Chocolate Moose. Not Chocolate Mousse. Chocolate Moose. The animal. If you Google that (and scroll past Martha Stewart’s chocolate mousse recipe), you’ll find the Chocolate Moose Theatre Company. They’re a fairly new theatre company based in Montreal ‘seeking to produce accessible, affordable, quality theatre’. I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with them a few times and seeing them perform at the Mainline Theatre. I took a few portraits and headshots for promo material, and also got the chance to photograph them behind the scenes prior to one of their shows. Ever wondered what actors do behind the scenes to warm up before a performance? For these guys, it involved a short pep talk, some breathing exercises, a bit of line reciting, and then, my favourite, yelling the words sphincter and hippopotamus at the top of their lungs. That’s the secret behind a great performance, folks.
Andrew Cameron, co-founder of Chocolate Moose, in the process of transforming into Dr. Faustus.
Nothing gets you going like a bit of screaming and making animal sounds.
This is Emily Murphy, co-founder of Chocolate Moose. I met her years ago as the friend of the sister of a friend. She’s now blonde and studying theatre at Columbia University.
I also took a few headshots of them and made some promo material for their shows The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine and Richard III. Actors are great subjects to work with as a photographer since they take direction well and can immediately go in character if prompted.
Portrait of Andrew Cameron as Ernest.
Portrait of Alina Gotcherian as Ernestine.
Headshot of Alina Gotcherian.
Headshot of Andrew Cameron.
Promo material. This is Martin Law, co-founder of Chocolate Moose Theatre, as Richard III.
Martin sat under my studio lights and channeled his inner sinisterness (that’s a word) as we shot multiple variations on this portrait. It’s remarkable how minute movements of the eyebrows and mouth completely changed the shot. We went through dozens of pictures before settling for this one.
I like this one. I turned on my camera and lights and took this test shot before adjusting any settings. He looks pensive, but he’s actually just figuring out this Rubik’s cube-like puzzle.
You can visit their Facebook page to stay updated on their upcoming shows.
You think Martin's III doesn't fit his hairstyle, you have any questions, or you want to discuss potential projects? Write to me!