This week, we’re proud to present Courtney Abbott as Sarah Bernhardt in a special portrait session.
In March 2022, actor, voice over artist, and intimacy designer Courtney Abbott reached out regarding some photos I’d captured for Lifeboat Productions’s The Black Knight for her intimacy design portfolio. At the time, I was in the midst of The People of Light and Shadow project, and Courtney asked how to get involved being “a faerie clown.” I made a point to keep Courtney in mind, as I like to work with everyone who is kind.
Fast forward three years. Courtney just finished a show called Bernhardt/Hamlet, by Theresa Rebeck, with Edge of the Wood Theatre, in which Courtney played the title role. As a former Shakespeare actor and fellow Ohio University alum, I was game to make some portraits with Courtney in the gorgeous Sarah Bernhardt costumes from designer Elizabeth Niemczyk.
Bernhardt/Hamlet
Sarah Bernhardt was a renowned French actor of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who played both male and female roles onstage (including Hamlet), and made the transition from stage to screen—a pioneer of narrative film as the form was being invented. She helped establish Alphonse Mucha, who portrayed her in his art. Her accomplishments are seemingly without number.
Here’s the description of the play from the Edge of the Wood website:
Directed by Guest Artist Sean Hargadon, the show features a 13-member ensemble of actors from throughout Chicago. Set in 1899, the play centers around the international celebrity Sarah Bernhardt as she tackles her most ambitious role yet: Hamlet. Theresa Rebeck’s contemporary American play rollicks with high comedy and human drama, set against the lavish production that could make or break Bernhardt’s career.
Setup and Behind the Scenes
Courtney and I spent the afternoon talking about Shakespeare as we made pictures. The setup started out pretty simple—just a background and light on either side of Courtney, some dark fabric on the floor, a reflector, an actor, a costume, a photographer, and some Shakespeare books. The rapier was a contribution by fight choreographer Richard Gilbert!
The Session
We began our session with some portraits in the Bernhardt/Hamlet costume with sleeves before transitioning to the sleeveless doublet, which was one of my favorite looks.
The Shakespeare Book
During the course of our session, we searched the shelves for a Shakespeare book that might fit with the portraits. Among Elizabeth’s books, Courtney discovered Shakespeare’s complete works in a volume with a dedication from 1893—precisely the time of Sarah Bernhardt’s career.
With this period prop, we proceeded!
The Gown
Then we got to this beautiful gown created by Elizabeth Niemczyk.
We lit the gown portraits differently from the others, using a harder light source and filling in the shadows. Couldn’t resist doing some Rembrandt lighting for a headshot-style portrait I retouched.
Courtney did beautiful work in this session, and it was an honor and a pleasure to spend an afternoon playing together while we talked about some of my very favorite topics: Shakespeare and Athens, Ohio.
About Courtney Abbott
Courtney Abbott (they/she) has been leading Intimacy work for professional theater artists and filmmakers since 2018. Prior to this work, they taught consent and bystander intervention to the United States Armed Forces. Courtney is passionate about empathetic communication, and making our industry and this nation safer for Queer & NB2ST folx of all ages. For over a decade, Courtney toured in the award winning violence prevention program Sex Signals (Catharsis Productions), at colleges across the nation and US military installations around the world. They are currently a Chicago-based actor, educator, and Intimacy Professional. They are a Stakeholder in the Back Room Shakespeare Project, a founder of Athens on Tap, and a proud alum of Northwestern and Ohio University. Past collaborations include Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, About Face, The Gift, Remy Bumppo, Writers Theatre, Northwestern University, and Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. CourtneyAbbott.com
Shakespeare credits with the Back Room Shakespeare Project: Virgilia, Lady Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Maria, Petruchio/Christopher Sly, Leontes, Tybalt, Exeter, Cordelia, Ross, Troilus, Longaville, Bassianus, Hippolyta, Valentine/Officer, Murderer 1, Abraham/Apothecary, Snug the Joiner.
With Athens on Tap: Hamlet.
