ART AND SKILL

 

The subject matter of Elizabeth Townsend's play Count Time is so somber that I decided to edit some of the photos in monochrome. Townsend is a great talent, both as an actress and a writer. Those of you in Missouri owe it to yourselves to read the summary of the case in the link just above. The last picture shows her wearing a scarf and head warmer that Patty Prewitt knitted for her as gifts.

I get a lot of satisfaction from theatrical photography, working with talented, fascinating people. The result sometimes captures the depth and breadth of their art.         

COUNT TIME

 

I first met Elizabeth Townsend and saw her searing play Count Time while shooting for the St. Lou Fringe in 2016. It tells the story of Patricia Prewitt, who was sexually assaulted and her husband murdered in rural Missouri in 1984. She was wrongfully convicted of his murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison without parole in 1986. It was one of the most awful miscarriages of justice in the history of our state. Townsend and many others have worked tirelessly for her release ever since. The link above sets out the mountain of lies and negligence that brought Patty to this place.

Townsend performed the play again last night to a large audience at a local church and asked me to photograph it once more. It was my pleasure and honor to do so. (If you scroll down her gallery page to this play you will find my pictures from the Fringe.) There was a large television to stage left and it occurred to me to shoot Elizabeth in its black surface. Perhaps it captures some of Patty's nightmare.       

Count Time

This one was hard. According to The Fringe website, Count Time "tells the story of Patricia Prewitt’s journey through decades of incarceration for a murder she did not commit. Accused and wrongfully convicted of murdering her husband, Patty has served thirty years of a fifty year sentence with no hope of parole until 2036. Ms. Townsend interviewed Patty Prewitt and all the other living people portrayed in this searing and moving testimony to the enduring spirit of human survival. We hope to convince Governor Nixon to commute her sentence and set her free."

The one act play traces the story of Prewitt's life, from hard childhood to tumultuous marriage to horribly unjust conviction to decades in prison, arising from small-town Missouri egos and politics. It was a gut punch but, in the end, I am glad I experienced it. Actress Elizabeth Ann Townsend's performance was extraordinary.