A small numbers game provides a lot of insight into the scope of the portfolio Ken Reynolds has accumulated since turning his lens toward theater stages about 15 years ago. He has shot close to 300 shows originating in 30 countries and has taken in excess of 100,000 photos. Included in his collection are more than 100 Russian productions, 25 shows by Georgian theaters and 21 by theaters in Poland. The two authors whose works he has shot most often are William Shakespeare (33 shows) and Anton Chekhov (23).
The Bakhrushin Theater Museum mounted an exhibit of Ken’s photographs of Chekhov plays in 2007. It was his third one-man exhibit in Moscow, following an overview of Russian theater at the Yermolova house museum in 2001 and a permanent display of photos of the productions of Kama Ginkas and Genrietta Yanovskaya that is housed at the Theater Yunogo Zritelya.
Ken finds that photographing Chekhov’s plays is especially rewarding because the alienation of the playwright’s characters “creates unusual images.” In the video that follows, Ken spoke primarily about shooting two pieces — Lev Dodin’s “Play Without a Name” at the Maly Drama Theater of St. Petersburg and Ginkas’s dramatization of “The Black Monk.” The monologue was filmed on the main square in Wroclaw, Poland, in front of the historic City Hall.
Looking ahead to next week, the next blog in this space will be a guest contribution by Noah Birksted-Breen, founder of the Sputnik Theater in London. The Ken Reynolds series will resume in approximately two weeks.
Click on the icon below to hear Ken’s discussion of photographing Chekhov.
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