Citizens Band @ Spiegeltent, NYC, 9/8/08

December 5, 2008 by Dese'Rae Stage
Filed under Featured Articles, Show Debriefings

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The Citizens Band is a modern cabaret act with a revolving door of cast members, including well-known performers, in addition to some exceptionally talented circus acts. The troupe hit New York’s Spiegeltent at South Street Sea Port’s Pier 17 with their sixth original production, The Panic is On. This particular show, a political satire, featured aerialist Chelsea Bacon; Nina Persson (of the Cardigans & A-Camp fame); Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think); and a special performance by Amanda Palmer (formerly of the Dresden Dolls).

If you don’t know much about Spiegeltent, it is, quite literally, a circus tent (a seasonal venue, obviously). Given that, it’s beautiful inside, and the lighting is amazing. I shot from a stationary position in the tent, about two rows back from the stage and on the aisle, which provided a clear, open space for shooting. This particular show was interactive, with the characters moving around the audience, which made it simultaneously both easier and more difficult to shoot. More on that later.

My setup was pretty basic. I used my trusty Canon Digital Rebel XTi and switched back and forth between my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lenses. I’m almost solely a manual shooter, so I try to keep my settings such that I really only have to change the shutter speed along with the lighting cues. I set my ISO at 800, as it was nice, theatrical lighting and bright enough that I could avoid the noise of a 1600 ISO setting. I kept my aperture at f/2.8 so as not to reduce my depth of field too much, especially since I had a whole room to capture, as opposed to one area of a stage. I shoot RAW, so I left the white balance on auto. Temperature changes are easy enough in post-production that I don’t find it necessary to adjust too much while shooting unless things start looking wonky in my viewfinder.

There was a lot going on here. Players center stage, hanging from the ceiling, to the side, and behind. This allowed for some interesting visuals. I tend to like to move around a bit and alter my angles, try to see things from a more artful perspective while still maintaining a journalistic approach for whichever publication I happen to be shooting for. I was glued to my seat, however, so the movement was helpful. Sadly, I lost a lot of shots when some of the performers got too close. I remember what would have been an especially nice shot of Amanda Palmer walking down the aisle, away from the stage. The particular lenses I was working with are less than optimal when your subject is standing less than five feet from your face. Alas, maybe it’s time to ask Santa for a nice, wide prime.

Overall, as you’ll see below, I got some really nice shots. The only time I found myself really frustrated was during the contortionists’ performance, which was straight-up lit through and through with red. I was dissatisfied with every one of those shots. Oh well. Here’s some of the good stuff, with specs attached.