Photo FeaturesCheck Out London-Based Photographer Danny Kaan’s 23 Favorite Theatre PhotosKaan reflects on some of his favorite theatre photos including Six, Songs for a New World, and more.
By
Marc J. Franklin
December 18, 2020
Danny Kaan
By nature, theatre is ephemeral. But with production photography, a show can last long after it has closed and reach audiences far beyond the auditorium. Capturing a show’s worth of moments in a just a few images, theatre photography not only immortalizes the artistry behind a show but also helps to solidify the identity of an entire production for years to come. Playbill caught up with London-based theatre photographer Danny Kaan about breaking into the theatre photography industry, his favorite memories behind his shots, and more.
“Two and a half years ago I moved from the Netherlands to London and was so nervous to start my new adventure across the pond. From the day I moved I reached out to so many people and tried to be at as many events as possible—I was so happy when I booked one photo shoot per week.” Kaan reflects.
In the time since, Kaan has become an in-demand theatre photographer, a role he doesn’t take for granted. “I genuinely don't see my job as work. I love it so much! It combines my passion for photography with my love for musical theatre and music. You can't make me happier than when I’m running from photo shoot to photo shoot, capturing the different atmospheres at each event. When I'm at a concert, a show, or event, I'm absolutely living my best life, and I see other people doing that too. I try to capture that moment, whether it's the performer or an audience member. I love the emotion in a photograph, and I love playing around with colors and the lights.
“This year has been a whirlwind: It started off with some amazing opportunities, and I was able to check many things off my bucket list. Then the COVID-19 lockdown happened. My camera and I had a break, but as soon as events were happening again, I tried to be there, from drive-ins, to live stream concerts, to shows with socially distanced audiences. It has been weird but also so beautiful to be able to capture these events. Shows without an audience aren't the same, and shows with an audience aren't the same either anymore. Even still, audiences are thankful to be in a theatre, performers are enjoying their times on stage, and there’s a real sense of community and togetherness.”
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Check Out London-Based Photographer Danny Kaan’s 23 Favorite Theatre Photos
Check Out London-Based Photographer Danny Kaan’s 23 Favorite Theatre Photos
23 PHOTOS
"This is a photo from a concert 2.5 years ago when Jason Robert Brown came over to London and had Rachel Tucker as one of his guest artists that night. It was my very first big photo shoot in London, and I remember every second of it. It was extra special as I wasn't even living in London at that point—I flew over from Amsterdam for that concert. I've always been obsessed with Rachel Tucker, and I can remember the happiness I felt when I saw this photo for the first time."
"I took this photo during the special performance at the 30th anniversary of The Phantom Of The Opera in the West End, shared it on social media, and I remember how many people messaged me. What makes the picture extra special for me is that Christine (Celinde Schoenmaker) is Dutch as well so I was there that night to support her and to capture this beautiful memory."
"A very recent picture, but a photograph that showcases the world in 2020. This was one of the first shoots I did after the first lockdown. It was for Sharon D. Clarke's Tonight At the London Coliseum concert. Seeing an empty theatre in the back makes me feel emotional. Walking around in an empty venue for the first time was such a weird feeling, especially because it was my first time at a concert without an audience or reaction after a song."
"When I take a photograph at a concert, I try not to only capture the performers. I try to photograph the atmosphere and the joy. To me, this photo [musical theatre group Callabro] showcases how beautiful concerts are. You can see the front row living their best lives. I can't wait to go on tour with them next year and photograph the entire experience."
"This is such a throwback! There's Nothing Like a Dame was one of my first paid photo shoots after I moved to London. I was so nervous and stressed but also excited. At the end of the show, I had this idea of going on stage to take a picture of the bows, but I was so nervous so I literally ran on stage, took 2 photos and ran off!"
"Back in the Netherlands, we have the Musical Sing-A-Long, which is basically the same as West End Live. But instead of two days, it's just one evening. The first event, I attended is 8 years ago now, but this picture is from last year. It's one of my favourite days of the year because the lighting design is unbelievable. I love playing around with lights and colours while I'm taking photos so this event is one of the best things ever for me."
"This day is one of my top three best days of my life. I remember standing in the lift with Jessica afterwards and the only thing I could say was ‘You were insane.' Jessica is incredible, and the fact she said yes to having me there that night was unreal. It was my first official photo shoot in New York, my 54 below (photography) debut, AND she decided to have some of my photos in her album."
At the beginning of the year (before we knew what was going to happen [with COVID-19]), I went to Greece to watch the new production of The Phantom Of The Opera. When the show was finished, I said to Ben Forster, who plays the Phantom, 'Ah, I wish I could photograph this, it looks stunning'. The next morning, he spoke to the creative team, and that evening I was allowed to take some production images of this gorgeous set and lighting design."
"The very first concert I photographed after the first lockdown was at a drive in event. Again, in this image you can see how much fun everyone has and how much we needed an event like this to happen."
"Another yearly Dutch event I would always fly back for is The Christmas Show in The Ziggo Dome with an audience of 17,000 people. It's so special to photograph such a large event where literally everything is big: costumes, set design, lights."
"I'm obsessed with Waitress and Sara Bareilles. And I couldn't have been happier when she announced she was going back in Waitress the week I was over in New York. I booked a ticket for her last performance and took this picture during the bows."
"Fiver is a new British musical which had a run at the Southwark Playhouse in the summer of 2019. It was my first time taking production images of a musical, and it was a learning curve for me. It was so cool to see that my photos were telling the story of the show, while capturing the real emotions. I'll always be proud of this achievement."
"This is a photo from a live stream concert that was filmed on my 25th birthday. I expected to have a really boring birthday at home, but then I was asked to take photos of Lucie Jones and David Hunter's concert. Attending a live event with no audience is the weirdest thing ever—there's no applause or real interaction with an [viewers]."
"Something I taught myself in 2020 is taking commercial photos and using a flash. I never really did photoshoots with people posing in front of the camera. But when The Reunion, featuring the stars of Six, asked me to take their poster image, I couldn't say no."
"I think my most special day of 2020 was attending Songs For A New World at the London Palladium, which was the first London event with an audience in a theatre. The excitement in the room and applause—a standing ovation—is something I'll never forget."
"This is also a photo from my pre-london-life. A few years ago, I flew to London to watch Honeymoon In Vegas. I didn't really know the show, but I loved Jason Robert Brown's work and I am in love with Samantha Barks. I brought out my camera during the curtain call and took a few pictures. Before this day, my photos hadn’t yet been officially used or published much, but the night after this event, someone reached out to me to share my photos on his website. It was the man himself: Jason Robert Brown."
"I've done a lot of backstage photoshoots at The Phantom of the Opera, but this photo sums it up for me. It is in the rehearsal room above the theatre and it feels like style with the show. The costumes are amazing, the background is very cool, and I love the light."
"Manhattan Concert Production's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was my first large-scale photo shoot in New York, and I still can't believe it happened. It is also the biggest event I've ever photographed. The amount of people involved and onstage was amazing, and I really tried to take a photo where everyone looked good."
"This photo will be in my heart forever. Wicked is my favourite musical, and I've seen it a million times. Louise Dearman was my first British Elphaba, and I saw Rachel Tucker's last show in the West End. Since I was young I have been obsessed with them both. We had THE best time taking this picture ahead of their Christmas concert in Louise's house, and I can hear 14-year-old-Danny crying!"
"I took this photo at one of my first visits to Six, and I loved it so much. It's a picture with so much happiness in it, and you can really see how much Aimie [Atkinson] is enjoying the performance."
Danny Kaan
"This is from another photo shoot I had pre-lockdown, when I was in Los Angeles. As you've read, I love Jason Robert Brown, and when I found out he was doing a concert the week I was in Los Angeles, I needed to be there. [The Bourbon Room] is in such a beautiful venue, and I'm obsessed with the colours in this photo."
"Something really exciting I've been doing over the past few months is creating a coffee table photobook, which showcases the West End and musical theatre in general in 2020. Not just performers, but also people who work backstage, front of house or in the offices. It was a big outside-the-box project for me, but it was a great opportunity to work with people I had always wanted to work with but hadn’t yet gotten to."
"This is the photo that started everything. I took this picture during the Musical Sing-A-Long in 2014 (with my very old camera) but I was so obsessed with the lights in the photo. This was the moment I realised I could actually take photos. From then on, I trained more and more, but this always reminds me of the start."
The Broadway revival starring Steve Carell and William Jackson Harper opened April 24. Laurence Fishburne and Edie Falco were among those in attendance.
