Just wrapped up shooting Othello at Shakespeare & Company and I have to say, this is Shakespeare done right. Everything was so clear – I was never lost. Watching Michael Hammond as Iago slowly and cunningly playing John Thompson as Othello into his trap was stunning, subtle and true. No frills, no distractions. Just language, action, meaning in words. Terrific. Tony Simotes as director is kicking it in.
Go. Get your tickets here. Do not make excuses.
Here’s a gallery of last week’s activites in the photo department. I shot some harsh, dramatic portraits of Dennis Krausnick for his upcoming Lear Project, as well as a nice quick head shot. “A Man for all Seasons” at BTF provided a lush pallette to work with. I worked on image ideas for “As You Like It” for the Tennessee Shakespeare Co., I shot some tricky art pieces at Sienna Gallery by Lauren Fensterstock (a lovely person, I might add), and I shot my friend Michael Zaretsky along with Violinist Victor Romanul and composer John Williams all together on the back porch of Blantyre during a thunderstorm for a new CD that they all collaborated on. Oh, and quick setup up shots for “The Goat Woman of Corvis County” at Shakespeare & Co, as well as an impromptu appearance by Governor Deval Patrick at the opening of “Othello”, and some nice landscape architecture shots for client Greylock Design Associates….Phew!
I’m working on an image for “As You Like It” and hoping to channel Alphonse Mucha on this one. One of my favorite illustrators from the early part of the last century and a fixture in our household growing up (his work, that is), our family has had a long connection to this artist. At one point in the ’20′s or ’30′s my great-grandmother was a kind of patron to Mucha and ever since his presence and work has been around me.
Pretty girls and flowers. Always seems to work. But beyond that there is so much style in the work, so much motion and design and great typography. Stay tuned. Let’s see what happens!
Just wrapped up shooting Othello at Shakespeare & Company and I have to say, this is Shakespeare done right. Everything was so clear – I was never lost. Watching Michael Hammond as Iago slowly and cunningly playing John Thompson as Othello into his trap was stunning, subtle and true. No frills, no distractions. Just language, action, meaning in words. Terrific. Tony Simotes as director is kicking it in.
Go. Get your tickets here. Do not make excuses. For more images go to the gallery.
In the midst of all the discussions I have been having for the last few months relating to Berkshire Creative and the development of the creative economy concept in the region and the state, it’s easy to overlook the fact that all of these ventures, whether they be Tanglewood, Shakespeare & Company, Interprint, or any other business in the Berkshires is always the result of an act of vision.
In business, we talk about entrepreneurship as something that can be fostered, learned and nurtured. We don’t often talk about vision: that idea of something that does not yet exist, and yet is worth pursuing. Tina Packer’s vision of a Shakespeare theatre in the trees at The Mount became over 30 years later this wonderful, expanding institution. Vision is a very distinct thing, an event of clarity that creates a series of goals ahead. In my life, I’ve always tried to set goals, and just about every goal I have set for myself I have achieved, but before I can set new goals for myself I need to have a vision of what can be and what will be, and sometimes when I try to look ahead the way seems cloudy. That fog is risk, the chances that we need to take, the obstacles we need to overcome to achieve our goals.
I’m working on a bunch of different visions right now, trying to sort out what the next markers will be, what the next goals. But I was inspired last night when I went to Mixed Company, down in Great Barrington to see Joan Ackerman’s “Mixed Company” put on “Indian Blood” directed by Kristine Wold. This tiny theatre has been running for 26 years under Joan’s singular direction and vision. It is a gem, a wonderful, local creative space where all my friends and neighbours get together and put on wonderful plays. It’s distinctly local, but none the less professional for being so.
Before the play we did some fun shots with the cast out on the railroad tracks behind the theatre. Thanks to Stephanie Hedges for putting the impetus for the shoot together. If you hear about Mixed Company and have a free evening, go see them. Creativity is living there.
I’ve been at work with Berkshire Creative for about 18 months now as part of the steering group and various committees. (That’s an illustration of the “Creative Cluster” we did up top.) It’s been a fun process and great for the Berkshires and I’ve enjoyed it a lot. We’ve relaunched the website as a wordpress blog to open up the conversation and get more people involved and I like the way it is going. I made a post there which has got me thinking about the changing landscape of culture, institutions and investment. Here’s the excerpt:
“One argument that we hear is that “there are too many non-profits in the Berkshires, all going to the same funding sources”. I think that is short-sighted. Many of the institutions in our area realize the substantial bulk of their funding from outside sources, include donors from outside of the region, and national-level granting organizations. These funds come into our economy and stay here, paid out in salaries, construction, resources and other ways. I’d like to predict the day that other communities come “shopping” in the Berkshires, seeking to lure our cultural treasures away with promises of new investment, much as happened in professional sports, with cities competing for valuable franchises. We may not be there yet, but it’s interesting to consider.”
What do you think? What if, say, Providence RI came knocking on Shakespeare & Company’s door with an offer they couldn’t refuse? What if the Hamptons became a second home for Jacob’s Pillow II? What is the role of place in creativity and expression? What if an organization decided to “branch out” and create a second or third site? Is the experience transportable? I think of the phenomenal, for-profit explosive growth in something like “Cirque du Soleil” and it makes me wonder. Understand, I’m not advocating either way. The concept just popped into my mind this morning. But it does make you think. Also, I think it might help as an exercise to imagine such scenarios when assessing the relative value and economic impact of the cultural assets of our region.
Thoughts? Post a comment.
