Research for Dramaturgs

Hi friends!

We hope that you may find this presentation helpful if you're new to dramaturgical research or if you just want to try something new. This pathfinder, presentation and it's resources were assembled by Karen Adjei, Scotty Beland, Sam Lewis and Kim Steinle-Super after research into the gap in literature about this particular user group, how they seek information and the barriers that subsequently exist. We think that the dramaturg exists somewhere between the worlds of scholarship and creative professions and that this approach may be the collaborative one that could make a difference!

Dramaturg User Instruction Presentation: Conducting Historical Research

Copyright 2022 to Karen Adjei, Scotty Beland, Samuel Lewis and Kim Steinle-Super

Best of luck in all of your creative endeavors and please reach out if you have any questions or would like to chat further. I can be reached at sbeland@umd.edu.

When Your PALs Let You Down

Hello to all my performing arts pals! Today I followed up on my last blog about PALs and visited the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library on the University of Maryland campus. I did not have to make an appointment but I did anyway just because I think it’s the state of the union right now with COVID and what not, plus it helps me and the attending information desk humans to plan for what to look at. I had been emailing with Ben and we made an appointment and discussed looking through a specific collection of photographs by Stanford Barouh. Mr. Barouh was active in photographing the DC-area theatre scene from 1989 to 2007 (I believe) and he had photographed productions with some organizations that I had also done photography or graphic design work for including the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage and The Studio Theatre. The finding aid also included work from the Port Tobacco Players which was my local community theatre growing up where I had done numerous shows, so I was definitely interested in seeing this collection to draw personal connections.

When I got to the library, I went to the welcome desk and the girl there did not know what exactly to do when I said I was there for my appointment in the reading room, but there was someone else there who took me back to the reading room and went to get Ben for me. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and there were no sign-in sheets or security measures to worry about to gain entry. In fact, the door to the reading room was wide open. Once Ben entered the room he asked if I had any specific parts of the collection that I wanted to look at because it was a large collection with numerous folders. I referred back to the finding aid and first asked to see work from The Kennedy Center and Arena Stage. He told me he would be right back and went to go get the folders. After a few minutes he returned and I had already put gloves on so he mentioned that he was happy to see that and provided with a few dividers to mark where I had taken folders out. He also told me that I was not allowed to take photos of the collection due to copyrights and that if I wanted copies of anything I just needed to let him know and then he would take me through the appropriate steps. I spent about 30 minutes looking through these folders and was really in awe at how he did this type of work with film and used photo-manipulation techniques in the dark room to make these prints usable by their organizations for press and advertising. Once I was done, I gave him the box of folders back and asked if he could grab the folders from The Studio Theatre and Port Tobacco Players and he went to get those for me and came back with The Studio Theatre stuff. He said he would be right back with the other folders so I started looking through the ones I had. Then he came back and gave me some sad news. When the photos were processed and labeled for Port Tobacco Players, THEY WERE LABELED WRONG! Apparently, PTP also stands for “Potomac Theater Project” and that’s what those photos were actually of. So the finding guide was wrong and they did not actually have the photos I was really hoping to see. Regardless, it was still really fascinating to see his work and how he approached the difficulties of shooting that type of event on film, and it was interesting to see the history of theatre and how much has changed in production value, costuming and staging.

I would say that I fulfilled half of my goal for the day… I got to see relevant work from a professional photographer who did work like mine, but in the analog era of photography, but I really wanted that nostalgic look at some photos from my hometown theatre group. Ben did everything that he could and provided me with everything that he actually had access to. I did do a search on the UMD Libraries’ catalog and found a hit in the Special Collections at Hornbake for a Port Tobacco Players playbill from 1950, so I went to go take a look at that and… drumroll please… THAT DOCUMENT WAS MISSING TOO! So no dice for me on the nostalgia front, but that’s okay.

I might not have gotten to relive a fond part of my childhood today, but I would still encourage all my theatre geeks out there to give it a try if you’re looking for old programs, reviews and photographs to stir up those old fuzzy feelings about your favorite venue. The staff is super friendly and helpful in spite of the shortcomings of some of the finding aids. There are also music, dance, and AV collections and a collection of musical scores if that’s your fancy. Just for funzies… here’s a little collage of me (with hair!) from my acting days…

What a PAL! Performing Arts Libraries as Resources

HELLO EVERYONE! It has been a very long time since I have contributed anything to this little blog and there’s simply just been too much life to catch you up on (maybe some highlights in subsequent posts). The main thing right now is that I just started grad school at the University of Maryland this semester! I will be getting my Master’s in Library and Information Science degree in a little under three years and I have been obsessing about the different types of libraries, archives, repositories, you name it, that exist in the world. DID YOU KNOW that Performing Arts Libraries are a thing? This is for all my theatre nerds, dramaturgs, writers, researchers and performing arts movers and shakers.

To scratch the surface, I kept my search small. I selected two local Performing Arts Libraries (PALs - see what I did there?) and for a little razzle-dazzle selected a performing arts archive located in NYC. Below is a little comparison for what you can expect to find at the web-sites of these institutions and what you may be able to use them for.

1. The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library

Photo by Geoff Sheil.

8270 Alumni Drive, College Park, MD 20742

Located in the The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on the University of Maryland campus, The Michelle Smith PAL opened it’s doors in 2000. Although it is not explicitly listed as the mission statement, a simple Google search divulges that the mission is “to connect people to collections that inspire and enable research and creativity”. Their holdings include 56,000 books, 156,000 musical scores, 130,000 audio and video recordings, 4500 microform titles and 281 active journal subscriptions. They divide the work on their website into two distinctive departments: Special Collections in Performing Arts and International Piano Archives at Maryland. The web-site appears to be under construction (some pages only say that as their content), but I do have to say that the Piano Archives certainly appears to have the upper hand regarding their online content. It’s categorized, presents different links to collections and provides links to research guides, and once you go to the “Collection Holdings” tab there is an alphabetized list of different composers and what materials they have for that person (note: also says it’s under construction). The Special Collections tab does have an index with finding aids but does not appear to have any online content. As for services, they list Reference and Library Instruction, Circulation Services, and Course Reserves under the “Services” heading. There was not much information under the “News, Event, Exhibits” tab except for “The Art & Craft of Puppetry” exhibit which ended July 29, 2022. The website certainly needs some updates and more information to truly be helpful and informative, but I will cut them some slack since it is still under construction and I will probably be doing a visit soon to see what I can sleuth. It seems to me that this institution would be more for the performing arts scholar who is doing research on history, or someone who is really trying to be innovative to create new work. It is definitely useful for pianists who may want access to sheet music, scores, or other historical documents belonging to composers.

2. The Folger Shakespeare Library

Photo from Encyclopædia Brittanica website

201 E Capital Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003

The historic building that houses this collection is in the heart of D.C. but The Folger Shakespeare Library is currently closed for a massive renovation. They are offering all of their programming online currently though! Their mission is “to advance understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s writings and the culture of the early modern world.” So this one is more for you classics fanatics while Michelle Smith is probably more for the dramaturgs and scholars who are looking to innovate. Their holdings are, you guessed it, mostly centered around Shakespeare’s materials from the 16th century to present, but also includes books, manuscripts, and prints from the Renaissance Era. There are 260,000 printed books, 60,000 manuscripts, 90,000 prints, drawings, photos, paintings and other works of art, 250,000 playbills, as well as films, recordings, stage costumes and more. They provide some access to their materials online through LUNA, a searchable online catalog, Folgerpedia, and “The Collation” which is a blog. As for services, WOW are there services! There is a conservation lab, reference services, a whole education department with programming and events, the Department of Photography and Digital Imaging, an “Ask a Librarian” widget and a lot more. They also have an “Upcoming Folger Events and Programs” ticker right on their home page so that you can easily see when upcoming events are instead of searching through the site. I would say this was probably the most impressive of the three website I checked out because it has a little bit of everything you would need to understand what they offer. This one is definitely suited to historians and people who have a profound love for the classics. It also seems to delve more into material culture, both today and what it meant for the people of the time, so it would be an excellent resource for museum researchers, art historians and conservationists as well.

3. The Shubert Archive

Photo from Lyceum Theatre page on IMDb.com

149 W 45th Street, New York, NY 10036

This one is not local. The Shubert Archive is located in NYC at the Lyceum Theatre and it is a wing of The Shubert Organization. Their mission is “to preserve and make available to researchers the business and artistic records of the Shubert Brothers and The Shubert Organization.” Their holdings “document every aspect of the Shubert company history” since the 1890s. They have thousands of sheets of vintage architectural plans, 3000+ costume items, 600+ scores, 120 linear feet of photographs, 1000+ window cards and 11,000+ scripts, which is very impressive when you’re considering that these works are highly specific since they all come from the Shubert Brothers. That being said, this archive would best serve researchers who are looking for very specific or niche information about the Shubert’s, their business, their productions, etc. It would also be very useful for theatre professionals who are looking for inspiration or accurate ideas for future productions of any of their past works, or anything set in the early 1900s. I do have to warn you that the website does not really list any services, so the scope of what it would be really helpful for other than the two previous sentences is a bit murky. I did send them an email so we shall see what they say. They do have an “Arrange a Visit” widget on their contact page and they also publish “The Passing Show” which is an annual publication about The Shubert Organization’s history and you can read the latest issue online by clicking the link. As far as online content, they give a little sneak peak of each of their collections, like photos of productions or related actors and actresses, business records, costume items, etc.

So anyway… that about sums it up and barely scratches the surface for the number of PALs out there. I encourage all of my pals who read this to get out there and see what PALs you can find in your area! I certainly wish I had known more about this when I was acting and researching for roles. Who knows what could have been accomplished?

All My Life...

...I have been waiting for a show like Bridges of Madison County to happen and I am genuinely happy that I got to see it on it's final Friday night because there are no plans for tours until Fall 2015. It was one of those shows that I got so emotionally invested in that I was literally exhausted by the end of the show. Jason Robert Brown outdid himself with an amazing score that fit PERFECTLY on Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale's voices. The chemistry between the two of them was so believable that there is no way a person could not be emotional by the time Robert has to leave for NYC and Francesca has to choose between her family and true love. The movie version is not my favorite love story at all, but the movie did not have these songs to really dig down into the emotions that come along with everything that happens in this story. While the show certainly does not have all the glitz and glamour and big production numbers of Aladdin (I'll get to that in a minute), it does have all of the pieces that intellectual theatre goers will understand and enjoy.

I did also see Aladdin while I was in the city and it was a solid production, although not one of my favorites. It just was not my style. I could not invest or really get into it. The character work by the actors was really great, but almost too much of a copy of the movie for my taste (although I know there is not too much room to breath with Disney breathing down your back). The production numbers were FANTASTIC. I've never seen an ensemble move so in sync with one another, and let's not even talk about the tap number in the first act! And there was a West Side Story reference that made me really excited, but that is about as into it as I could get. It just was not my cup of tea, although it was really well done.

I also had the pleasure of seeing my dear friend's production called Kingfishers. It was an original concept based on an ancient myth about Alcyone, the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She was betrothed to Ares, but was very unhappy and decided to visit Earth and fell in love with a mortal named Ceyx. This version of the story is a modern myth so when Alcyone came from Olympus, she ended up in modern day Coney Island. Long story short, the Gods get angry that she falls in love with a mortal and so they kill him when he's off at sea by summoning the Kraken and in the end she chooses to die and be with him in the afterlife than to live a privileged life as a Goddess. It is a very beautiful story, especially when it is told solely through movement and dance (that is correct, no dialogue). The beginning of the show moved kind of slowly, but it was necessary to introduce the characters and relationships. It picked up soon though and became a beautiful contemporary dance piece. Some of the performers were actors who dance, and the rest were dancers. They moved well as a company, but you can certainly tell the difference in who is an actor and who is a dancer. Without the actors the show might have seemed a little flat, but they brought life and passion into the dancing. Here are some of my favorite photos...

All in all, I had an amazing week and I got to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones. I am very excited at the prospect of moving there next Summer to start grad school (fingers crossed!) and I look forward to all the shows that I will be seeing and my new, exciting life that I can start.

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland

No Longer Underground

A Change Gon' Come was recently mounted again in Auburn, NY to kick-off the No Longer Underground Symposium to honor the centennial celebration of Harriet Tubman's home going in her final resting place. In all of my experiences with this show I have never been more touched and humbled by the feedback of our audience and the landmarks we got to see.

After a half day of traveling up to Auburn, NY from Rockville, MD, five hours of rehearsal that night, and 10 hours in the theatre the next day, the amount of applause and praise we received from the audience made all of the work worth it. We performed for relatives of Harriet Tubman, historians, residents of Auburn, and other enthusiasts and participated in a Question and Answer session afterwards. During the Q&A, we were presented with a poem called "Freedom Fruit" by Cyd Charisse Fulton. I keep it on the table next to my bed. I greeted some of the audience members afterwards, and once again was surprised at people's reception of me and my character. Anxiety is still a constant in the reactions I see, so I have become accustomed to that. But it is still shocking to have people greet me with smiles and wanting to shake my hand and commend me on my craft. That is what I do it for in the end.

The next day we visited some landmarks.

Seeing the headstone bearing Harriet Tubman's name was something that truly cemented the fact that she was an extraordinary human being who really did exist. She had the tallest, most impressive tree in the immediate area around her grave, the branches sheltering the grave sites of her brother and many other relations. The spirit of freedom still fills the air. The International African flag and an American flag fly on opposite sides of her grave with an apple, some beads and coins sitting on the top of her gravestone. Her spirit will always live on with us, so we left a part of us with her: We placed a copy of our program in a plastic bag adorning her grave. Upon leaving there, we went to the site of land she bought in an auction when her neighbor passed away. There is a museum on that plot dedicated to Harriet Tubman, and in that museum I found this quote about the very land we were standing on:

"There was white folks but me there, Missus, and there I was like a blackberry in a pail of milk, but I was hid down in a corner, and no one knew who was bidding. The man began pretty low, and I kept going up by fifties; he got up to twelve hundred, thirteen hundred, fourteen hundred, and still that voice in the corner kept going up by fifties. At last it got up to fourteen hundred and fifty, and then others stopped bidding, and the man said 'All done! Who is the buyer?' 'Harriet Tubman,' I shouted. 'What! That old nigger?' they said. 'Old woman, how you ever going to pay for that lot of land?' 'I'm going home to tell the Lord Jesus all about it,' I said."  –Harriet Tubman

On that plot of land, she also had a home for the aged. It was the place where Harriet Tubman took in runaway slaves, elderly white abolitionists, and anyone who needed her help: It was also the place where she died. It was a modest white house with a patio and very small bedrooms. Memorabilia and family photos were on display throughout the house, as well as many portraits of The Black Moses. Her brick home that she lived in with her family could be seen from the front door. We took more photos in front of the house before departing back to Rockville, each of us touched and inspired in new ways.

I think it is safe to say that we all cannot wait to do the show again, in a new perspective. Looking forward.

The Aliens

The Studio Theatre has opened their production of The Aliens by Annie Baker. The production was directed by Lila Neugebauer and stars Scot McKenzie as KJ, Brian Miskell as Evan and Peter O'Connor as Jasper. The production will be running from now until December 23 in the space's Milton Theatre with tickets ranging in price from $39.00 to $58.00. 

The play takes place in a back alley behind a coffeehouse in Vermont. Two professional slackers, KJ and Jasper, spend their days there just hanging out while a new kid who just started working at the coffeehouse, Evan, tries to get them to leave. In the end, KJ and Jasper take Evan under their collective wing and makes for an unlikely friendship between the three men. It is a show about music and art; It even draws it's title from the poet Charles Bukowski, whom the two slackers quote throughout.

These are some of the photos I took as pre-press for the production. Enjoy!

In other news, A Change Gon' Come is being remounted for Harriet Tubman's Centennial kick-off performance at the Unity Church of Gaithersburg on February 8, 2013. I will, of course, be reprising my role as the Overseer. More details to follow! Can't wait to be with my family again!

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Philly Theatre Scene

Now that I have settled in a little bit, I have begun to explore the performing arts scene in the surrounding area (and a little bit in Delaware, too!). I sent my headshots and resume in for consideration for Legally Blonde The Musical (go ahead... laugh it up... I did) with a dinner theatre last night and have a few other ones that I want to submit to once I tweak my resume a little bit. I attached my generic one here, also. I would love feedback on it if you all have any!

I have also begun to make my list of local companies to market myself to. There looks like a pretty broad market that I can apply my marketing to, and I hope that I am well received. I probably will not be able to do anything until after the New Year, unfortunately, but hey... what a way to start the New Year if I get a couple clients!

There is a theatre in the Western suburbs of Philadelphia that I have an interview with tomorrow, and I am feeling very optimistic and hopeful about it. The People's Light and Theatre Company is located in Malvern, PA and produces an extensive season of classics, new works, and children's pieces with a pretty hefty budget for a regional theatre. The job title is Marketing and Design Manager. Something that is right up my alley, I just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope the interview goes well. It would also be a great start to my New Year! You all can cross your fingers, too, I will not mind.

I will keep you all posted, just keep checking back. I promise things will get more interesting soon!

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City of Brotherly Love

By now I am sure some of you have heard that I have re-located to the suburbs of Philadelphia. That is correct, I have arrived in the City of Brotherly Love with the intentions of broadening my market and hopefully busting into the NYC scene a little more. It has been one hell of a stressful move, but I am very excited for future opportunities in this new chapter of my career and life in general.

That being said, I have DEFINITELY failed my New Years Resolution to write two posts per month! I have not even had internet until yesterday, and writing on this thing is next to impossible on my iPhone. I will try to keep everything up to speed for the next month as we enter into the New Year, but I make no guarantees.

This are kind of old news at this point, but I wanted to post up some finalized headshots from that marathon of portraits I did a while back (two months ago–Eeeeek!). So without further ado, here they are...

Eliza Kelley

Shai Mallory

Aaron West

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Cirque du Soleil

So, it is often a problem with circuses where there is a lot of music involved and choreography tends to look sloppy, and that is perfectly okay by me because the performers are not dancers. What is kind of irritating about Cirque du Soleil's Totem is the lack of continuity in the cultures they were trying to reflect. There were many beautiful American Indian tribal dances and creative recreations of Aboriginal rituals, but they would be paired with African drums, or a random girl in the background doing a fan dance. As a circus, the audience is looking every which way to see everything that is going on anyways, the sensory overload was not necessary. I will say, that when I tuned out some of the ambiance and music elements of the show, that it was truly amazing to watch. Really the performers were not so flexible that it was disgusting, they were doing things that a trained gymnast could do with ease, but in non-traditional apparatus, with costumes, while telling a story and to choreography and timing (well, kind of). All in all, I would love to see another performance, but now I have a different outlook on it, and know what to look for so that I, personally, can enjoy it without picking it apart.

Sometimes I hate that about myself.

But anyways, I have to get back to editing those headshots from a while back, but check back in a few days so I can maybe have some before-and-after shots. And probably a shout out for The Tantallon Community Players' production of The Color Purple. From what I have heard, it is an amazing show and I am getting excited to see it.

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Headshot Marathon...

...was a success! So excited to share these new, unedited photos with you all. Cannot wait to get to editing. Might consider doing another one of these in the near future... We'll see.

Thanks to Aaron West, Eliza Kelley, and Shai Mallory for being my patient subjects, and to Shemika Berry (The Masquerade Belle) for doing make-up, and to all the wonderful people at Studio 400 for allowing us to invade the space a little bit! Things went great and I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did.

And that concludes my acceptance speech.

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

One Timeslot Left!!!

Spread the word!!! I have one timeslot left for September 22 at Studio 400 for headshots! The session will be from 12 to 12:45 that day. For $175, you'll receive a 45 minute session, a high-res cd with your 5 best images, including retouching and 2 looks. You may also opt to have your make-up done for an additional fee (e-mail for details). If you or someone you know NEEDS to get new headshots, make sure you book your session now! I'm hoping it will go soon!

Can't make the session on September 22? Contact me and we may be able to work something out for a different day.

In other news, I missed last months second post, so I will be doing three this month! Been busy with work and trying to get things organized for this madness, but more things will be coming soon!

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Get Your Headshots

As my acting buddies know, it is about to be a new season for theatre companies, and that means season auditions are just around the corner. Be proactive and get your new headshots now so you can be prepared!

Spread the word!!!

I will be doing a string of headshot sessions on September 22 at Studio 400 in Lorton, VA. 6 hours of non-stop headshot madness! For $175, you'll receive a 45 minute session, a high-res cd with your 5 best images, including retouching and 2 looks. You may also opt to have your make-up done for an additional fee (e-mail for details). Sessions will be booked from 12 noon to 6 pm, and I expect a high volume of interest so make sure you book your session now!

Can't make the session on september 22? Contact me and we may be able to work something out for a different day.

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Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

I recently had the pleasure of working with The Studio Theatre once again. They have mounted a production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson that is sure to entertain you and make you laugh, and I was fortunate enough to be chosen to photograph their production for press purposes!

Heath Calvert as Andrew Jackson

Although I did not get to exclusively enjoy the production as I was focused on photographing the performance, I will say that what I did pick up was very entertaining AND educational. I remember bits and pieces about Andrew Jackson's political legacy from history classes in school, but none of it ever really stuck with me and pushed me to actually form an opinion on his ideas. This production certainly makes that happen. From his betrayal and exile of the American Indians, to his self-centered way of thinking during his Presidency, it is very clear to see that this contemporary musical serves to educate audience members on some of America's darker historical undertakings. All of that aside, here are some of the photos from the show! Enjoy!

Rachel Zampelli as Rachel Jackson (L) and Heath Calvert as Andrew Jackson (R) 

Ryan Sellers as Blackhawk (L) and Heath Calvert as Andrew Jackson (R) with ensemble members

Rachel Zampelli as Rachel Jackson (L) and Heath Calvert as Andrew Jackson (R)

From left to right: Heath Calvert as Andrew Jackson, Davis Hasty as Martin Van Buren, Pomme Koch as John Calhoun, Ben Horen as James Monroe, Matt Dewberry as Henry Clay, and Alex Mills as John Quincy Adams

Rachel Zampelli as Rachel Jackson (L) and Heath Calvert as Andrew Jackson (R)

I am also happy to report that my photos have been published in the Washingtonian Magazine, playbill.com, DC Metro Theatre Arts, and DC Theatre Scene web-sites thus far. Some links:

http://www.dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2012/07/17/bloody-bloody-andrew-jackson-at-the-studio-theatre-by-david-friscic/

http://dctheatrescene.com/2012/07/18/bloody-bloody-andrew-jackson-3/

http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/4172/Heath-Calvert-Stars-in-Bloody-Bloody-Andrew-Jackson-at-DCs-Studio-Theatre/?pnum=1

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/afterhours/theater-review/theater-review-bloody-bloody-andrew-jackson-at-studio-theatre.php

In other news, I have just been editing for a wedding and developing new marketing materials for August/September so be on the look-out for those!

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Back From The Beach...

Ahhhh... what a refreshing vacation! Although I was on vacation, I have still been working diligently on some different things for sb.imagery. Below are a few of the finished photos from the shoot with The Dance Institute of Washington, followed by some other news. Oh, and a link of what not to do when you get to photograph Olympians...

In other news, I will be doing another shoot with Studio Theatre this tuesday. I will be covering the dress rehearsal of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson and I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with them again! I am also very excited to learn a little bit more about the production since I have heard good things from friends of mine. Of course, the photos will be posted here as soon as i can get them up without spoiling the production.

I will also be making a lot of updates to my website, www.scottybeland.com, in the next weeks so please pardon the dust if things are different or are not functioning correctly. It is a necessary evil with the recent growth of business!

In other news... never do this when you're photographing olympians... these photos are a disgrace.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/photographer-harshly-criticized-shoddy-olympic-portraits-212507062--oly.html

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The Music of My Soul

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Memphis at The Kennedy Center thanks to a very good friend (thanks Chris!) who I interned there with last Spring. Fortunately, he found employment there after the internship term ended, so he still reaps the benefits of free tickets from time to time. Lucky for me, I got one of those tickets!

Now I have been curious about this show for quite some time, but never really had the means, or the strong desire to put out the effort and money to go see it, so I am glad I got to see it for free. That being said, it was not my favorite musical of all time (that crown does still go to West Side Story), nor was it my least favorite. It does not fall somewhere in the middle either, it is closer to the top of the list. The performers were vocally phenomenal and the choreography was difficult and interesting enough to make the show much more exciting. However, the actual music and the book left a bit to be desired. The performers cannot be criticized for something like that so those reviews will come as a separate thought.

In the grand scheme of new musicals that have been written in recent years, an edgier, almost more mainstream sound has come about. This is a sound that a lot of people have begun to attach to, and Memphis tries it's best to match that sound, but unfortunately falls short. The music was written by David Bryan, one of the Grammy Award-winning founding members of Bon Jovi. Once you read his bio and realize this, the way the music sounds completely makes sense. Although this gives the show the edgier sound that a lot of new musicals have, it does not really pair well with the rhythm and blues inspired song line-up. Not to mention, some of the songs bring forth a lot of musical theatre cliches which can certainly leave a bad taste in your mouth if you are not expecting that. I will admit, part of the issue I am having is the fact that I really just did not want to hear a line-up of songs that sounded like showtunes. Give me the cast recording on a day where all I want to do is listen to Guys and Dolls or Little Women and my opinion might be different. Bryan did share credit for lyrics with Joe DiPietro, who also wrote the book for the show. The song "She's My Sister" was the straw that broke the camels back in this production and really left me going "Oh no, did they really?" In musical theatre, there are often times where, what could be dialogue, is exchanged in song and it gives said dialogue a kitschy, rhyme-y, cutesy vibe. "Marry The Man Today" from Guys and Dolls is one example that comes to mind. That is exactly what happened in this song, but it just did not work because too much was happening at one time. Bryan was trying to give it a rock edge, DiPietro was trying keep the drama building, the lyrics were choppy and accentuated to try to add to both of the above... it was not good. A simple solution would have been to just leave this part of the story as dialogue. It would have been so much better! Music aside, the book was structured too similarly to Hairspray, based on the whole race issue and how the characters worked together to resolve the issue. Since the story is actually written about a real person, Dewey Phillips, the book could have revolved more around "Huey", the show's male protagonist. Making it autobiographical in how Dewey lived his life to try to resolve this issue and all the struggles that he faced would have made the play's structure more original.

Aside from the actual play itself, the performances given by the actors on the stage are what truly made the show worth seeing. Bryan Fenkart gave a thoroughly entertaining and unique portrayal to his character, Huey. He had this amazing soulful voice with a charming Tennessee twang and still paired it with a dim-witted character both in and out of song. It is extremely evident that he gave every mannerism, word, thought and action a lot of planning and thought to make his character seamless and multi-faceted while still keeping Huey seemingly one-dimensional to the audience. Fenkart played opposite Felicia Boswell, who plays the vivacious and soulful club singer, Felicia, that wants nothing more than to get out of Memphis and sing. She was vocally outstanding, easily the best singer in the cast. I do wish that she had been a stronger actor, especially in some of the more dramatic scenes in the play, but she did an adequate job portraying Felicia's struggle. Rhett George played Delray, Felicia's over-protective older brother who would do anything in his power to keep Huey away from her... at first. George did a great job with portraying that over-protective older brother who does not give a damn about making it known that nobody is good enough for his little sister without being over-powering and yelling all the time. A lot of actors mistake volume for intensity and this was not something he struggled with. Clearly a trained vocalist, his voice could have used a little more soul to smooth over the great baritone quality. The ensemble was truly one of the best parts of the show. It was very easy for them to carry off the bigger dance numbers while keeping their energy up and maintaining a strong vocal quality. There was one minor flub at the end of one of the songs somewhere in the second act, something where the chord just did not work out, but I am not sure if that was the ensemble of the orchestra. Aside from that, they get an A+.

All around, the show was not bad. I did see it early in their run at The Kennedy Center, so I am sure it has gotten better since then, and it really is worth it just to hear the voices and watch the choreography. The show runs for one more week with ticket prices ranging from $45 to $115 with plenty of availability. You can buy your tickets on-line and pick them up at the box office, or call 800-444-1324. Enjoy the show!

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Dance Is An Art...

... Paint your dream and follow it. —Steven Thompson

I am very blessed to have shot with some of the most prominent, professional theatres in the DC area. Theatre photography is my niche (naturally) and I thoroughly enjoy running with it and creating art through another artists' form of expression. It is almost like appropriation: They create the art and I take what they have made and call it my own. Gee, thinking about it that way makes my job sound easy!

It is no wonder I have branched out into other types of performance to photograph. Dance in this case...

The Dance Institute of Washington will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year, and I was selected to create some images for their marketing efforts. Yesterday's shoot was with a couple of young dancers who are enrolled in the pre-professional program at DIW. We were fortunate to get some great raw photos of them (see above!). I am really looking forward to editing these and sharing them with you all (clearly the doors in the background need to GO)!

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Rockin' The Boat

Congratulations to the cast of Tantallon Community Players' production of Guys and Dolls. I went with a couple of friends from ...Spelling Bee and I honestly feel that the company has really pulled in some strong leads. I think that with a bit of discipline and a season of shows with smaller casts that TCP could really have a flourishing production company once more. Valerie Holt delivered each of Sarah Brown's songs with professionalism and grace and was truly deserving of the role. TCP is a company that I am very familiar with, and as a veteran performer there, Holt has come a long way and will be successful in future endeavors. Perhaps the actor most comfortable in his role was Zadoc-Lee Kekuewa as Sky Masterson. He continuously seemed at ease while on stage, never once getting tense or nervous throughout the performance and gave Sky Masterson a different kind of edge that evened out his most charming moments in the show. Another enjoyable performance was given by Leslie Kekuewa as Adelaide. To me, it seemed as though she channelled Betty Boop, which was a good choice in terms of vocally keeping up with the numbers "Adelaide's Lament" and "Bushel and a Peck". Rich Amada did exceptionally well in playing Nathan Detroit. Sinatra certainly left a mark on the role when he portrayed it in the movie which came out in 1955, but Amada had a very smooth, baritone voice that latched onto the music very well. He was also successful in giving the character a slew of one-liners throughout the show.

The show runs for two more weekends at the Harmony Hall Regional Center in Fort Washington, MD, closing on June 10. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 pm, Sunday matinees at 2 pm. For tickets you can visit TCP's ticketleap page by clicking here.

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Round Five

For A Change Gon' Come! And this time the DC Black Theatre Festival gave us the primetime theatre (300+ seats) and timeslots (Friday at 7 and Saturday at 8) to remount this fabulous fictional telling of Harriet Tubman's legacy. Thanks to a few award nominations from last years performance (Costume Design, Audience's Choice, and Best Play for Young Audiences), the cast has really great expectations for future opportunities with this show! And hopefully we win something!

For tickets, you can visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3476477237! Let me know if you buy any tickets so that I can claim you as part of my pre-sale of 20 tickets!

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Marketing Works

Who knew!

Last week I sent out some marketing supplies and samples to the professional theatres and performance venues in the DC Metropolitan area, and I am happy to report that I have already heard back from a few clients. I am most excited about receiving an e-mail from the Creative Director at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Virginia! I happen to really enjoy their programming and the space is a complete dream to photograph.

In other news, I was offered a slot to work on the set of a netflix series called "House of Cards", but due to unfortunate circumstances, and some minor injuries therein, I could not attend the filming today :-( I hope they will give me another chance to work on this project, but we will see how things go.

Anywho... I hope you all are having a great day!

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

The World Has Gone Crazy For Snow White...

And after seeing last night's performance at The Kennedy Center, I can honestly say that I do not mind joining them. Ballet Preljocaj's original choreography of the timeless tale of "Snow White" was honestly one of the most entrancing dance performances an audience could experience.

A little background about the company itself:

Angelin Preljocaj founded his company in 1984 and has created 46 choreographed works. The artistic director of the company also creates original works for other repertory companies and has had his pieces restaged throughout the world. The company now has 26 dancers from all over the world with a plethora of different backgrounds and professional experiences, providing their outreach and education efforts with a well-rounded teaching staff for lectures, public rehearsals, workshops and other events. Angelin has studied with the likes of Karin Waehner, Merce Cunningham and Viola Farber, allowing him a powerful set of tools from the contemporary dance toolkit and a lifetime of connections and knowledge. dance toolkit and a lifetime of connections and knowledge. A winner of several awards, Snow White was no exception, winning the Globe de Cristal in 2009.

In an interview from March 2008, Preljocaj was asked "Why Snow White?" His answer: "I was very keen to tell a story. Just before Snow White, I created some very abstract pieces with Empty moves and Eldorado (Sonntags Abschied) and, as often happens, I wanted to do something completely different, white something very concrete and offer something magical and enchanted. No doubt it was to avoid getting into a rut. And also because, like everyone else, I love stories."

And with that, he certainly did tell the story in the most enchanting way imaginable. Contemporary dance has become a huge success for dance fanatics in recent years. Especially with the public thrust of contemporary dancers and choreographers on television shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance" and the increasing number of contemporary dance companies popping up everywhere. But what makes Preljocaj's company stand-out is his adventurous use of space and the fundamentals of a functioning ballet company. This company has a very solid corps de ballet that can very easily move as one body, seemingly perfect synchronization. The recognizable functions of a ballet company make the pieces enjoyable for older, more classical audiences, while the solo numbers and contemporary technique sell the performance to younger audiences. This concept in combination with beautiful costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier, music by Gustav Mahler, innovative set design from Thierry Leproust and expertly crafted sound design are truly what made this piece a success.

Lately, I have been paying a lot of attention to the sound design of the productions I have seen. Snow White used Mahler’s symphonies because they are very romantic in style. Seeing that Snow White is actually a character from the canon of Grimm Fairytales, the romanticism in the two entities was a risk worth taking, especially when Mahler’s symphonies were paired with other industrial sound effects. This really added a dimension to the performance that allowed the audience to feel better connected with the characters and the things that were going on with the set during changes and blackouts. There is nothing I hate more than a long, silent blackout and this definitely aids in avoiding that. There are actually plenty of things I hate more, but that is definitely top ten.

Now onto the amazing performance I have been raging about! Although the company was not as perfectly synchronized at the Mariinsky Ballet’s corps, the company as a whole does work as a single body and really does a good job of keeping up with the timing throughout the intricate movements during the entire piece. The 26 dancers are brought together with very rhythmic, percussive movements at very specific times to maintain accuracy, spacing and timing which, from my seat in the box (Thanks Ryan :-) ), were truly impressive and encompassing. There was a number in the beginning of the piece where the entire ensemble and a couple remaining unknown principles are seen where this finally sucked the audience in to the story. The beginning did seem to drag a little bit, although finely interpreted by Nuriya Nagimova as Snow White’s mother who carried the daunting task of dancing through the fatal birth of her child. Virginie Caussin did a fabulous job portraying Snow White and did a fantastic job at telling the audience her story. One of Preljocaj’s goals for this piece was to tell her real story, rather than the myth of Snow White, and her ability to really be an actress while dancing made this come through crystal clear. She had all the technique of a trained ballerina, but the passion and the discipline to play the character. There were two specific times where Caussin really shined towards the end of the piece. The Queen had just forced her to eat the poison apple and she had to do all of her dancing with an apple in her mouth. Through being dragged across the ground on her hands and knees, to being spun around at the forceful hand of the disguised Queen, she still managed to act with a great amount of despair while dancing with excellent technique. The other moment is after the Prince discovered her dead in her glass coffin. This piece was beautiful in that it really showed the marriage of athleticism and art that dance is known for. Seeing as Snow White was dead, Caussin had to give the illusion that she was dead while still dancing and helping her partner carry out his lifts and choreography. She did an excellent job of keeping her body limp while maintaining the strength in her limbs and core to make the choreography work for the story. Meanwhile, Sergio Diaz who danced the Prince exhibited an excellent blend of strength and flexibility while being sensitive enough to support Snow White’s dead body. He could lift her as though she was weightless and still managed to let the audience feel the depth of his loss. On a completely different level of fierceness, Patrizia Telleschi as the Queen was a force to be reckoned with. In a field of dance where most of the dancers are barefoot, or at least in flat footwear, she was twirling and kicking with a pair of heels on and a long, flowing half skirt with just as much grace as the other dancers. Of the women in the company, she easily had the most athletically-inclined choreography and a much quicker pace to do it to, but did not even flinch at the challenge. She also exuded a strong sexiness that aided in showing the Queen’s vanity. Although her dances with the mirror were definitely very visually appealing and interesting, that award will have to go to another group of dancers in the company. The award goes to… The Seven Dwarves! They were introduced coming through holes in the upstage wall, at least 12-feet off the ground, but the audience was quickly surprised when they realized that a long part of the number would be danced from this plane. They were lowered and raised by harnesses in different patterns and performed all kinds of acrobatics while hanging from a rope probably no thicker than a jump rope. A person can just imagine the amount of time and trust were invested to choreograph this show-stopping number. It is a sight-to-be-seen!

Unfortunately, the production has already closed it’s run at The Kennedy Center, but at least the upcoming movies Snow White and the Hunstman and Mirror, Mirror could potentially quench your thirst! But just so you can see how FIERCE the Queen is… I found this video of Snow White’s death. Snow White is danced by Nagisa Shirai in this video.

In other show business news, I can officially report that I had to turn down the offer I received from Compass Rose Studio Theatre. I really wish I could have taken the role, but it was just a case of bad timing. I hope to make it to one of the performances this summer, though! The show runs from April 27 to June 3 with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening and Saturday and Sunday matinees!

Also, A Change Gon' Come will be remounted at this year's DC Black Theatre Festival this summer. My commitment to this round is tentative at this time, but I will certainly keep everyone posted. I also learned from browsing the festival's website that the show was nominated for 3 awards including Best Costume Design, Best Overall Play for Young Audiences and Audience Choice!

On the photography front, you should also be on the lookout for some deals for headshots and portrait sessions this summer! I have some great ideas brewing!

Ciao!

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