Saturday last week was the final show for Equus. Earlier in the week I had photographed the tech rehearsal (blog post) which gave some nice photos of the beautiful stage and lighting. I wanted more. So I asked if I could come for the show on Saturday, and photograph a bit behind the scenes.
I captured everything from the preparations before the show, with singing and body painting by the chorus, to the mad dancing in the dressing room by certain cast members, and finally a few shots from the play itself.
Max Roberts getting groomed by Landi Wagner and Bethan Davidson. This was their last night, and I wanted to capture the atmosphere. The camaraderie and also anticipation for the evening.Bethan Davidson and Kirsten Lee in front of the mirror. I was somewhat restricted by just having my 50 mm lens, but by using the mirror I could get a bit of much needed distance to my subjects.Safety pins keep the wrappings in place. Here a focused Matilda Wickham.I like these natural frames, add a smile and you have a good photo. Landi Wagner singing while painting Anna Clart.Anna Clart and Landi Wagner with Daniel Rasbash in the background. I moved around to shoot in profile. There was not much space to step back, otherwise I would have done this shot a little bit wider.The mirrors were my friend, unfortunately they were not all that clean. Here Megan Dunne (back turned), Elinor Lipman, Eloise Poulton, Daniel Rasbash, Benedict Hawkins and Anna Clart.The careful moment just before applying the first brush stroke to the face. Max Roberts and Matilda Wickham.Dinner time was approaching, thankfully the cast were well prepared. A nutritious meal to keep them going for the next few hours. Olivia Stamp and Gabriel Agranoff.A quick meeting and a warm-up. Almost time to head up to the stage. Jamie Webb, Robert Thomas, Katurah Morrish, Jonah Hauer-King, Kirsten Lee, Ben Walsh, Anna Clart, Molly Frederikse, Megan Dunne and Peter Skidmore in the foreground.About 10-15 min into the play, this happened in the dressing room downstairs. Amy Malone, Bea Svistunenko and Katurah Morrish.AmyBea and Katurah having a moment.These girls love to dance.A quiet moment outside.Meanwhile Max Roberts is about to enter the stage.It was tricky to get a good shot from the side, so I moved up into the sound box behind the audience which gave me a better view. Centre stage, Jonah Hauer-King and Ben Walsh.Equus!
I shot the second act from the sound desk. I was not sure how audible my shutter was. The old camera is quite noisy, but the new one that I had with me for the night has a quiet mode which is considerably quieter. Still I tried to limit the shooting to the loud moments.
This photo was taken at the tech rehearsal. The cast is watching a Swedish skin flick, with the light flickering on their faces.This photo is also from the tech rehearsal.
It was really fun to be able to follow the preparations during the evening, and be a part of Equus. I hope that I have managed to give you a glimpse of what took place. Thanks to the director Pete Skidmore for letting me join in the fun, and thanks to the cast and crew for a great evening!
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