A headliner in this year’s Scranton Fringe Festival, “Ulysses of Scranton” is an adaptation of James Joyce’s famous novel “Ulysses,” re-imagined as a play-within-a-play that shows the actors as caricatures of themselves as they rehearse a run-through of the show. The show’s local run has already closed, but in a couple of weeks the cast takes it overseas to Scranton’s sister city in Ballina, Ireland, for another run.
It’s always a pleasure to work with Scranton Fringe, and I was thrilled to be invited to photograph their final Scranton dress rehearsal. And while my description of the show may sound a little complex, it all comes together to create a truly engaging – and funny! – performance. (Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I had to struggle with laughing while trying to shoot photos!)
There was no shortage of good visual moments, and one of the benefits to photographing during dress rehearsals is being able to move about the theater without disturbing anyone. In this instance I ended up moving back and forth across the first tier from the stage, shooting with the Sigma 56mm prime. Between backing up to the rear of the tier, or leaning over the front railing, I was able to “zoom by foot” enough to capture several actors on stage together, or get individual closeups without much cropping.
Theater lighting is always a challenge; dim lights, intense color gels, and huge dynamic range between bright spotlights and surrounding darkness are common conditions. Even with a fast prime lens, I often have the ISO up to 6400 and still struggle with low shutter speeds. Fortunately, “Ulysses” was a breath of fresh air in that regard, and most scenes were bright enough to keep the noise down even at high ISOs.
So break a leg “Ulysses of Scranton” cast as you venture overseas – I hope the audiences in Ballina enjoy your show as much as I did!