May 2026 – John McRae Photography & Studio

May 23, 2026May 26, 2026

The Pirates of Penzance at The Foundry Theatre

From left to right: Jay Laga’aia, Brittanie Shipway, Sarah Murr (back) & Maxwell Simon

The Hayes Theatre Company brings one of its star productions to the Foundry Theatre stage, a 360-seat live entertainment venue, part of The Star complex in Sydney.

I captured production images of this musical last year at the Hayes Theatre and I was happy to re-visit Gilbert & Sullivan’s madcap and satirical masterwork. Directed by Richard Carroll,
it is an inventive, re-booted and re-wired take on this classic.

It was a joy to capture these images, while the cast enthusiastically swashbuckled and frolicked on stage.

The Pirates of Penzance is on at the Foundry Theatre until June 7, 2026

Articles:

Hit Hayes Theatre Co Musical, The Pirates Of Penzance, Sails Into The Foundry Theatre

https://www.broadwayworld.com/sydney/article/THE-PIRATES-OF-PENZANCE-Will-Come-to-Sydneys-Foundry-Theatre-20260511

May 4, 2026May 7, 2026

Catherine Alcorn rocks the socks off at Ginger’s

Seasoned Goddess and talented cabaret performer Catherine Alcorn has started something fabulous at Ginger’s nightclub on Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.

Last Friday was the second (sell-out) night of a continuing series of performances designed to “rock your socks off”. I had the pleasure of photographing her performance, together with various members of the “packed-to-the-rafters” audience.

“You may think Alcorn’s great strength is her powerhouse vocals, but it is in fact her ability to ad-lib” (Catherine Alcorn Live (Ginger’s) – Cultural Binge)

Catherine had invited some of her talented colleagues to share the stage…the acclaimed cabaret legend Phil Scott, and the recent Juilliard School graduate (Master of Music degree) jazz trumpeter James Sarno, with the warm-up act being the musical comedy of Jackie Loeb (Sydney Comedy Festival shows coming up soon)

Catherine and Phil – following a bare-chested performance by Phil Scott

Book a seat for the next shows Ginger’s 12 June or Ginger’s 24 July. See you there!

May 3, 2026May 7, 2026

Photographing in Melbourne for Circa AD Jewels

Louise Macdonald (Milliner) positions one of her hats on Carmen (model)

I always love it when I have a reason to head to Melbourne for work. Melbourne was my old stomping ground in my late teens and early 20’s, while I was studying for a science degree at Monash University. I enjoyed that time discovering all that the city had to offer, a far cry from the dairy farm I grew up on. Now living in Sydney for what seems like a life-time, it’s somewhat nostalgic to have a reason to head back down to Victoria.

I was shooting the lovely Carmen, who was once again modelling for Adrian Dickens of Circa AD Jewels. This time Adrian was also collaborating with the talented milliner Louise Macdonald

On a perfectly sunny morning, we all met up at Sun Studios in Melbourne to start the shoot. I was assisted by Ned Roche, my trusty “right-hand man”. It was a perfect team. Everything flowed smoothly and there was space to enjoy ourselves while we worked.