THE BLOOD COUNTESS Production Design Photography with Idle Muse Theatre Company

In September, we showed production photos for Idle Muse Theatre Company’s The Blood Countess, by Michael Dalberg, directed by Tristan Brandon. Tech week, when we shoot production photos, is typically the company’s first time in the space, and we must make our production photos as the technical elements are being finalized so that there’s enough time to get those photos to press on time for previews.

Production Design Photography

A production design photography session (which I also refer to as an “archival photography session”) captures the production in its finished state and serves as a record for the company and all the artists who contributed to it (except perhaps Jeff-Award-winning sound designer L. J. Luthringer, whose phenomenal soundscape sadly does not feature in these archives at all). Here, you can see the moody atmosphere with which lighting designer Laura J. Wiley dapples the production, the intricate embroidery in Jennifer Mohr’s costume designs, the detailed tones and textures of scenic painter Breezy Snyder’s work, as well as a whole lot of blood, gushing and spraying its course through the pictures below.

A small selection from the hundreds of production design images we made for *The Blood Countess*.

Character Portraits

Over the past couple years, Distant Era has made character portraits for Idle Muse productions. It was something I’d wanted to do for a long time, and Idle Muse production manager Kati Lechner facilitated and organized the process to make it happen more and more efficiently with each show.

This year, I’ve tried to be more specific in style for character portraits. Whether for The School for Scandal or Promethean’s The Book of Will or for The Blood Countess, I’ve wanted to adapt my portrait style to reflect the world of the show. In late summer, after a production by Shakespeare’s Motley Crew, I mentioned this to Laura Jones-Macknin, who plays the titular blood countess. (Laura is also the artistic director of Shakespeare’s Motley Crew.) She sent me some of her research on Erzsébet Báthory, along with a historical painting that portrayed Báthory standing in front of a red curtain. Inspired by Laura’s research and the color, which seemed appropriate for a play with “blood” in the title, I brought a red curtain to act as a minor set element in these portraits so that they where more specific to the show.

We also photographed a head-to-toe wardrobe archive for costume designer Jennifer Mohr, so that she has a detailed record of her work on every character, front and back.

Examples from designer Jennifer Mohr’s costume archive.

Thanks

Many thanks to Laura Jones-Macknin for providing the historical inspiration for the portraits and to Kati Lechner for making the production design sessions happen. My gratitude to Idle Muse Theatre Company for our wonderful partnership and to the cast and creative team of The Blood Countess for their patience and good spirit during the archival sessions.

Cast and Creative

Once again, here’s the cast and creative team for The Blood Countess from the Idle Muse Theatre Company website, with minor adjustments by Idle Muse.

Cast: Laura Jones-Macknin* (she/her, Erzsébet Báthory); Mara Kovacevic* (she/her, Anna Darvulia); Xavier Lagunas* (he/him, Pál Nádasdy); Raúl Alonso (he/him, János Újváry); Erik Schnitger* (he/him, György Thurzó); Makenna Van Raalte (they/she, Imre Thurzó); Jeff Broitman (he/him, István Magyari); Kristen Alesia (she/they, Dorotya); Hannah Eisendrath (they/she, Katarina); Jacque Bischoff* (she/they); Sam Neel (he/him, Guard, u/s Thurzo); Derek Preston Ray (he/him, Guard, u/s Pál Nádasdy); Alex Hultman (they/them, u/s Katarina, u/s Dorotya, u/s guard); Kayla Erpenbeck (she/her, u/s Ilona); Ian Saderholm (he/him, u/s Imre, u/s Janos) and Madeline Wakley (she/her, u/s Darvulia).

Creative: Tristan Brandon* (he/him, director, health and safety officer, props designer, scenic designer); Libby Beyreis* (she/her, assistant director, violence designer); Lindsey Chidester* (she/her, stage manager); Beth Bruins* (she/her, assistant stage manager); Evan Jackson* (he/him, artistic director); Kati Lechner* (she/her, production manager, health and safety officer); Erin Alys (she/her, intimacy director); Emma S. Rund (she/her, dramaturg); Brendan Hutt* (he/him, assistant violence designer); Jeremiah Barr (he/him, tech director); Laura J. Wiley* (she/her, lighting & projection designer); L.J. Luthringer* (he/him, sound designer and composer); Jennifer Mohr* (she/her, costume designer); Katie Fletcher (she/her, assistant costume designer); Jacque Bischoff* (she/they, makeup designer); Breezy Snyder* (she/they, scenic painter); Eva Neuharth (they/them, paint charge); Mara Kovacevic* (she/her, house manager); Caty Gordon* (she/her, marketing & social media); Lawrence Jacquan (Any/All, stage management cover); and Michael Dalberg* (he/him, playwright)

*denotes Idle Muse Ensemble Member

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Steven Townshend is a fine art/portrait photographer and writer with a background in theatre, written narrative, and award-winning game design. As a young artist, Steven toured the US and Canada performing in Shakespeare companies while journaling their moments on paper and film. In his transition from stage to page, Steven continued to work as a theatre photographer, capturing dramatic scenes while incorporating elements of costume, makeup, and theatrical lighting in his work. Drawn to stories set in other times and places, Steven creates works through which fellow dreamers and time travelers might examine their own humanity or find familiar comfort in the reflections of the people and places of a distant era.