Ranting Details

"Trav'lin" in Full Swing

After spending some time with the Trav'lin team in rehearsals, I had the pleasure of shooting the show in full swing during their run at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.  Here are some production shots from the musical!

 

Fifteen

It's been a while since I responded to any note I was tagged in on Facebook, but when blog reader Deb Young participated in listing fifteen artists that have inspired her and then asked me to do the same, I found I couldn't resist any longer.  It's no secret that my influences could rest safely in any quadrant of NY Magazine's Approval Matrix.  But for the sake of my reputation, let's keep this list closer to the highbrow/brilliant category than the lowbrow/despicable.  (Believe me, there are plenty of names I could list from that category...)

Fifteen Influential Artists In My Life

Willem De Kooning
Richard Avedon
George Balanchine
Sam Mendes
Stephen Sondheim
Larry Keigwin
Egon Schiele
Ryan McKinley
John Cameron Mitchell
Sufjan Stevens
Ohad Naharin
Ayn Rand
Stephen King
Jonathan Franzen
Gwen Stefani (There goes my credibility...)

 

So You Think You Can Come Full Circle?

Kind of hilarious that after years of blogging about Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, I was sent to photograph the recent live tour at Radio City.  Here are a few of the shots from the experience...

 

"The History of War"

Continuing my tour of the 2010 NYMF productions, I bring you the production stills from "The History of War."  There are still three performances left, so be sure to pick up your tickets!

 

"Trav'lin" Rehearsal

Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to photograph many performances in the New York Musical Theatre Festival.  Here are some images from a rehearsal of "Trav'lin," which tells a story set in 1930's Harlem using the wonderful music of J.C. Johnson.  The cast is uniformly fantastic (including Brenda Braxton of "Smokey Joe's Cafe" and "Chicago" fame), so be sure to pick up tickets today!

 

The Great Unknown

Every October New York is home to more new musicals than open in the other eleven months combined.  Thanks to the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), theater fans can get a taste of the next big shows before they make their way to Broadway.

I'll be shooting many shows during the run of the festival, and the first up on my list was "The Great Unknown," a wonderful new musical by Jim Wann and William Hauptman.  Set in 1869, the show tells the story of brothers who lead an expedition down the Colorado River in search of the Grand Canyon.  The cast is uniformly fantastic, but none moreso than Broadway's Tom Hewitt, who leads the crew as John Wesley Powell. 

Be sure to pick up your tickets for the show today; there are still five shows left!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture of the Day: 10/05/10

I worked with New York City Ballet's Ashley Bouder yesterday.  This was a casual portrait I shot in between dance photographs for a new series I'm working on.

Recording "Chasing the Day"

Will Van Dyke is a man of many talents. Not only does he play keyboards in the pit at "The Adaams Family" on Broadway, but now he's weeks away from releasing his debut album as a songwriter, "Chasing the Day."  Written while on the road touring as a musician with "Wicked," the album showcases twelve of musical theater's brightest stars--including some of Broadway's newest voices alongside established stars like Stephanie J. Block.  I had the opoprtunity to photograph a recording session (with the incredible Danica Dora), as well as the album art, and I wanted to share a few of the shots today. 

Be sure to pre-order the album now!

 

(Producer Dominick Amendum with Van Dyke)

(Danica Dora)

(Will and Dominick)

(Will Van Dyke)

(Danica Dora)