Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

“Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.”
-A Midsummer Night’s Dream

If you saw Shakespeare in the Park’s summer performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lethbridge last year, you’ll definitely remember Titania, played by the talented Megan! Between the incredible presence she had as the character and how dreamy her whole look came together, I had to get her to step into the role one more time for a creative photoshoot.

I waited until the wall of leaves turned its vibrant red colour in the fall, knowing it would be a perfect match for Megan’s hair. And it was even more close than I expected!

The most important part of my vision was a light painting portrait once it was dark enough out. Megan and our helper Leslie were amazing and committed – it started snowing on us as soon as we arrived at the final location and I needed Megan to hold still! None of us could feel our hands by the end but it was worth it :)

Gown by Amanda Epp
Makeup by Leslie Van Zwol

After a one year hiatus due to COVID, Ammena Dance Company was back with their 2022 showing of An Explosion of World Dance and Music. Everyone was so excited to be on stage again, especially after months of attending classes not being certain if it would actually happen or not. Finishing the show was a huge emotional victory!

Cam once again did our photos and between his dance photography, Lise-Anne’s creative choreography, and Rob’s gorgeous lighting at the Yates Memorial Centre, the energy of each piece really comes through.

p.s. Like last time I’m in here a bunch of times! Can you spot me?

Drag! Puppets! Christmas Spirits! I had the pleasure of photographing one of the two performances of A Very Didi Christmas Carol. This staged reading was put on by Theatre Outré and was a hilarious parody of the famous Christmas story. With catchy original songs by Jay Whitehead and Kathy Zaborsky, lots of dirty jokes, and puppetry, the fact I had to fight back crying near the end came a little unexpected!

This was definitely the most animated staged reading I have ever watched. We have such talented people here in Lethbridge theatre!

Last fall, Jamani Duo began working on the creatives for their new album. They loaded up their van with the instruments that were used on the tracks and we adventured throughout the city with all their instruments in tow. Normally when I do Lethbridge promotional band photos there may be a guitar involved, not a whole set up that takes 20 minutes to put together, so this was a ton of fun!

When they listed off the numerous instruments they had recorded with, the top down photo with their instruments surrounding them was the first image that came to my mind, and I was so excited to see it was the photo that made the album cover!

Cam once again rocked his Lethbridge dance performance photos of Ammena Dance Company’s 2020 show An Explosion of World Dance & Music. It’s so great to have him involved in my hobbies!

If you saw the poster from the show, you already knew there would be a bunch of retro elements going on. This year we had an American Bandstand theme with our show’s host, Gary, interviewing various dancers between each piece.

Everyone did an amazing job, especially the show’s creator and choreographer Lise-Anne, and the Yates Memorial Theatre’s lighting tech Rob.

p.s. I make a few appearances in this post. Can you spot me?

Lethbridge’s local theatre scene saw a standout production in 2019 with A Streetcar Named Desire. The production was done by Theatre Outré, whose intimate performance space at Didi’s Playhaus really added to the rawness of the play.

I was thrilled to be asked to photograph the show on its dress rehearsal night, allowing me to move freely around the U-shaped audience space. Every performer was outstanding, and I’m not ashamed to admit I jumped many times during Stanley’s outbursts, despite the detachment that comes from being behind a camera! (The only thing I am embarrassed about is that my only previous knowledge of the play was from the Simpsons!)