Photographing the arts: revisiting a show (or Once, twice)
The 2021 cast of Once performing Gold, at Darlinghurst Theatre Company in Sydney.
The 2019 cast of Once performing Gold, at Darlinghurst Theatre Company.
You could be forgiven for thinking the photo above looked familiar—after all, I did have a very similar one a couple of years ago!
But there’s a reason for that: the production of Once at Darlinghurst Theatre Company has made a return at the Eternity Playhouse, with half the cast being new this time—so I was back there recently to photograph it for them, ahead of a nationwide tour.
And to be honest, while it’s something I’ve done before (re-photographing a show, I mean), somehow I was more nervous than I was the first time we’d done this one.
In part because there were some images I was really happy with from that first shoot, I put myself under pressure to re-create moments that had happened quite quickly. I thought I needed to work out where I’d stood and what lens I’d used, and try to duplicate my movements around the theatre.
Of course my gear had changed slightly as well—generally for the better, as I’d bought newer and faster lenses, but those came with slightly different zoom ranges; so while the images might be cleaner (i.e. with less digital noise), the framing and reach I had available would be slightly different. And of course I wanted to LEARN from last time as well, put myself in a better position for certain scenes, anticipate things I knew were coming, to produce the same—or better—results.
So, all I’d have to do is look back through the metadata of the 450+ images from last time, memorise everything, and then remember them all while the show unfolded in front of me for a second time, while adjusting for slightly different equipment, and trying to think of new ways to do things.
Simple, right?
Well…ask a performer how much a show can evolve over time—including changing half the cast, and being away from it for eighteen months. Moments that happened once at a dress rehearsal don’t always happen again the next night, never mind years in the future! So, some things I was waiting for never came along, and new things appeared that I didn’t know were coming. C’est la vie, I guess…!
Toby Francis plays Glen Hansard’s guitar, in Once.
I realised pretty quickly I was trying too hard to anticipate things. I had to get out of my head, and stay focussed on what was happening in front of me.
Sure, there were a few moments I knew I had to watch for—the whole cast jumping off their chairs in that first image (above), for example. It only happens once, I knew where I needed to be and on what lens, and I knew where it happens in the song, so I was prepared. But I was also able to find new moments I hadn’t spotted the first time, by following my instincts—and following the story, like I always do.
Afterwards, I heard a story I didn't know when I was at rehearsal. Apparently an Irish photographer in Sydney had seen one of the posters for the show, and it turns out he owns a guitar that belonged to his old mate in Ireland—who just happened to have co-written the songs, based one of the lead characters on himself, and starred in the film. And apparently he thought to himself, why not lend it to some people he’d never met, to take on tour around the country for a few months?
So, naturally, that happened; and the guitar Toby Francis plays in most of the show was one of Glen Hansard’s own, that he played while singing the songs that won him an Oscar. (Which would also explain why the guitar looked a bit more road-worn in the photos this time.)
Ain’t that a thing?
For me, it was great to be back at the theatre for opening night—and while I went in thinking I’d seen this show before (as well as photographing it twice now!), I found I had a different reaction to it this time. It’s not so much that the show had changed, it was more that I had.
Two years ago, when I first saw this, my dad was still alive.
So when they came to the scene towards the end where Da gives Guy a parting gift, and sends him on his way overseas, well—it landed differently, for me. I’m not saying that scene happened exactly between myself and my dad the way it does in the play; but the way it felt did.
And the more I thought about it afterwards, the more of those moments I remembered. When I went to boarding school for a year, and then when I left for university, Dad was the one who helped load the station wagon with all my stuff, and drove 3h each way to drop me off. And when I was leaving Canada 25 years ago (on my “one-year working holiday in Australia” that’s still going today), it was Dad—and that same station wagon—who dropped me off at the airport. He watched me put my backpack on, and took a photo as I headed into the terminal, not knowing how long it would be before we next saw each other, but making sure he’d seen me safely on my way.
So I missed him, all over again.
Once is a beautiful production of a lovely work, with some great, great songs. I’m glad I could help send this show out into the world—not once, but twice.
"Hearts soar and music shimmers in deeply-felt, generous musical" — The Guardian (Read More)
"On the walk home from the theatre, I could feel a warmth emanating from my soul in the cold Surry Hills street, all thanks to ONCE." — The Plus Ones (Read More)
"A sure-fire gem of a show. I have never seen an audience so swiftly and so completely rise to their feet." — Stage Whispers (Read More)
Once is at Darlinghurst Theatre Company from Thursday 10 June - Friday 6 August 2021, then tours to Wollongong, Lismore, Canberra, Orange, Newcastle and Melbourne.
Director Richard Carroll
Movement Director Amy Campbell
Musical Director Victoria Falconer
Resident Movement Director Shannon Burns
Creative Producer Amylia Harris
Voice & Dialect Coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley
Production Designer Hugh O’Connor
Lighting Designer Peter Rubie
Associate Musical Director Jennifer Trijo
Cast: Toby Francis, Stefanie Caccamo, Victoria Falconer, Tamlyn Henderson, Deirdre Khoo, Jay Laga’aia, Drew Livingston, Abe Mitchell, Rupert Reid, Patrick Schnur, Alec Steedman, and Jennifer Trijo