Benjamin Laird Arts & Photo

06/27/2026

One final Pre-Betty Mitchell Award post. This one goes out to the utterly stunning production of Casey and Diana co-produced by and . If you saw the play, you know what I mean. It was my absolute favourite drama of the season, from what I was able to see. Congratulations to these fine actors nominated, but I’d also like to say a heartfelt congratulations to the entire cast.
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama
Nathan Cuckow
Casey and Diana, Alberta Theatre Projects in association with The Citadel Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama
Helen Knight
Casey and Diana, Alberta Theatre Projects in association with The Citadel Theatre
Outstanding Production of a Play
Casey and Diana
Alberta Theatre Projects in association with The Citadel Theatre

06/27/2026

Big congratulations to my new client for the 2025/ 26 theatre season, Calgary Opera, on their Betty Mitchell Awards Nominations for The Barber of Seville! I had the opportunity to shoot in a huge variety of locations for them this season, but finally photographing shows in the was a dream come true. Enjoy these photos of a magnificent cast, and the gorgeous design from this legendary opera.
Outstanding Musical Direction
Daniela Musca
The Barber of Seville, Calgary Opera
Outstanding Production of a Musical
The Barber of Seville
Calgary Opera
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
Grisha Martirosyan
The Barber of Seville, Calgary Opera

06/27/2026

Congratulations to my new client for the 2025/ 26 theatre season, Stage West, for their Betty Mitchell Award Nominations! it’s been an absolute joy working with this long time anchor in the Calgary Musical Theatre scene.
Outstanding Choreography
Stephan Dickson
Sister Act, Stage West
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble
Shear Madness
Stage West
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Sister Act
Stage West
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Musical
Kaden Brett Forsberg
Sister Act, Stage West
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
Ocean Williams
Sister Act, Stage West

06/21/2026

Congratulations to longtime client, for their Betty Mitchell Award nominations for 4 shows from their season, including 3 for outstanding lead performance! That’s 60% of the category. The calibre of theatre that Lunchbox is consistently able to produce in their one hour format is unique and incredibly special in Calgary. Get ready to experience Lunchbox in their new digs at .mardaloop.
Outstanding Choreography
Jocelyn Hoover
How Patti and Joanne Won High Gold

Best Musical Direction
Adrian Glynn
Ridge, Lunchbox Theatre

Outstanding New Play
Christopher Hunt
Ribstone, Lunchbox Theatre

Trevor Schmidt
How Patti and Joanne Won High Gold

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy
Annisha Plesche
Thank You For Your Order, Lunchbox Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy
Meg Farhall
Beyond the Sea, Lunchbox Theatre
Elinor Holt
How Patti and Joanne Won High Gold
Katelyn Morish*ta
Thank You For Your Order, Lunchbox Theatre

06/18/2026

Congratulations to for their multiple Betty Mitchell award nominations for Wildwoman. It’s a heap, and it was an absolute thrill to photograph this tremendously entertaining show.
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy
Synthia Yusuf

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy
Elizabeth Barrett
N. Girgis
Connor Suart

Outstanding Production of a Play
ATP
 
Outstanding Direction
Jamie King

Outstanding Fight Direction
Olivier Lunardi

Outstanding Set Design
Narda McCarroll

Outstanding Costume Design
Alaia Hammer

Outstanding Lighting Design
Gerald King

03/06/2026

02/27/2026

Happy opening night to the cast and crew of Casey and Diana! with .repost
・・・
It’s Opening Night for Casey and Diana! ♥️ Thank you to the entire cast, creative team and crew for the beautiful work bringing this powerful story to the stage. We are ready with our tissues!

Hitting Edmonton April 4-26 with our friends at 🧡

📸 Emily Howard ( ), Nathan Cuckow, Norma Lewis ( ), Josh Travnik ( )and April Banigan ( ) in Alberta Theatre Projects’ production of Casey and Diana by Nick Green ( ). Photo by Benjamin Laird ( ). Set Design by Hanne Loosen ( ). Costume Design by Rebecca Toon ( ). Lighting Design by Whittyn Jason ( ).

albertatheatreprojects

01/28/2026

Mikah Sharkey () takes us of the masterfully horrifying psychological thriller ‘Brother’ – available to watch on-demand now. The indie film was directed by Sam Fichtner (@ safichtner), and supported by Calgary.

“We went into Brother wanting to blend the cinematic styles of 90s and 2000s thrillers with modern sensibilities,” Sharkey tells us. “Having access to the Gseries helped get us that much closer to our vision before the first light was even set up. ‘Brother’ is a movie about the way trauma shapes our connections with each other, and I was able to draw out the beauty of isolation in our environments by combining those lenses with a large format sensor. I opted for a nostalgic style of lighting, leaning into zones of light that the actors could pass through and let them spend time in shadows to heighten the tension. The high contrast of the lenses and the sensitivity of modern cameras allowed me to create an oppressive sense of darkness with confidence.”

📸 BTS photography by Ben Laird ()

01/28/2026

I’m thrilled to be mentioned in this post by , showing some of my work from . Cinematographer Mikah Sharkey created a stunning and eerie design that was challenging, but SO fulfilling to capture. I used my Z9 and 50mm 1.8 prime for some of it, alongside my trusty 70-200 2.8 and 24-70 2.8. I’ve since upgraded to the Z mount equivalents of those lenses and couldn’t happier with the results of my most recent work. calgaryphotography stillsphotographer stillsphotography motionpicturestills yycfilm calgaryfilm yycarts calgaryarts abfilm albertafilm nikonZ9 travelalberta keepalbertarolling
Cinematographer Mikah Sharkey () takes us behindthescenes of the masterfully horrifying psychological thriller ‘Brother’ – available to watch on-demand now. The indie film was directed by Sam Fichtner (@ safichtner), and supported by Panavision Calgary.

“We went into Brother wanting to blend the cinematic styles of 90s and 2000s thrillers with modern sensibilities,” Sharkey tells us. “Having access to the Panavision Gseries helped get us that much closer to our vision before the first light was even set up. ‘Brother’ is a movie about the way trauma shapes our connections with each other, and I was able to draw out the beauty of isolation in our environments by combining those lenses with a large format sensor. I opted for a nostalgic style of lighting, leaning into zones of light that the actors could pass through and let them spend time in shadows to heighten the tension. The high contrast of the lenses and the sensitivity of modern cameras allowed me to create an oppressive sense of darkness with confidence.”

📸 BTS photography by Ben Laird ()