Theatres (Encore)

Hi All... some more theatrical interiors from my travels... all K1/K1 II and all sorts of lenses inc. DFA 15-30, DFA 24-70, FA 24-90, FA 20, F 17-28, FAJ 75-300, PLM 55-300...

1. Ceiling, Kings Theatre, Edinburgh



2. Auditiorium, Theatre Royal, Nottingham



3. Seats, Oxford Playhouse



4. Auditorium, New Wimbledon Theatre (6 shot pano)



5. Kissing Wall, Backstage, Theatre Royal, Nottingham



6. Seats, Regent Theatre, Stoke



7. Shadow, Theatre Royal, Brighton



8. Front Cloth, Grand Theatre, Blackpool



9. Seats, Liverpool Empire



10. Box, Grand Theatre, Blackpool



11. Tickets, New Wimbledon Theatre



All thoughts, comments etc gratefully received as ever...

Best

Another wonderful set. I love the way you manage to see, capture and express beauty in the mundane. Photo's 3, 6 & 11 I think are super.

Thanks for sharing.

Superb.

I wonder whether the architects and designers saw in their mind's eye what you have seen with a camera? Or are you seeing what they didn't realise was there?

Steve

Lovely Bill. 6 is the stand out one for me. The lighting/exposure is wonderful.

Yep all great but 6 outstanding for me...

Rich colours and dramatic contrasts, superb!

Rick

These theatres are just gorgeous and you've captured the essence of that. Superb photography, as always.

Love them, Absolute belter of a set,
Give me a bad fire to deal with any day rather than stand where you do in no 2 and 6
Just have to love the tradition that has created the kissing wall, and leaves you wondering when and how it started, is it particular to that theater or common place at others too ?
The well worn and slightly wonky steps are super, the amount of use they must have seen.
The Oxford Playhouse seats for the eye catching colour and lighting.
But for me there are 2 that catch me,
6 and 11,
6 is right up my street, that light falloff is sublime, graduated from just visible at the front to popping as you progress, with shapes and contours being revealed as you get further in. Top class My fav of the set
The red Velvet ? seats in 11 are sumptuous, and the lighting is perfect. class.
Well thats just my tuppence worth,

What a fascinating set of images! Cannot pick favourites, my eyes just love all of them.

Thanks for posting Bill.

Regards
David

A most interesting set, Bill. I like the more architectural ones - numbers 1, 2, and 4 - plus for me the most dramatic image - number 6.

Philip

You are in a unique situation with access to these places and these really do them justice. If you are ever in the theatre down the road from me please let me know, it’s the RSC at Stratford upon Avon.

Another excellent set - with much of the impact coming from the lack of people in the shots - we're used to seeing crowds filling theatre seats but these shots give an almost eerie feeling of emptiness and space from a normally thronged and noisy place. The compositions and exposure (and PP) are superb, building into a quality and varied set

Keep em coming Bill

Thanks all for thoughts and comments re these... yes, no. 6 was an interesting one... I'd got in to work early to take some pictures, but was in before the technicians (who switch on the lights) so ended up taking it almost in total darkness... 30 secs at iso 800... the whole scene was lit solely by the exit light on the door...

RobL: yes, I noticed early on with the touring thing that I was in a pretty unusual position, so have tried to make the most of it on my way round... have spent my entire professional life trying to get a job at the RSC... no luck so far (though my other half has managed it a fair bit)... will keep at it...!

Derek: thanks for kind words and thoughts re these... yes, different strokes/different folks etc... am in awe of what you do for a living... my work is really just pretending, whereas what you do for a living is very much the real thing... re the kissing wall, actually hadn't seen anything like it before... as you say, there's all sorts of slightly out there traditions/folklore, but this was the first time I'd come across this one...

John L: that's an interesting thought re theatre and crowds... you're right... the audience comes and goes, as do the various streams of productions that fill the theatre... the default state for the building itself, though, is emptiness, and usually darkness... with a few hours each day of frenzied activity in between... my own favourite time is the hour and a half or so warming up before a show... that sense of quiet, but very real energy, as you feel the whole building start to wake up...

Best

Wonderful set. You have used your privileged situation to great effect. No.6 is the standout one for me - thank you for the low down on it too.

Wonderful set of images. Especially 1, 3, 8 are a great capture.