A Shooting in the Winery

Our local theater company, The Mebane Acting Company, knows that I like to take pictures, so with their current show, Murdered by the Mob, opening soon, they invited me to the dress rehearsals to get some shots for their scrapbook.

Unlike the work I did for Steel Magnolias, and another adventure with Stuart Little (that went so badly I didn't even write about it, let alone share the pictures) this time I had the proper gear and state of mind to get some decent shots.

This play was a dinner theater, and being performed at the Benjamin Vineyards and Winery near Graham, NC. The space was, I guess where they do the grape pressing and maybe fermenting and bottling. The light was a little weird, as were some of the paint colors of the wall. Thanks to a new control card I just got, I was able to correct for the light color pretty well, I think. It was a tight space with all the tables, but there wasn't much scenery, and no audience, so there was still some room to move.

Here's the synopsis:

Welcome to D'Angelo's, the hottest speakeasy around. If you think the '20's are roaring, you ain't heard nothin' 'til you've been to this joint. The jazz is hot and the gin is cold. Our master of ceremonies, Johnny Biscotti has his best show yet, featuring the ever popular Lydia LaJoy, and introducing a couple of cute chorines sure to turn the head of even the toughest mobster. The boss himself, Danny D'Angelo is sure to make an appearance, along with several of his, uh, "business associates." So sit back, order yourself an "ice tea," and enjoy the show. But be careful, and watch your back...this gangster murder mystery will have you "swimming with the fishes!" from James Daab

Some shots of the production
























And the official cast photos

Danny D’Angelo: Thomas Drago


Johnny Biscotti: Andrew Porterfield


Sally: Lysandra Penn-Bartoo


Lydia Lajoy: Stacey Thomann


Betty: Veronica Penn-Bartoo


Butch: James Bailey


Pretty Boy Percelli: Christian Moore


Officer Mulroony: Walter Boyd

A Shooting in the Theater

Our local theater company, The Mebane Acting Company, knows that I like to take pictures, so with their current show, Steel Magnolias, opening this week, they invited me to the dress rehearsals to get some shots for their scrapbook.

At first, I was hesitant to do it. After all, I lost my good camera a few months ago and haven't replaced it yet, so I wasn't very excited about what I'd be able to do with any of the point-and-shoots we have sitting around the house. Going backwards in equipment quality has really taken the wind out of my sails. Plus indoor shots in a dark room (preferably without flash) are tough under the best of circumstances, and trying it with snapshot-quality gear would only make it worse. But I decided to do it anyway, because they were going to get pictures anyhow, and at least I know how to use my cheap(er) cameras, so I should be able to get something usable, as frustrating as it may be

I was happily surprised! Using a tripod and the High ISO setting on my Sony DSC-H2, yielded some not-too-shabby pictures. There's blatant sensor noise in there, but it's not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Kudos, Sony!








And there were some other parts of the task that made it more fun than I had anticipated. First, since I was the "official" photographer, and it was a dress rehearsal (empty theater), I could feel free to go wherever I wanted to to get the shot. I was all over the place, and the actors were instructed to ignore me, which was perfect. That's so much nicer than trying to get a decent photo from wherever you happen to be sitting in a crowded theater, while not using a flash and not disturbing the other patrons. . . . and all that's assuming that photography is even allowed, which it usually isn't.

Another enjoyable part of the process is that I had my iPod on and cranked while I was shooting. Since Steel Magnlolias is really a chick-flick of amateur theater, I didn't really care about the dialogue. With the music blasting, the whole process was kind of surreal, with the disconnect between the sight and the sound. I highly recommend this process.

Once I took what I thought were enough shots, I left the theater and shot some surprisingly cool stuff in downtown Graham, using my same loud rock soundtrack in the process.





I left Graham that night feeling pretty satisfied with the work I'd done, and realized that this was the most enjoyment I'd had with a camera since losing my 40D in July . Photography is fun again.

UPDATE: 05-October-2008

The theater company was happy with my work, and asked me to return to shoot the remaining three scenes of the play. (It turns out that I had previously only shot one scene.) Since Jennifer wanted to see the show anyway, she came with me to the Sunday matinee, where she watched the play, and I got an additional 280 shots. Actually listening to the dialogue, I and the other three men in the audience (in addition to a few dozen women there) found some really funny lines, and some excellent acting.

The Baker's Wife

Springtime in Mebane means more than longer days and warmer temperatures. It also means that The Mebane Acting Company puts on their annual adult musical production of their season. This year, that production was The Baker's Wife, a story in which the bickering residents of a small Provencal town at last find peace and contentment in the heavenly bread of the newly arrived baker and his attractive young wife, but when she is lured away by the attentions of a handsome young gigolo, the middle-aged baker loses all zest for life and baking, throwing the community into chaos.

Jeff Overstreet was once again running the musical end of the show, so I happily agreed to play in the pit orchestra. Rehearsals were Monday-Thursday, with performances Friday-Sunday. Since I have a decent camera now, I was able to get a few shots at the rehearsals and warm-ups. Regrettably, I didn't take enough pictures. I don't have shots of everyone, nor shots while people are performing the show. Remind me next year to get these!

Click here for the full Mebane Acting Company smart set.

Director Tamra Kress (with Marilyn Fox playing bass in the background)


Musical Director Jeff Overstreet


AIMABLE CASTAGNET - Wayne Leonard


GENIVIEVE CASTAGNET - Joni Creekmore


DENISE - Ann Imrick, and THERESE - Blair Dowling



ANTOINE - Mike Lopp, and PIERRE - Christian Moore


M. LE CURE - Joshua Benjamin


DOUMERGE - Ross Hurteau


M. MARTINE - Thomas Drago


PHILLIPE - Matthew Enig and SIMONE - Jenny Smith (my apologies to Matthew)


BARNABY - David Lynch


M. LE MARQUIS - Ed Kroliczak


CLAUDE - Jim Bailey


DOMINIQUE - Michael Williams and INEZ - Lysandra Penn-Bartoo


Apologies to NICOLE - Mackenzie Lunden, and HORTENSE - Vivian Senical whom I didn't manage to take any decent photos of, as well as the rest of the crew, producers, etc. Maybe next year I'll take a shot list with me.

So keep an eye on the Mebane Acting Company's website for all the great upcoming performances, including dramas, comedies, childrens, musicals and improv!

Godspell

About three weeks ago, Jeff Overstreet (the organist/choir director at Mebane Presbyterian Church) accosts me in the church hallway with "You're just the person I was looking for."

I have the feeling of deja vu all over again.

"Are you busy the last weekend of March?"

"Why?" I respond, suspiciously.

"The Mebane Acting Company is doing 'Godspell', and we need a drummer. Are you interested?"

What do I know about Godspell? I've heard of it, but that's about it. I don't know any of the music, nor do I know the plot, other than I assume it has something to do with God. Do I want to do it? Sure, why not? I haven't played in about a year, but I know it'll probably fun. So with the boss's OK, I agree to do it.

So three nights before the show opens, I (along with Luis Rodriguez, the guitarist, and Jeff Hatley, the bassist) attend our first practice; a technical/dress rehearsal. I'd never met Luis or Jeff H., but I could tell from the first song that this was going to rock. These guys could play! What a nice change it was to be playing with semi-pros.

That first rehearsal was the most together I'd seen one that far in advance of opening night. The actors could act. The singers could sing, and the band, despite basically sight-reading the music, could've faked our way through the show that night if we had to.

So Tuesday and Wednesday were more technical/dress rehearsals, each progressively better than the last. The cast ranged in age from young high school kids up to middle aged theater veterans, and all of them really knew their stuff. We were performing in a church's fellowship hall that could seat about 120. As an added bonus for me, their praise band had a decent drumset in the room, so I didn't have to bring so much as sticks to rehearsal. It's always a hassle performing at high school auditoriums because that means carting all my gear in and out every night due to my lack of confidence in the security of those places.

Thursday was opening night, and the show was well received by the 100 or so $5 patrons. Friday night was sold out at 120+ people. Saturday night Jennifer, Tristan, and Zoe attended. I took the kids backstage with me so they could see more of what's really involved in the theater business.

I got a couple of less-than-good shots of the cast warming up.
Matt played "Matt"


Wayne played "Jesus"


Katie played "Katie," and the aforementioned Jeff Overstreet played the piano.

Tristan was in charge of the triangle.

Trianglist Hosted on Zooomr

Here's Luis warming up.

Luis Rodriguez Hosted on Zooomr

In retrospect, I'm really disappointed in the photos I took. The young female members of the cast were far more photogenic then the pictures of the dudes posted here, and everyone would've enjoyed looking at them more, plus with all the practices, I could've gotten some shots of the actual show that couldn't have been done during the performance. I blame my lack of proper photo equipment (partially), and will use that as an excuse to accelerate the timeline of my intended "nice camera" purchase.

The line outside the hall was a long one.

Theatre at Hawfields Hosted on Zooomr

Tristan and Zoe found a friend to wait with.

PreShow Hosted on Zooomr

The show went great, and was a TON of fun. It usually works that way. By the time you're comfortable enough with the music to really have fun with the improvisation and ad-libbing. . . the show's over. Everyone enjoyed it, especially the kids. One of the girls sang right to Zoe at one point. After the show, Zoe made a point of seeking out two of the girls and meeting them. I'm afraid she may have caught the acting bug just by getting to close to someone who already had it.

Next show. . . . who knows, but I hear The Mebane Acting Company is doing a children's musical called "The Nifty Fifties" in the fall. . . .