After working with Marc J. Franklin on A Strange Loop, we knew we wanted to collaborate with him again. How to Dance in Ohio provided the perfect opportunity for Marc’s skills to beautifully capture the wide range of emotions from the cast,  whom Variety would come to call “the magnificent seven.”

“When I was approached to photograph the cast artwork for How to Dance in Ohio, I immediately knew that I wanted to shine a light on the expression, release, and freedom that dance can create. These seven performers were about to make their Broadway debuts, and my goal was to provide a space for us to celebrate this life-changing achievement in a visually forward way that also pulled the viewer into that joy. With my photo crew, I made sure every technical element to the smallest detail was expertly executed before the cast walked onto set, down to the amount of subtle shadow gradient my lighting would create. In building that technical foundation, it freed me to focus on the most important part of this photo shoot: creating an atmosphere where each cast member of could feel like themselves and let their personalities shine. I spent the first five minutes of every session with my camera set aside, just chatting with each cast member so we could get to know each other. And then we photographed while dancing, joking, and celebrating. Working alongside the brilliant art directors from the creative agency, the outcome was a collection of images that I’m immensely proud of, and it resulted in one of the most meaningful days on set that I’ve had in my photography career.” – Marc J. Franklin