There are photographers at theatrical events, and then there are ‘theatre photographers’. Noel Gorky decided on the latter. Not only does he attend the plays, he also makes it a point to attend every practice session, costume fitting and tech rehearsal. This is probably the reason why in four years, he has chronicled the journey of only two plays through his lens. But the 29-year-old bears no regrets, “It’s all about the smallest of movements,” he insists. “If you aren’t focused, you could miss the expression in the blink of an eye.” The photos of one of these productions – Soorpanagu, will be showcased in an exhibition at the Alliance Francaise of Madras, starting today.
So far, the lensman who started out as an assistant cinematographer, has only seen Tamil theatre. The first was Semoothai, a play directed by Muruga Boopathy. Between half sentence of broken English and Tamil, he goes back to that first magical experience. “The sets, the lights, the body language of actors on stage...” he expresses with reverance, “It was a completely different world from films.”
Observing Gorky’s interest in capturing what he saw, director Boopathy encouraged him to spend more time with their theatre group, Manal Mugudi. “I was advised to act in a play to understand the process better, rather than just remaining on the outside as a photographer,” Gorky reveals.
And so, he did. Shyness out the window (if only for this one production) purely for the love of his art. Gorky even went on to put aside freelance projects for a while, in order to tour with the group for multiple shows around the country. “This got me thinking, there is no photographer who specialises in theatre in India,” he says. Asked why he doesn’t watch a more diverse range of plays in other languages, he is quick to respond: “I am open to any language, but it is important that I get to be a part of the whole process.” For his previous projects, the Thanjavur-born photographer spent a whole month with each cast.
However, Gorky’s choice of theatre, he insists, is always experimental or tinged with a social message. Being something of a modest poet as well, his optimism that the art can change audience perceptions about subjects that matter, comes across as clearly as the light in his photographs. He adds quickly, “Unlike in films, in theatre photography, darkness plays as important a role as light.”
Although, there isn’t a clear market for theatre photography presently, this man behind the camera predicts that it will be someday soon. So how did you think to approach the Alliance Francaise of Madras for this exhibition? He explains, “I looked up theatre photography online, and it is most popular in France!”
The exhibition will be showcased at the Alliance Francais of Madras, Nungambakkam between October 4 and 14. For details, contact 044 28279803
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