They meet, they flirt, they fight and break up…

By Sarah Weintraub

As a photographer, I envy those artists who can go to cafés and sit with their tea or coffee for hours, finding key strokes or lines on paper to express the right emotion or meaning in the moment. When Magda Romanska, the dramaturg of Café Variations and my faculty advisor, asked if I would be interested in this project, the idea of composing scenes in a variety of cafés appealed to me immensely. I go to cafés with my friends as often as I can, and having an opportunity to create in such an artistic environment was exciting.

The most difficult part of this project for me was finding locations that would allow me to photograph, then finding a time that worked with my schedule, the schedules of my models, and the days and times cafés would allow me to use. As someone who generally does street photography which is a more opportunity-based style of photographing, this experience of planning everything out was new and I have learned a lot from it.

Since I recently made a decision to pursue my love of photography instead of stage management, it was fantastic to be a part of such an exciting production in a way that relates to my new direction. I don’t want to fully leave theatre, as it has been a part of my life for so long. This project was a perfect way to blend my two passions.