though they’re not sure how.
Careless disregard, exploitation and selfishness all make an appearance. No one shows any real compassion and concern for others. The suffering of others is either ignored or reduced to a curiosity or an object of fun.
Now where did Samuel Beckett get those crazy ideas from, and what could he possibly have been getting at?
(Tuesday, 08 June 2010)
It was one of the best seats in the house. There’re no bad ones at the Cremorne, but this one was two rows behind and a few seats to the right of David Williamson who was watching his “Let the Sunshine” being performed.
A chance to observe one of our greatest observers reacting in sync with the rest of the audience, chuckling and laughing as we recognized bits of ourselves and each other up on stage.
Part of Let the Sunshine's subtext is that our politics are not an adequate reflections of who we are, and our values, interests and beliefs are fluid and overlapping. If we ever need to be reminded of anything, it's that! To be able to do that in an entertaining way that disarms everyone is David Williamson’s gift.
As for the storyline … go and see it you’ll love it!! (actually I think it might almost be sold out)
The after party was also Michael Gow’s swansong as Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company after ten successful years. Sad, but the flipside is he’ll get a chance to write more which is very, very good!
(Sunday, 18 April 2010)
I’ve got a friend who is a bit like Clark Kent. At first glance he’s a dude in an office job, but he’s been under the radar. A few years ago Marty (Hill) bought over a set of clay-mation figures to be photographed. They were characters in a sitcom he’d dreamt up called Rockdogs, and he was planning to computer animate it and pitch it at the likes of MTV.
Most of us have daydreams about such things but Marty acted on his and has since backed himself further and written (funny) scripts and produced them using live actors, … and a second series is underway!! He’s also teamed up with Greg Shaw who is Keith Urban’s Australian manager, to help promote the ‘dogs. We arranged a swap where I’d do the promo shots for Rockdogs and Marty would build me this 2.0 site.
You can see Rockdogs light hearted “college” style humor here on youtube.
(Tuesday, 06 April 2010)
There’re two types of performance photography, each in many ways the opposite of the other. Rehearsal photography involves a virtually empty room with even (but usually low) lighting, actor/s and a director, often an assortment of designers, sound composers and lighting specialists and occasionally the playwright, all meeting to discuss and perform the script. Over three hours or so there may be the same 5-10 minute scene repeated over and over interspersed with discussion. The trick is to get variety.
Production photography is recording the performance in its finished form with costumes, and often with bright constantly changing, high contrast lighting, you’ve got no idea what will happen next and there’s only one chance to get it.
My first production shoot for The Queensland Theatre Co. was “The Orphanage Project” in 2003. Written by the very talented Angela Beitzen, the play was an alternate history of Australia from the veiwpoint of the non-beneficiaries of settlement and society in general. She teamed up with director Leticia Carceras plus an ensemble of youthful actors and production professionals to deliver a poignant reminder about a wrong this country was collectively denying at the time. It was a stinging volley of shots during the long dark years of the “Howard Culture Wars”. Bravo.
Queensland Theatre Compant 2003
(Wednesday, 24 February 2010)
Rachel Richards rang and told me she’d written a set of songs for new cd. It was to be called “Beautiful Dreams” and centered on her grandmothers’ dementia and her grandfathers enduring affection regardless of circumstance. She didn’t have anything particularly in mind for the photography and wanted to leave it up to me.
I don’t like to over think photographs and often have an “it’ll be right on the night” approach.
Rach was living at Rosewood which is located in the plains and foothills of the great dividing range west of Brisbane. I did and internet search of local maps and decided we’d meet at a railway siding late one afternoon in June just gone. It was a cold night, and we froze our butts off as we stumbled in the dark with torches but managed to get enough in a few hours. A dragline in a coal mine a mile across the valley provided some handy fill light. The purple sky was an in camera effect, the white balance was on auto. I hope it’s going good for you Rach.
Musicians portraits, Music Photography, Cover Art
(Tuesday, 12 January 2010)