Twelfth Night

Amongst the assignments I take on as a photographer, there is one type I much enjoy - theatre. However, most are in the predictable environment of one of several theatres I regularly go to shoot in but on Thursday last week, it was the turn of outdoor theatre. Great! A summer evening out in the beautiful grounds of the Odney Estate in Berkshire, to photograph an Edwardian take on the Shakespeare classic, Twelfth Night. What could be nicer?

Well, the weather for a start! As I drove around the M25, I watched whilst the sky became ever more depressing as I sat in an equally depressing 20 mph traffic jam. Sure enough, when I finally arrived on site, the rain was drizzling in that 'getting you wetter than you think' way.

As I set up on this final dress rehearsal night, it was imperative that kit was waterproofed, whilst a few hardy souls took to the seats to watch this final run-through, also duly waterproofed.

Main challenges for the night: keeping my roving camera dry by tucking the handle into my coat pocket of a beautifully distracting large brightly coloured, borrowed golfing brolly, leaving my hands free to do the business. And as with any theatre shoot, that is active, anticipating moves, avoiding shots directly into spotlights and, an issue with outdoor shoots, dealing with ever changing light levels.

The opening scene had Viola entering dripping wet, having been rescued from the shipwreck. (Not much help needed with that effect then, nor on successive performances by all accounts!)
So without Much Ado (oh, hang on, that is another play) I will just let you take in a few shots for the ambiance of the (very damp) evening.

And the curtain call...

Hats off to all involved for making it through, despite the awful wet conditions, and not least for not being distracted by a meandering photographer with a colourful big brolly!

Look forward to the next shoot...in the dry please guys?!!

The New Fox, Performing Now...

Jesse Fox

A little while back you may remember a post I made about an up and coming young actor.
Well, here is a chance to go and see him in action.

Currently appearing in Hard Feelings at the Finborough Theatre until 6th July, the play, written and set in the 80's, is about a group of Oxford graduates, living in Brixton, who are more concerned about the battles within their home than the riots that are going on outside.

Receiving excellent reviews, it is a play to try and get along to if you live in the south. For those of you living further north, his next role will be at the Edinburgh Festival.

Break a leg Jess!

Saffron Hall

Entrance under construction, June 2013, and inset, as it was before work commenced.

(Photographically, this isn't to be the most excting blog post but there is a film later...)

It had been a familiar aspect of the Saffron Walden County High School for many, including ourselves. The triangular glazed lobby was passed through on many occasions, be it to drop forgotten items of school paraphernalia to one of our off-spring, or latterly, as the entrance to the towns' excellent community cinema Saffron Screen

Around two years ago, the old entrance was closed off and the school hall, which had been built in the 1950s and had out-lived its usefulness, was pulled down at the beginning of an ambitious plan to provide the school and also the town with a world-class facility.

To quote from the school website:

"A  brand new performance space is gradually taking shape next to Saffron Walden County High School. The name of the venue is Saffron Hall - designed to inspire through music and the arts and the result of a progressive partnership between Saffron Walden County High School and the Yellow Car Charitable Trust.

Saffron Hall will be a flexible state-of-the-art hall with equipment to match and exceptional adjustable acoustics. It will open in late November 2013 and provide a home for concerts, plays and other events of all shapes and sizes - a programme combining school and amateur events and performances by professional artists and ensembles of national and international stature. The Hall will have a maximum seating capacity of 730."


Whilst on my daily walks in the near-by park, I have been watching and indeed, listening to the noises during the construction process of this new building. The townsfolk have endured wrangles with parking issues created as a result of the building work, and the cinema-goers have had to adapt to the changed access to Saffron Screen. So, to find that the new hall is nearing completion is music to the ears of many. And are we excited about it? Well, I can't speak for everyone, but for me, I'm certainly looking forward to enjoying the new facility. Last night I caught up with the second of two films documenting the progress of this project. Judging by the information given, it is sure to give some of the other venues, both local and further afield (with one, which will remain nameless and has the most dreadful acoustics) serious cause for concern. This second film shows just how versatile and exciting this top-class hall is going to be - and it is in our town.

Take a look at this fascinating little film for yourself

Enter Saffron Hall by clicking on the image

So, no more uncomfortable church pews; views obscured by pillars; muffled music; lost voices and the end to driving miles for a good gig.

Roll on November!

A New Fox

Earlier this year I was delighted to catch up again with this young actor who is now newly emerged onto the scene. It was great to spend a few hours on this shoot in a wonderful tucked-away location, whilst he chatted about what he has been up to over the past few years and what he has planned for the future.

With his television debut earlier this year and a place in the Edinbugh Fringe this summer, he has a bright future ahead of him.

...not to mention the help he will have from those blue eyes!

He's certainly one to chart progress with, and I will update you where I can.

So, watch out, there's a new Fox on the acting patch.
...and don't forget, you saw him here first!



Thank you jdyf

Improbable Fiction, Alan Ayckbourn

A recent shoot in London, in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA),
of the Alan Ayckbourn play Improbable Fiction
Performed by the John Lewis Partnership Dramatic Society.

Once again, I was delighted to have been asked to shoot for JLPDS and look forward to shooting their next exciting production (well I think so) in July.