Behind the Scenes
Photographs of historic scenery are often very static, especially in souvenir programs. Performers are carefully posed in front of scenes compositions. I think of the souvenir program for “Ben Hur” with the various actors in carefully arranged stage pictures. The one thing that Jo Whaley and I tried to convey in the book “The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre” (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018) was a sense of movement and allowing the reader to enter the scene. Whaley spent hours asking models to slightly move their head, hands, or walk in a certain direction during long exposure shots at the theater. Everything else remained perfectly still, but a slight blur suggesting movement activated the space. The first time she showed me the effect, I was blown away. Models were also positioned to break the picture frame and increase the overall depth with use of silhouettes.
This was a remarkable departure from many other photographs that depicted painted scenes on historic stages around the world. As we selected images for my chapter and the degree portfolio (Chapters 4 and 5 in the book), we decided upon some unnatural compositions too. A backdrop that becomes a blur, accentuating the cut drop details down stage; this was created by slowly pulling out the backdrop. One photo that I specifically requested was taking a picture of the auditorium from behind a cut drop. I have been taking these types of photographs for quite some time, as it helps give definition to netting, bobbinet, and theatrical gauze. My argument to include a composition like this in the book was that it placed the reader in the position of an actor on stage.
I enjoy photographing details in a theatre that the average person will never see, not unless you are an actor or stagehand. That is also why I suggested taking an image from the fly rail in Santa Fe, providing a stagehand’s view of the backdrop, cut drop, floor cloth, props and performers for the 4th degree setting – the Holy of Holies. The collaborative effort was astounding. As Jo had worked for years as a scenic artist in California before focusing on photography in the 1970s, she understood what I was asking, but would still have me take a picture with my phone of EXACTLY what I wanted her to shoot. Then she would take a photograph for the book, adding in her own expertise as a photographer to the composition. We spent hours over the phone “tweaking” each and every photo in the book, even if they were just historical photographs.
There was one type of composition that didn’t make the cut, and I completely understood the decision – the illuminated backside of a backdrop. Many historical drops used very thin layers of paint. I am not talking about glazing, but a thinner coat than many scenic artists used today. Furthermore, the strips of cotton sheeting that were sewn together for backdrops, cut drops and leg drops was MUCH thinner than we use for standard backdrops. The thin fabric, combined with the thin paint, makes a lovely effect when you view the composition from upstage side. The stage lights illuminate the drop and it always reminds me of a negative. The scene looks a bit surreal.
Today, I am sharing images that I have primarily taken for myself, never intended to share with anyone. Just like a picturesque landscape, or brilliant flower, I see beauty in many of these unusual details and perspectives.
To be continued…
