I got to return to the Pearl Theatre Company and shoot their latest show: This Side of Neverland.  What a different space!  From the sprawling, wide-open expanse of Henry IV, Part 1, to a constrained homage to the turn of the century theaters that might have portrayed J.M. Barrie’s plays in England.  Having only known Barrie as most people probably do, from Peter Pan, it was interesting to see two of his one-act plays that were, frankly, probably a bit subversive in his day!  Rosalind explores women and aging, especially women of the stage and how they must stay young to land roles and the choices they make of diet and fashion over comfort; career over family.  The Twelve Pound Look takes a look at women’s independence and the false security of success and ambition.  Both dealt with their themes with easy humor delivered with an occasional sting.

The shoot was uneventful.  The lighting was the brightest I’ve dealt with for a while, so I was able to shoot at nice high apertures and at a relatively low ISO.  My one challenge was that, especially in the first piece, the costumes tended to blend in with the set and due to the shallow stage, there wasn’t much light coming from behind to separate the actors from the background.  It was 100% evocative of a music hall, but for taking photos it made things a little flat.