Robert Catto
@robertcatto
Canadian/Kiwi/Australian photographer on Gadigal land, specialising in theatre, dance, opera and music. Member of Kage Collective. Oh, and silent film researcher, who also likes Formula One. 📷🇨🇦🇳🇿🇦🇺🏁
The one time I came close to the great Sam Neill was at the Wellington premiere of The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, in 2002; wish I'd had a chance to talk to him, but of course there was a queue of actual interviews for him to do, and no time to chat with every photographer in the lineup.
It’s hard to describe just how bitter the sentiment is over there, but these are a couple of photos from inside the LCBO in downtown Toronto last year—the Ontario Government-owned liquor store—where they’d normally stock American stuff. Canadians aren’t usually THIS nationalistic…!
My mum would still maintain that Bruno Gerussi (at left in that photo) was the best Romeo she ever saw at the Stratford Festival, opposite Julie Harris as Juliet, in 1960.
But with the horn in his hands (and another one in miniature around his neck!), the years melted away, he pumped his fist, and he and his amazing band showed us what was possible for someone who’s been playing a lot longer than I’ve been alive. Incredible.
Sonny Rollins—who died this week, at 95—was a titan of the jazz scene, and I photographed him when he came to the Wellington Jazz Festival in New Zealand, in 2011. (He was ONLY eighty, then!)
Nice to be back working with Well Done Creative on the poster for Head Over Heels at the Hayes Theatre, later this month. Great work by the graphic designer Kenney Designs--Gaz Dutlow is looking amazing thanks to Renee Taylor HMU, Ellen Simpson's direction, and Brendan de la Hay's costumes.
(11) Bright Star at Hayes Theatre Co directed by Damien Ryan and Miranda Middleton (12) The Edit at Belvoir St Theatre written and directed by Gabrielle Scawthorne (13) Holiday Inn at Riverside Theatres directed by Sally Dashwood (14) Virginia Gay in Carols by Cabaret at Hayes Theatre Co.
(7) Foam at Qtopia directed by Gavin Roach (8) Alinta Chidzey in Strictly Baz Luhrmann at Sydney Opera House produced and directed by Mark Sutcliffe (9) Timon of Athens (or: I Hate People) at the Seymour Centre, directed by Margaret Thanos (10) Shack directed by Benjamin Brockman
(3) Emma Pask and her Latin Jazz Orchestra perform Cosita Divina at City Recital Hall, Sydney (4-5) Posh at Old Fitz Theatre directed by Margaret Thanos (That first image is actually eleven photos I spent far too long combining into a single one…!) (6) MJ Wilson in Type-A Marketing Man at Qtopia
Before the new year truly takes over, I just wanted to do a quick look back at some of my highlights of 2025—and thanks to ALL the casts, directors, creatives & designers I couldn’t tag in each of these! Photos are as follows: (1-2) Furious Mattress at Belvoir St Theatre directed by Margaret Thanos
Having a quiet NYE, but here’s a last photo to end 2025 with, from our friends’ (glorious!) wedding on Monday night. Have a happy and safe New Year, everyone!
Feels like a line from M. Emmet Walsh in Raising Arizona, but I don’t think it is. “So we were doin' paramedical work in affiliation with the state highway system. Not actual practice, you understand. And me & Bill were patrolling down Nine Miles…”
The show's about reality television, so the set & lighting design is using the kind of lighting modifiers you'd find on a TV set--unusual for theatre, but interesting to see (and photograph)…
Some new production photography featuring Matilda Ridgway and Iolanthe in The Edit, written & directed by Gabrielle Scawthorn, playing at @belvoirst.bsky.social here in Sydney until 26 Oct. Great script, amazing cast, and a beautiful production!
And some of my production images, taken on a Fuji X-H1 with the 16-55mm (first image) and 56mm f/1.2 (other three).
what perfect album came out when you were sixteen? (I’ll limit myself to the ones I wore out on cassette at the time…)
Nice to work with Mark Sutcliffe and Opera Australia this week on Strictly Baz Luhrmann at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, with this group of absolute stars—Phoebe Panaretos, Tim Draxl, Alinta Chidzey and Ryan Gonzalez, with the Opera Australia orchestra.
In Canada, half of them have French names—or possibly cars—on them. So your odds are even worse, there!
(Found the full metadata and the source, definitely Auto WB.) commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sa...
More about the show (and tickets) here: www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/posh
Making this a thread because I can only attach 4 photos per post, obviously. And with a cast of 14, I need more than that!
So many spectacular reviews for Posh by Laura Wade, directed by Margaret Thanos at the Old Fitz Theatre here in Sydney—it’s only natural it’s nearly sold out! Worth getting in while you can, for this hilarious and searing indictment of wealth and privilege. An amazing cast, and a great production.
Sorry to hear today that jazz legend Roy Ayers has passed; he came to New Zealand for the Wellington Jazz Festival in 2009 when I was their photographer, and I was in complete awe of his playing. Incredible sensitivity and sound, with intense depth of feeling in his hands.
I never remember to get any behind-the-scenes of me working, so it's great when the producer does--and then I get to post the setup & the shot! The rehearsal room at Belvoir Theatre looks a little different when you add lighting, and a bit of amber gel…