First Folio brings "Hamlet" to the stage

I've shot full-show Shakespeare productions by First Folio Productions of Indianapolis since its 2014 spring presentation, "Romeo and Juliet." And while First Folio always has done a remarkable job, this spring's "Hamlet" might just be its best yet.

"Hamlet," which is playing at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, opened last weekend and has one more weekend of shows -- 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 3-4, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday June 5. Check the link in this sentence for ticket information.

I first saw "Hamlet" male lead Carey Shea as the cynical philospher Apemantus in the rarely performed "Timon of Athens," Casey Ross Productions' contribution to last fall's inaugural Indy Bard Fest at Studio 15 in Carmel, Ind. I was struck then by his ability to convey a non-lead but nevertheless important character. When I photographed the "Hamlet" dress rehearsal on May 24, I saw it even more so when he brought Hamlet to life and, alas, to death on the stage.

Devan Mathias was cast in the play's female role lead, Ophelia, and her dramatic meltdown scene gives photographers the thrill we seek in trying to best capture the moment. Kudos go out, as well, to Matthew Anderson, whose portrayal of Claudius, the evil, conniving stepfather of Hamlet, is strong and convincing, reaching its apex in the dramatic soliloquy just before intermission.

Director Glenn Dobbs devoted attention to intensifying the climactic swordfight scene depicted in the photo leading off the post. The scene pits Hamlet (Shea, left) against John Mortell's Laertes. Mortell is a veteran of First Folio swordfight scenes in shows that I've photographed ("Macbeth" 2015 and "Romeo and Juliet" 2014), and directors of Shakespearean dramas no doubt find those skills a welcome complement to his character portrayal acumen.

First Folio's "Hamlet" has had favorable reviews by at least three theater bloggers -- Melissa Hall ("Stage Write"), Ken Klingenmeier ("A Seat on the Aisle") and "Jay Harvey Upstage."

Ah, but this blog is about pictures, not about words (although I'm sure you can find many posts to present as evidence otherwise). Here are a few of the shots from the show, which is likely to be one of my last to photograph, to whet your appetite for the real thing. A full gallery of my shots from the play is available to view at my SmugMug.com site.

Photo geek stuff: I shot the entire production with a Canon 6D equipped with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens. I used a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens to shoot individual shots of the cast members, which the director, Glenn Dobbs, asked me to take in addition to the play photos. Those photos are not included in this post but might be represented in a separate post down the road. My settings for the play shots varied according to light conditions and when action on stage was normal or intense. I did shoot using shutter-priority mode for the entire play. For non-action scenes, I was able to shoot at shutter speeds ranging from 1/160 to 1/200; for the climactic sword-fight scene, I raised the shutter speed to 1/640 and set the ISO to 8000 (there was good lighting). My ISO setting was my major variable, as stage lighting varied frequently throughout the show. For lighting at its most optimum point, my ISO was usually from 1600 to 2000; at lighting's lowest point, I used ISOs ranging from 4000 to 16,000 or more (the ghost scene).

Above and below: Throughout Shakespeare's classic drama, Hamlet's relationships with key characters run friendly and violent, the most notable of which is that with Ophelia. Carey Shea and Devan Mathias portray those characters.

Above: A confrontation between Hamlet and Laertes, played by John Mortell. With the help and encouragement of Claudius, Laertes will seek revenge for the death of his father, Polonius, at Hamlet's hand in his mother's bed chamber.

Above: Hamlet with Polonius, portrayed by Tom Weingartner. 

Above: Hamlet has anger issues even with his own mother, Gertrude, played by Ericka Barker.

Hamlet above with trusted friend Horatio (Benjamin Mathis), who later in the story (below) comforts Hamlet in his last moments. First Folio's production takes the unusual step of opening with the denouement ... before presenting the whole story as a flashback. 

Above and below: Ophelia begins her run off the rails in this scene ...

... then completes it shortly afterward in the scene captured in the photos above and next three below.

Above and next three below: Claudius in his soliloquy of anguish and remorse just before intermission, climaxing with the emergence of Hamlet with drawn dagger. Hamlet refrains from using it this time, but Claudius isn't as fortunate in the final scene when the prince follows through. 

Above: In the final scene, Hamlet, moments after his mother had fallen fatally to a swallow of poison that was intended for Hamlet, finally follows through with the slaying of Claudius.

Ericka Barker as Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, in a moment of conversation (above), and in the violent bed chamber scene with her son (next two below).  

Above: Hamlet confronts the ghost of Hamlet's father, played by Andy Burnett. 

Chris Burton (above) and Anne Gross (with Burton, next two below) are the lead player and player queen in the performance of "The Murder of Gonzago," a play within the play that Hamlet devises to replicate the slaying of Hamlet's father. Hamlet hopes the play can help him determine if Claudius was responsible for his father's demise.  

Burton has the dual role of gravedigger (above), who presents Hamlet with a skull, supposedly of Yorick, jester in the court of King Hamlet, prompting a monologue on mortality (below) by the play's lead character.

A peek at what you don't see when attending a theatrical production

My shoot for First Folio Productions’ presentation of Romeo and Juliet late last month was a two-day affair. As indicated and illustrated in the previous post here, the first day was devoted to scenes from the dress rehearsal.

The second day was used to grab “behind the scenes” images, a group shot of the cast and crew, and some photos reflecting a refinement of the visual “show” the crew devised as part of the opening musical sequence. You saw a couple shots of the latter in the previous post.

This post is about the behind-the-scenes images, and it leads off with a shot of Susan Yeaw getting guitarist/vocalist Al Hoffman wired up for amplification. Susan worked the show in the control booth of the Ben Davis High School theater, but she is an accomplished actress who I met through her various roles with the Garfield Shakespeare Company.

I’ve come to learn that an angular perspective, or tilt, seems appropriate at times when composing a shot, and this scene in the control booth in the back of the theater seemed to be one of those times.

Above and next three below: Crew members in the control booth work with the stage lighting and visual portion of the show. On stage are Glenn Dobbs, the play’s director (first below) and cast member Jurrell Spencer (in costume), who played Count Paris. Shortly thereafter, Spencer would join fellow cast members Mark Varick and Anderson Parker in the first row of seats to watch further fine-tuning of the visual presentation. Varick played Benvolio, friend of Romeo, which was Parker’s role.

The silhouette above of stage manager Melody Burnett, who also was in charge of set decoration, adjusting the curtain to the balcony is one of my favorite from the night’s shoot. Earlier in the evening, Burnett and cast member John Mortell (below), who played Romeo’s rival Tybalt, were nearby as the fog machine was tested.

Above: In the men’s dressing room, Stephen Scull (Prince Escalus) makes his way toward a locker to put on his outfit.

Outside the dressing rooms, cast member Brian Kennedy (above), who played Lord Montegue, finds his costume from the rack. A while later (below), he was in the dressing room beginning the makeup process. 

Elsewhere in the men’s dressing room, Daniel Clymer (above) finessed the look around his eyes, his costume (first below) hanging several yards away at his locker. Clymer played Friar Laurence. Also working on the eyes was fellow cast member Tristan Ross (second below), who played Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet. Sitting on a chair against one of the walls (third below) were neatly arranged belongings and a dance scene mask.  

Above: In the women’s dressing room, cast members Debbie Coon (left) and Michelle Wafford Mannweiler enjoy a laugh while tidying up. Coon played Balthasar, Wafford Mannweiler was Juliet.

Above: Carrie Reiberg’s work with the aerosol can is captured in three mirrors. She played Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet.

Above: Kat Paton, who played Lady Montegue, concentrates on the eyes.

Makeup artist Delores Dugger adjusts cast member Joyce Feichtner’s bonnet (above) and sprays Paton’s hair (below). Observing Dugger above is Jessica Thompson.

Pre-rehearsal confabs can occur just about anywhere. The one above featuring (from left) Mortell, Dobbs, Varick, Parker (mostly obscured by Varick) and Spencer, ocurred outside the dressing rooms. The one below, featuring (from left) Dobbs, Andy Burnett (who played Abraham), Yeaw, Paton and Mortell, occurred behind the stage curtain, near the stairs to where performers reached the area for the balcony scene.

Above: After the behind-the-stage conference, Mortell has a playful exchange with another cast/crew member.

The dress rehearsal’s pre-show routine includes various stretching regimens. Above, Scull walks past Varick, who is using the stage as his mat for hamstring work. Both men will need to be limber for combat scenes. Scull (first below), supervised by Dobbs, does a hop routine. And the full cast (second below), in circle form, runs through a drill of tongue-twisters to hone the skill of recall ... and enunciation.

Above: The stage as seen from the theater's control booth.

A couple of performers have come up to me after seeing my pictures from shows, whether theater or music, and have told me how much they appreciated shots I've gotten from the perspective the performer has during a show. It serves as a fond, vivid reminder of their experiences. Of course, performer perspective shots such as the ones above and below are missing a key component that the performers also see — the audience. But from a perspective standpoint, the above shot is roughly what the actors see when they are on stage (even though lights there are mostly dimmed), and in the case of the second shot below, what a soloist has to deal with by way of a spotlight when they are front and center. The first shot below depicts the elevated perspective of Juliet during the play’s balcony scene.

Above and below: These two shots represent a novelty of sorts. The Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 ultra-wide-angle lens I used for them was designed for use on a small-sensor camera, like my Canon 7D. But I used it on my full-frame sensor Canon 6D. I simply had to zoom down to a point where vignetting disappeared. But the wide angle the lens provides gives you a feel for what the First Folio visual presentation during the musical interludes looked like from difference perspectives. 

Above: Behind stage, a table holding the sundry props that would be used during the course of the performance. 

Above: The cast and crew of First Folio Pructions’ Romeo and Juliet.