Austin-based photographer Kirk R. Tuck writes and illustrates an article at his blog The Visual Science Lab about capturing an epic moment in the Zach Theatre's March-May 2012 production of The Laramie Project by Moisés and the Tectonic Theatre Project:
An interesting job with mixed light sources. On the stage.
by Kirk R. Tuck at The Visual Science Lab, May 12, 2012
I
had several assignments during the course of the day this past Friday
but this set of images for Zachary Scott Theatre was the most
interesting to photograph. There's a scene at the end of the play, The Laramie Project, where one of the actors (Jaston Williams, of Greater Tuna and Tuna Texas fame)
stands on a square riser covered in grass and is pelted by rain as he
stretches his hands out from his side. In the context of the play it's
a very powerful moment.
I
saw the scene the first time ten years ago during a dress rehearsal
shoot and we captured it on film. The shot was okay but not quite what
we wanted. Then, ten years later, I shot the scene again, during a
recent dress rehearsal. Technical issues kept me from getting the shot
the marketing director and I both wanted. The spot light on the actor
was too contrasty (for the camera...just right for the audience) and
the letters across the back were not bright enough. The slow shutter
speed we needed in order to dig into the darkness meant that we didn't
get any sort of frozen motion on the rain drops. We knew we'd have to
light the shot to get the image that we both could visualize in our
heads.
Based on the true story of The Bloody Countess, Erzsebet Bathori, this original opera is a tale of horror, murder, and magic created by award-winning Ethos composer and designer Chad Salvata. Vampyress received accolades when it debuted at The Vortex in 2005, including winning B. Iden Payne Awards for Outstanding Original Score (Chad Salvata), Outstanding Lead Actress (Melissa Vogt-Patterson), and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Betsy McCann).
