Kevin Thom - Hamilton, Toronto, Ontario Photographer

Every year I head down to Carrboro, North Carolina for the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival, hosted by my good friend Zach Ward and his Dirty South Improv Theater. The festival has been around for 10 years now, and has grown immensely in the four years that I’ve been attending. The little town of Carrboro now boasts a world-class festival that includes stand-up, sketch, film and improvised comedy. Those who know me know that I’m a big fan of improv, and enjoy performing as well. So, it’s always a pleasure and an honor that Zach asks me each year to combine this passion of mine with my passion for shooting.

Shooting live events is not something I do regularly or professionally, but shooting improv is a real joy. The challenge of capturing the very peak of a spontaneous moment under trying lighting conditions is a real test of my photography abilities, and keeps me thoroughly engaged in the moment. The festival is packed with some of North America’s most talented improvisers, and there’s no shortage of these brilliant improvised moments to shoot.

I return from the festival each year creatively invigorated, nourished by friendships renewed, and loaded with gigabytes of images. You can find this year’s selection in my portfolio. However, there are a lot to sift through. I’ve collected my favorites in the gallery below.

The venerable Staircase Theatre on Dundas Street in Hamilton, Ontario.

My friends at the Staircase Theatre in Hamilton asked me to do some interior photos that could be printed 4 feet wide and 8 feet tall to decorate the back of the building. The back part of the building is where the actual theatre space is, so the windows were blacked out to keep the space dark. Unfortunately, that made the windows somewhat unattractive from the outside.  The idea was that the images I created would give a hint at what was inside the building, while covering up the unsightly blacked-out windows.

It was fun to go into the Staircase to shoot the interior. The place has tons of character. Capturing that character and the elements that define it was a challenging and enjoyable experience. I wanted to find just the right angle on that black iron staircase that gives the theatre its name. After a few weeks of consideration, we finally selected three images from the day’s proofs, and sent them off to the sign shop. These big mounted posters went up on the windows a couple of weeks ago. Here’s what they look like installed.

Here are the images on their own.

If you live near or in Hamilton, do yourself a favor and go check out the Staircase. There’s a pleasant cafe, as well as lots of cool events happening there, including open mic shows, film festivals and improv.