Defining Theatrical Photography

I recently took a PhD seminar at UCSD called Theatre and Photography. One of the topics of discussion that recurred frequently centered around the questions: What is a theatrical photograph? The essays we read discussed the idea of the theatrical photograph as “encapsulation of everyone else’s efforts” (Donald Cooper), iconic images of the text (T. J. Edelstein), as well as the “truth” of the production (Jim Carmody). We looked at and discussed photographs that were staged outside of the performance space, staged inside of the performance space, and taken during a rehearsal or production. Which of these is the best at documenting the performance? Does it depend on the production? It isn't a question we were able to answer conclusively although we each had our own opinions about strong theatrical photos.

This photo by Max Waldman serves, I believe, as accurate documentation of the production Dionysus in 69, directed by Richard Schechner at the Performing Garage in 1968. This photo is almost certainly staged and not taken during an actual performance. However, it captures the most important qualities of the production. This photo seems to be an ideal image – one in which all of the elements have been orchestrated to depict as much information as possible about the performance.

The environmental performance blurred the boundaries between performers and spectators. Often, the actors would perform scenes while leaning up against or lying on top of the audience members. This photograph places the viewer so close to the action that it evokes the sense that s/he could reach out and touch the actors – as it would have been during the show. By viewing the actors from this particular angle, the viewer of the photograph feels as if the performance is for her/him only. This fits with Schechner’s use of local focus in his productions (a technique in which the actors performed certain lines or actions in such a way that only a few people in the audience could hear or see what was happening.) The nudity and facial expressions (especially on the men at the bottom of the pile) express the overall Dionysian quality of a production that was far more concerned with the physical than the cerebral. Finally, the photo shows a bit of the conflict between the individual and the group that is present in the play. Dionysus is in the process of being born, solidifying his individuality. However, the entire group, working as a unified organism, once again evokes the Dionysian.

This photograph fulfills my requirements for a theatrical photograph: It is an artistic photo that stands alone (outside of its documentary purposes) and it serves as documentation of the theatrical event by conveying a sense of what it would be like to attend the production and portraying an important scene from the play.

Staged Theatrical Photography and Actual Performance Photography seem to be totally different art forms that take different skills. STP seems more like portrait photography and APP seems more like photojournalism. But can both achieve the same end goal – a photo that adequately documents a performance?