THE GREAT COMET
Katzenstein was commissioned by Opening Act, a New York City based organization that brings theater education into over 40 of the city's most high-need high schools, to document a remarkable event. The producers of the hit broadway musical The Great Comet had contacted Suzy Myers Jackson (the director of Opening Act) to invite 50 students to participate with the entire cast with the goal of performing live on the Today Show during their annual Broadway Musical week.
The director, Rachel Chavkin, along with the entire creative team of choreographers, rehearsed a full day with the 50 students and entire cast, reinventing one of the scenes for the Today Show's outdoor stage. In preparation the students also attended the broadway production as guests - many had never set foot in a broadway theater before. Needless to say, the experience was meaningful not only for the inner city high school students, but for the entire cast and crew.
Katzenstein’s goal for this project was to find moments within the production that captured the energy of the cast and students. Unlike the majority of images derived from photographing broadway productions, this series goes beyond the normal conventions of staging and lighting found inside theaters, and placed the characters in the real world, swirling with color, movement and even tourists.