Threads review, mnfringe show 18, They Still Make Film For That? Enchanting, laid back change of pace, exploring the history, art, process, and benefits of film photography - 4.5 stars
One of the reasons I had They Still Make Film For That? on my Top 10 list of shows I was most interested in seeing this year is my grandfather. After Granddad retired, he and my Grandma left their old house in Connecticut and moved down to live near my mom in Pennsylvania and help out after her divorce from my father. (Also, Grandma had a lot of family down in PA, so she got to be closer to many people she loved.) Granddad was a very active retiree, throwing himself into all kinds of creative endeavors which took over a chunk of my mom’s basement. He had a tool bench down there, to do woodworking, built a lot of bookshelves and cabinets. He went through a silk-screening phase. And he also created a tiny darkroom under the basement stairs, for his photography hobby.
“Go back and pick up your negatives. They are your canvas. They are art.”
Fringe show producer Kevin Ealain is exactly the sort of genial, laid back host I was hoping for. His show They Still Make Film For That? is designed to convey to the audience his love of physical photography, and give us a look behind the scenes at a bit of the process. Ealain snaps pictures with his 35mm camera, and then goes through the steps of turning the film into a roll of negatives which will later be developed into full photographs. He does all this while also, the whole time, talking to us in the audience about the history of photography from its origins up through the modern era.
“Just because you know how something is done, doesn’t mean it stops being magic.” - Terry Pratchett
The set has a central table, under lights which turn at one point dark room red, where the chemicals and tools for developing film are gathered. There's also a time clock on the corner of the table that Kevin's son comes out on stage and hits the button to start counting down the time at the top of the show, and that I then completely forgot about until Kevin turned to it as the show was winding down ("Look at that, we flew through it today, only 45 minutes, plenty of time for you all to come up and look around the gallery.") To one side of the development table is a lighted screen with photo negatives mounted for inspection, underneath, some old-fashioned cameras, and photo albums. To the other side are a couple of displays, one a board with completed photographs affixed to it for folks to view gallery style; the other a collection of many styles of old cameras and projectors and film stock.
“A photograph can hold as much as we put into it.” - Ansel Adams
Despite the technological revolution providing us all with phones that are also cameras, making everyone an amateur digital photographer, sales of non-digital cameras are still strong and the majority of the people buying them are under the age of 25. Ealain was full of facts like this of which I was unaware. Also, the availability of so many different styles of film, or ways to adapt old cameras to currently available film stock, are surprisingly numerous.
“I wish I had pictures of every old day
'Cause all these old memories are fading away” - The Magnetic Fields
Ealain is able to nerd out about his beloved pastime without losing the crowd. He is able to convey some of that enthusiasm and love of his art to us, even as he goes about the task of demystifying it and thus putting it within reach of all of us. I’d never seen a dark room bag before. I found the whole process fascinating. Watching as he took cues from an app on his phone counting down and beeping for each new step of the different chemical baths and washes to put the film through, all the while calmly chatting about this or that element of photographic history, and the research showing that the physical element of photographs helps to build and develop memory, was its own kind of magic show.
“Experiment with it. It’s art. Play around. It’s cool.”
They Still Make Film For That? is a perfect change of pace for your Fringe viewing schedule. It’s a window into another kind of art, brought to life onstage by a host who’s fun to hang out with for 45 minutes or so - and then you can take a few minutes to look at the posted photos and cameras on display while he packs up the photo development tools. Great fun, and a lot to think about.
4.5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
Here's some handy links to coverage of shows I've seen in the Fringe this year getting 5 and 4.5 Stars (Very Highly Recommended), 4 and 3.5 Stars (Highly Recommended) as well as the shows ranking 3 stars or less; also links to this year's Top 10 list and Top 11-20 list, also a full list of all returning favorites to this year's Fringe, plus a link to ALL the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage.
While I have your attention, please VOTE :)
Minnesota is currently in the early voting period
for our Congressional and local primaries (I had the U.S. Senate,
Congress, and the Minneapolis school board on my ballot) - final day to
vote in the primary is Tuesday, August 13th, but you don't have to wait
until Fringe is over, go vote right now :)
Early voting for the Presidential Election itself in Minnesota starts on Friday, September 20th.
We're lucky to have a lot of time to get our voices heard, so cast your
vote, and then make sure everyone you know and love is registered and
gets to the polls to vote. Election Day, your final date to vote, is Tuesday, November 5th.
As a queer playwright and theater maker, I want a government that's compassionate and competent enough to keep us all safe and healthy, keep theaters open and running, and personally, I'd just like to be legal myself and keep the weirdos out of government and out of my personal business (and the things I post on this blog, for instance). We all have our reasons, so let's make sure we get the leaders we need and deserve, and get our friends, family and co-workers to raise their voices, too.
Find where to vote and what's on your ballot (with links to candidate websites) and other resources at the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.
For other resources on how to register, volunteer or donate, locally or nationally, check out Vote Save America.
Vote. Raise your voice. We're not going back.
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