Bringing the outside world into the Drama space

It is always a joy to welcome back students who have left Dolphin and taken a little bit of the Arts experience with them to shape their own successful careers.  Robin Savage was one of Judy’s very first students and from a young age knew that he wanted to work in the world of Drama.  So he did.  He bravely set up his own photography business and now takes headshots of actors and of theatre productions, whether that is a big West End musical or a tiny Dolphin School world premiere!

We learnt how when he is photographing a show, he is looking for moments that create intrigue and make the viewers wonder and ultimately decide to go and watch the show.  When he places his hand on her shoulder, is the Phantom (of the Opera!) comforting Christine, the young protagonist, or is he threatening her?

Perhaps though we were even more impressed by what he does in his spare time. This is when he indulges in his greatest passion – photographing veterans of the Second World War, in an effort to uphold the memory of this incredible generation. One recent innovative project took him and individual D Day veterans back to specific locations in France where something momentous had happened to them.  In 1944 Bill was seriously wounded and remembered that his life had been saved by being hidden in a barn by a chateau. After some serious detective work Robin tracked down this barn and returned with the nearly 100 year old Bill to take photos of him. The resulting photo is truly poignant.  See below.

Robin himself says, ‘I had the great privilege to spend time with the veterans, photographing them as they shared remarkable stories and personal memories. I want to ensure these people, who all volunteered to brave the most extreme dangers of the war, are never forgotten.’

In the afternoon Robin set the students a challenge: to take a photo for a poster advertising Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’.  He taught them about the rule of three, negative space and the importance of the photo telling a story. In groups they became actors, photographers and artistic directors - you can see one of the results above. Who knows maybe this young photographer may end up becoming a professional?