Last week, Distant Era captured the production/press photos for Idle Muse Theatre Company’s production of Witch, by Jen Silverman, directed by Libby Beyreis. Witch opened Saturday, September 12, at the Edge Off-Broadway theater in Chicago and runs through October 10.
In this post, I’ll show off the official production/press photos in groups while more or less talking about how easy it is to work with old friends.
Witch
Here’s a summary of the play, courtesy of Idle Muse Theatre Company:
A charming devil arrives in the quiet village of Edmonton to bargain for the souls of its residents in exchange for their darkest wishes. Elizabeth should be his easiest target, having been labeled a “witch” and cast out by the town, but her soul is not so readily bought. As the devil returns to convince her – and then returns again – unexpected passions flare, alliances are formed, and the village is forever changed. An inventive retelling of a Jacobean drama, this sharp, subversive fable debates how much our souls are worth when hope is hard to come by.
Witch summary from the Idle Muse Theatre Company website.
Familiars
Over many years and many productions with Idle Muse, our photo calls are the most reserved on account of being the most familiar. I have a better idea what makes a good production press photo, I understand the advantages and the limitations of the space, and I no longer spend time capturing shots I know won’t work for what we need. I know how to ask for light when I need it or nudge a scene a few feet to avoid photographing offstage distractions, and if all else fails, I have my own lighting tools and alternate lenses in my bag.
To add to the familiarity, the director of Witch, Libby Beyreis, has assisted me on several Idle Muse production shoots, holding lights and reflectors or taking behind-the-scenes images. Libby was part of the 2016 session that put the idea for Distant Era in my mind. Furthermore, she was present for the very first theatre preproduction session I ever shot, in 2010 (Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s The Last Daughter of Oedipus, by Jennifer L. Mickelsen), which was incidentally the first photo session I ever did for anyone other than myself. We had been friends for four years prior to that shoot, which makes 2026 the twentieth year of our friendship.
As such, Libby had an organized shot list for Witch. She had suggestions and ideas for different angles that might make for compelling images. I’ve worked with Libby for so long that I trust her taste and her judgment as a creative collaborator, and all of this made for smooth sailing throughout our production photography session.
Photography
Witch takes place on a beautiful set by master carpenter Jeremiah Barr and scene painter Breezy Snyder. There are plenty of set elements—a campfire, a bar, tables and chairs—to fill in the scenes and give them a sense of place. The set is essentially a thrust, with audience seated on two perpendicular sides, which meant I could shoot the action from multiple angles with my 24–105 mm lens without much risk of capturing distractions. I never needed a wider angle than this, as I do in some productions. No projections to contend with or LEDs with noticeable color saturation on the background. We framed up each shot on our list, photographed the scene from a couple different angles, and moved on.
Character Portraits
Ordinarily, I shoot Idle Muse character portraits at the archival session. However, with a cast of six and a simple setup to execute a complex idea, we were able to move back and forth between shooting scenes onstage and shooting a character portrait as the actors became available.
As a result, Idle Muse will have some character portraits to promote Witch right after the show opens.
Click on the gallery image to see the character portraits for Witch.
Thanks
Once again, Witch runs through October 10 at the Edge Off-Broadway theater in Chicago. Throughout the run of the show, tickets are available on the Idle Muse Theatre Company website.
Thanks to Idle Muse for another great session. Special thanks to company manager Kati Lechner for organizing the photography and to stage manager Jo Chalhoub for keeping things running on the day of our shoot. Thanks to Libby Beyreis for everything. Thanks to Elizabeth MacDougald for helping me pack up the gear!
Finally, thanks to the entire cast and creative team of Witch, listed on the Idle Muse Theatre Company website as follows:
Cast
Mara Kovacevic~ (she/her, Elizabeth); Nathaniel Kohlmeier (he/him, Scratch); Cameron Austin Brown (he/him, Cuddy); Xavier Lagunas~ (he/him, Frank); Stephen Dunn (he/him, Sir Arthur); Caty Gordon~ (she/her, Winnifred); Elise Soeder (she/her, u/s Elizabeth); Dryden Zurawski (they/he, u/s Scratch); Phillip Heflin (he/him, u/s Cuddy); Noah Lash (he/him, u/s Frank); Andrew Bosworth (he/him, u/s Sir Arthur), Sami Casten (they/them, u/s Winnifred).
Creative
Libby Beyreis~ (she/her, director); Jo Chalhoub (they/them, stage manager); Kati Lechner~ (she/her, Idle Muse managing director, production manager, health and safety officer); Erin Alys (she/her, intimacy director); Richard Gilbert (he/him, violence director); Vic Bayona (he/him, violence director); Alexandra Schooling (she/her, dance/movement choreographer); Jeremiah Barr (he/him, technical director, master carpenter); Laura J. Wiley~ (she/her, lighting & projection designer); L.J. Luthringer~ (he/him, sound designer and composer); Vicki Jablonski (she/her, costume designer); Jennifer Mohr~ (she/her, assistant costume designer); Breezy Snyder~ (she/they, scenic painter); Tristan Brandon~ (he/him, props designer, health and safety officer); Mara Kovacevic~ (she/her, house manager); Caty Gordon~ (she/her, marketing & social media); Michael Dalberg~ (he/him, Idle Muse literary director), Evan Jackson~ (he/him, Idle Muse artistic director).
~ denotes Idle Muse Theatre Company Ensemble Member
