Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg on How Photographing Theatre Performance Is an Art

Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg on How Photographing Theatre Performance Is an Art

The legendary theatre photographers are currently the subject of a retrospective at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

The theatre may be an ephemeral art form, but the artifacts it leaves behind can last a lifetime. Production photographs can capture the essence of a production for future generations, as well as be key promotional materials, transmitting some of a shows electricity through space and time.

In the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’s new exhibit, Photo Call: The Theater Photos of Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg, the work of legendary artists Joan Marcus and Carol Rosegg is on display, showcasing some of their favorite shots from their four-decade careers as Broadway’s go-to theatre photographers. Aside from a shared love of capturing theatre on camera, the two also shared a Chelsea studio for many years while building their separate careers.

Running through September 28, the Doug Reside-curated exhibit features digital projections and newly made photographic prints are accompanied by video commentary about the images from each photographer. 

In celebration, Marcus and Rosegg shared 11 of their favorite images with Playbill, as well as the stories behind the camera lens.

Joan Marcus: Lillian was my first Broadway show. I began working at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in 1976 as a darkroom printer for the house photographer Richard Braaten. In the early ’80s, Richard encouraged me to go out and shoot on my own, so I started working with many of the theatres in the DC area. In 1985, I returned to the Kennedy Center as the in-house photographer. One of the first shows I shot was Lillian with Zoe Caldwell, which was trying out in D.C. before heading to Broadway. Zoe and her husband, the revered and prolific producer/director Robert Whitehead, loved the images so much that they used them for the Broadway run. Mr. Whitehead subsequently hired me to shoot Brian Clark’s The Petition on Broadway with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, directed by Peter Hall. That’s how I got started in New York.

Marcus: I had initially shot Bill Irwin’s Largely New York at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The show was pioneering (for Broadway!) in the use of what would later be called “multimedia.” The producers used my photographs for the New York run, and I was kindly invited to the Broadway opening night. A friend asked me to join her to meet another friend for a drink before the show at Sam’s, a theatre hangout on West 45th Street across the street from the St. James Theatre. My friend’s friend was the theatre publicist Adrian Bryan-Brown. That was the night I met my husband.

Marcus: The pressure on everyone working on Angels in America was intense. There was huge anticipation for Tony Kushner’s epic play, and there wasn’t enough time carved out of rehearsals for a full production photo call. With efficient planning by the show’s press representative, Chris Boneau, and the stage management team, we managed to get a great series of photographs covering the production. The only image that was missing, with no time left on the call, was the now iconic Angel. Begging for more time from the stage crew, I was able to get this final shot, which became the signature image for the show. The house lights were turned on and the stage was struck 30 seconds after this picture was taken.

Marcus: The buzz on RENT before it began at the New York Theatre Workshop, prior to Broadway, was huge. The final dress rehearsal played to a wild audience, and the performance itself was equally crazed. It was an amazing evening. Following the show, I was planning on taking a portrait of Jonathan Larson—the playwright wasn’t feeling great, however, so the shoot was rescheduled. We heard the news the following morning that Jonathan had passed away during the night.

Carol Rosegg: Being asked to go to Paris to shoot Dreamgirls was beyond my wildest imaginings. I can still remember sitting on the plane, pinching myself! The Paris production was to open at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in early 1998. The producers wanted up-front photos to promote the opening. My passport had expired, but the Shuberts [one of the show’s producers] took care of everything, and off I went. They wanted me to fly in and out in a day, and I said I would only do it if I could stay for a couple of days (on my own dime, of course). They relented, and I got to revisit all my old haunts from my junior year abroad in Paris.

Rosegg: Harry Potter! There, I said it. This was Daniel Radcliffe’s first non-Harry Potter role. Who wouldn’t be excited to meet him and Richard Griffiths [who played Vernon Dursley in the films]? Daniel was lovely and open and giving. He arrived at the studio before the ad agency, which had hinted they might want Daniel semi-naked for the shoot. I mentioned it to him and he started taking his clothes off then and there! He was happy to do anything he was asked. A charming gentleman and a joy to work with.

Rosegg: Avenue Q, for me, was the beginning of the shift to digital photography in theatre photos. A bit of a slow adopter of new technology, I didn’t believe that digital would take over so quickly and so completely. Fearful of committing to digital on such an important (and fun!) show, I shot both the Vineyard Theatre production Off-Broadway as well as the Broadway production in digital AND on slides. After that, digital completely took over.

Rosegg: It’s always exciting to shoot a celebrity. You don’t get much bigger than Robin Williams. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet him.

Rosegg: Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson met when they were cast in the Broadway production of Anna Christie. This was a set-up, taken one afternoon during previews. It’s an understatement to say one could feel the chemistry in the room.

Marcus: Wicked is very special to me. I have shot the show from the beginning tryout in San Francisco. In an ephemeral business, it’s wonderful to have that continuity.