Really chuffed to report that, as a result of the Barbican press office, and Matthew Robins, selecting some of my photographs of “Flyboy” as the production stills, The Stage have used one to illustrate their review of the show this week. As their Christmas edition covers a fortnight, I suspect it is only in the online version, but still.
Here it is:
I was so taken with the intricate shadow puppets, the hilarious and oft-sinister lyrics and the beautiful music of Flyboy that I bought the company. Not really. Just obtained tickets and went to see the whole show. It’s a shame that we, as photographers, do not often get to see the production we are photographing in its entirety, especially for this one. I could see, from what we were shown, that it was going to be a fun evening but the whole was so much more than the sum of the parts! I laughed, cried (yes, I know I’m bit wet and it’s only a story but still…), oohed, aahed and was a wee bit scared. It was utter magic and took me right back to the feelings of wonder and excitement I had when going to see the annual panto when I was little (my only exposure to theatre until I was about 10, when we went to see ‘Joseph’ at York Theatre Royal, but I digress).
If you are wondering what to expect, I’d say it is Edward-Gorey-meets-Shockheaded-Peter-and-The-Tigerlillies-coming-down-a-dark-alley-with-Tim-Burton. But really, Mr Robin’s work is not exactly that – it’s uniquely his and singularly wonderful.
So, thank you, Matthew Robins! Great show!
(C) Jane Hobson. 15/12/2010. "Flyboy is alone again this Christmas", by Matthew Robins, is on at The Barbican until January 2nd, 2011.
Well, it’s certainly Christmas time. Last week saw Cinderella, Wilton’s Vintage Christmas and Bourgeois and Maurice open and this week I have mainly been shooting beasties, beauties and a fly….Flyboy, to be precise.
Two of my photos from The Hampstead Theatre’s “Beauties and Beasts”, written by Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate, made the papers – the Independent and the ‘i’, so that was rather pleasing.
Beauty and the Beast romp on the floor in the Hampstead Theatre's production "Beauties and Beasts".
Life must be a bit lonely if you’re half fly, half human. Especially when you get bullied by the neighbours. Still, he does have a mail order spaceship to build which should keep him occupied. Here he is, with his human creator, Matthew Robins.
So, I’m feeling very festive but, on the downside, there are now no theatre or dance photocalls in the diary until the New Year. I may have to venture out into the cold, dark streets to shoot news. Brrrrr!
It’s a singalonga week, it seems. It started on Monday (not with a kiss, for all you Hot Chocolate fans) but with a colleague turning up to the Snowman photocall wearing a fetching hat (cue “Where did you get that hat…etc”), who then proceeded to sing “I’m walking in the air”, 
which lasted until today (Tuesday) until it was replaced by calls (not songs, sadly) of “You SHALL go to the ball” (at the Matthew Bourne “Cinderella” photocall). 
Thankfully, this only survived until we set off for Wilton’s Music Hall, at which point “‘Ave a banana!” began to be sung (OK, so at this point, I admit, it was only really me doing the singing). Any road up (as they say at home), photographing theatre and dance at Christmas provides me with much more joy, fun and laughter than any office party.
And, for that, I am so utterly grateful!
Ho, ho, ho!
J x
p.s. It’s BEHIND YOU!!!!
This week I have had the most delightful variety of wonderful performing arts work to photograph. Some of my current favourite work resides in these sets! Not only did I get some great photographs out of it but, more fundamentally than that, I witnessed some of the most spirited, fun, engaging, lyrical, beautiful and emotional work I have had the privilege to photograph thus far. I have to admit to being a bit naughty here though. I was enjoying the work so much that I stayed longer than necessary to get the shots required! Shock! Horror!
Good job though.
I may thoroughly enjoy my work and derive great pleasure from it, but it doesn’t always pay the bills. This week was a case in point. Nothing published.
Why is it ever thus? The work I love the most doesn’t see the light of day (apart from on here and my website) but the stuff I consider good (of publishable quality) but unremarkable aesthetically makes the papers. Not always, but it does feel like it when it happens.
No logic to it. Or none that I can discern yet.
So, regarding the “I think not” bit…. Well, I don’t know whether people are just being kind but….one photography critic, one PR agency professional and one top lighting designer have all (spontaneously) expressed that they like my work from this week. OK, so they put it more strongly than that but I don’t want to overegg it (or me). So, I feel great that people whose opinion I respect rate my work, but not so great at the checkout in Aldi…….
Here’s some of my faves from this week – more on my website (janehobson.com)
(C) Jane Hobson. 24/11/2010. "The Cradle Will Rock", directed by Mehmet Ergen, ends the productions at The Arcola Theatre at its present venue. December sees the theatre moving to larger premises down the road. Alicia Davies (Moll) clutches her shawl to her as she protests with the other workers.
"Black Watch", National Theatre of Scotland, The Barbican, 26/11/10. Jack Lowden as "Cammy".
(C) Jane Hobson. 25/11/2010. Rambert Dance Company present a Season of New Choreography in the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House.
Imagine an aerial view of London. How much unused, flat, roof space can you see? Now imagine that’s all garden. Vegetable plots. Herb gardens. Fruit forests. Flower meadows. How beautiful is that thought? And how utterly practical too. Zero food miles for the produce. No slugs or snails (they haven’t learnt how to use ropes and crampons yet). A growing environment. A learning environment. A community space and haven.
Et voila!
Food from the sky....literally. Biodynamic, urban, farming on the roof of a London supermarket.
That’s exactly what ‘Food from the sky’ is doing, in Crouch End. The brainchild of Azul-Valerie Thome (Positive Earth Project) and Andrew Thornton (franchise owner of Budgens, Crouch End), this initiative celebrated its first birthday today (13th November 2010).
Crouch End institution, Dunn's, baked and iced a first birthday cake for "Food from the Sky". L to R: Andrew Thornton, franchise owner of Budgens, Crouch End) and Azul-Valerie Thome (co-founder of Food from the Sky and also of Positive Earth Project).
It’s a great example of a community working together but not just that, it’s the perfect symbiosis between commerce and community, Global and Local, head and heart, and lots of other stuff that sounds like they’re opposites but really are not, or should not be.
So yes, I was up on the roof today. And I felt connected with the earth.
I love being busy, especially when it’s dance/theatre type busy-ness! Five productions in the last six working days. Woo hoo! So, starting the list of loveliness….Bale de Rua at the Peacock last Monday, Emanuel Gat (Winter Variations) at Sadler’s Wells Tuesday, Song of the Goat Theatre (Macbeth) at the Barbican Wednesday, Complicite (Shun-kin) Friday, Rambert (Awakenings) at Sadler’s Wells today. All wonderful to photograph, in very different ways.
Bale de Rua had me overcoming more camera shake than usual, the music being so infectious that I couldn’t keep still whilst shooting – I just wanted to join in and dance! The lighting was so beautifully colourful too.
Emanuel Gat had me wondering about how two human beings can be so in tune with each other.
Macbeth was a visual and aural treat – martial arts, choreography, singing, plus the nicest artistic director in Grzegorz Bral who, as an enthusiastic photographer himself, was keen to ensure we had enough light and chatted awhile afterwards.
Shun-kin was short (as a photocall) but sweet. I was left wanting to see the whole production, the combination of puppetry and live performance being mesmerising.
Oh what joy though! If I was spoilt last week, then I’d surely died and gone to heaven today! Rambert was the first contemporary dance company I ever saw, back when I was 19 or 20 (more than half my life ago) and they hold a special place in my heart. So, I was delighted to be put on the list for today’s photocall for “Awakenings”, based on the Oliver Sacks book. As with all the other photocalls, whether extracts or full dress runs, it felt far too short and I wanted to see all three pieces they are performing in this run. Sigh. Fingers crossed I manage to photograph their next performances, at the Linbury.
Unbelievably happy. Not only was “Iphigenie auf Tauris” at Sadler’s Wells utterly beautiful, both visually and aurally, but one of my photographs of the dress rehearsal was accorded a full page in the Independent’s new baby broadsheet, “i”. I feel so privileged to witness Sadler’s Wells’ productions – rarely does heart meet work for the majority of the population, but it does for me, now. Filling up now so will finish here.
Here’s the tearsheet.
And here’s the original image.
"Iphigenie auf Tauris", Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Sadler's Wells. A rare performance of Gluck's masterpiece.
Calloo! Callay! (She chortled, in her joy).
Not only has she (since we started in the third person but are now back in the first, royal personage, it seems) spent a lovely day with her favourite corporate clients, making beautiful images for their marketing materials, but she GOT IN THE PAPERS AGAIN! Hurrah! Evening Standard, page 30 and on the website. Malheureusement, the Standard website decided to change the caption included by yours truly to one that is factually incorrect. Rather embarrassing for the persons confused and makes me look rather silly. Or it would, had they bothered to give me a credit!
Anyhoo, am feeling rather content (apart from all that) this evening.
And here’s a much nicer picture wot I made, of Paloma Faith & Ricky Wilson.
Paloma Faith & Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs).
Second hit of the week. Sir Peter Blake in the Indy. P17, small pic at the top.
Sir Peter Blake with James Brett, The Museum of Everything.
