Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

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!)

It was truly a privilege to be able to photograph Lethbridge Diva Cabaret for a second year in a row! Once again the event was held at Pure Casino Lethbridge and sold out both of its Friday and Saturday shows. Many of the performers from previous years returned and we joined by new queens, hyper queens, and a few performers from Calgary.

This year marked the 5th anniversary of the Diva Cabaret’s start in Lethbridge. All proceeds went to support the 2019
Lethbridge Pride Fest. Each year the show continues to promote its themes of inclusion and body positivity.

I even spotted a few of my group’s former dance costumes among the performers!

p.s. If you missed the photos from last year’s show, you can check them out here!

Viewer discretion advised: this post contains some burlesque images (without full nudity), so may not be appropriate while you are at work.

Cam is usually more of an important background figure in my business. He’s the sneaky candid photographer at weddings, handles ordering sessions once the camera is put away, and spends hours behind a computer editing.

However, there is one area he gets to shine… I can’t photograph a dance show when I’m in it so that duty falls on him! Cam has really excelled at his Lethbridge dance photography.

He has photographed Ammena Dance Company‘s annual show, An Explosion of World Dance and Music, for several years now and I always love seeing what he captures. Especially because I have no idea what’s going on when I’m so involved in it myself!

(If this show sounds familar, you may remember the photos for the show poster I recently shared. And because I talk about it every year.)

After a year off, we had another show this March at the Yates. Here are a few highlights. Great work, Cam!

p.s. Yes, that’s me with the vertical hair!