Photographing Early Modern Drama in Performance: A Visual Dramaturgy

Abstract: This essay examines the significance of the production photographer’s approach to documenting early modern drama in performance where the photographer has also served as a rehearsal room dramaturg. Drawing from the personal observations of Brave Spirits Theatre’s resident dramaturg/production photographer, the essay explores several productions of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as select rehearsal and production photos, to investigate the ways in which a dramaturg can less intrusively document early rehearsals, anticipate staging elements, and employ a broad contextual approach to photographing performances. Though theater companies often hire commercial photographers for their production images, this essay argues that the unique collaborative insights of practitioner-photographers can integrate critical visual dramaturgies and theatrical processes into the record of early modern drama in performance.