Reflecting on 35 years of Theatre Photography
- Jana Marcus
- Sep 29
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 29
For more than 35 years, I’ve had the privilege of standing in the wings, running through the aisles, and pressing the shutter at just the right moment to capture the electricity of live theatre.
To some, theatre photography may seem like simple documentation — a means to record a show for posterity. But in truth, it is so much more. It distills the fleeting magic of performance into a single, lasting moment. An actor’s glance, a gesture caught mid-air, a perfectly lit scene — these are moments that vanish in seconds. Yet, the photograph allows them to live forever.
Theatre photography is an art form in its own right. It requires instinct, timing, technical mastery, and above all, an understanding of storytelling. Each image must do more than look beautiful or be properly exposed; it must convey something meaningful. As I often tell people, “theatre imagery is storytelling — it’s about capturing the drama, elevating the story, and inviting an audience in.”
For me, the greatest challenge and joy lies in the attempt to sum up an entire show in a single frame. To capture the heart of the story, the mood, and the emotion in one decisive moment — that is both the struggle and the thrill. And after decades in the darkened theatres, I still find it exciting to capture an evocative narrative that was created by the designers and actors.
I thought I’d share 20 images from my archives. They may not be that "one image" that captured an entire production, but these are a few of my favorites. It was hard to pick just 20!
I was with another photographer at the outdoor glen for over 2 hours and my hands were frozen. My fingers could barely hit the shutter that night, but I captured this image that engulfed four of the major characters in this tender moment.
Although we do not see the actors faces, the sense of wonder and the act of creating, in this play about the artist Rothko, sums up the show.
I love this photo because the mirrored background it caught the dancer from three angles. It's not necessarily indictive of the show, but it's one of my favs. The next is very typical Chorus line!
There's too many exciting moments in West Side Story too put just one image, but i've always loved this capture of the dream sequence.
The ghost that haunts Ebeneezer has such a great face, and the soft depth of field captures Ebeneezers cowering in the background,
This image is from 2001, when I still shot on film. A timeless moment when the angel of death comes to take him away.
For a show like Cabaret there aren't many "soft" moments, but this image of the MC looking so soulful as the Nazi's plot in the background of the Kit Kat Club, speaks volumes of the world the characters are caught in.
This image was a mistaken double exposure. Blurry images are not ones we usually strive for, but this captured the energy of the mob scene, engulfing and overwhelming Christ, perfectly. It became on of my "obscure" favs.
If you made it all the way to the end of the photos, I have a fun side story for you...
Back in the early 2000s, people were constantly emailing or calling me to say, “We saw your photos of {insert show} in the New York Times. Congrats!”
Well, they weren't my photos. It was the great Broadway photographer, Joan Marcus. I always thought it was a strange coincidence that our names were so similar. I used to joke that I’d never get any work in New York because of the name confusion.
Flashforward to 2016, I was visiting New York and my sister was working on Broadway as a Costume Assistant Designer to Paul Tazwell. She told me she had met Joan Marcus several times and praised her. I was dying to meet my namesake, so my sister arranged a meeting. Joan was kind enough to carve out some time to have breakfast with me.
There we were, over eggs and coffee – the two Marcus theatre photographers – me, the West coast, her the East coast. Needless to say, we hit it off like gangbusters and spent most of the day together, talking about everything. Joan was warm and personable - It was a wonderful day I will never, ever forget!
You can see more of my theatre images under the "portfolio" tab of the website.
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