Excerpt from the Alley Series Sneak Preview Part 1: {We can’t take enough pictures and we know some amazingly interesting people! So in order for us to gain a particular focus in our work, we are creating several 10-shot series of photographs that each have a particular theme, in which we can also showcase some of the wonderful people of Memphis. This is the first of our series and it’s been incredibly gratifying so far. We wanted to offer a sneak preview. Memphis has some incredible alleyways and we have thusfar shot 8 gorgeous actors for this 10-part series.}
As we continue to comb through our exciting photos of actors in different Memphis alleyways, we have a few more to share!
Originally from Memphis, Liz Sharpe is now sharing her many artistic talents with the theatre community in Chicago. Liz graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in Theatre Performance and has been seen in Memphis in numerous shows with Playhouse on the Square and Theatre Memphis – most notably as Harper in Angels in America Parts 1 & 2 – a role which earned her the 2013 Ostrander Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. Liz illuminates joy and hope out of every fiber of her being and finds herself deeply moved and changed by the people she lets in her life. Her back and torso is a patchwork quilt of ink dedicated to the people she has loved most over the years. Liz literally wears her stories, and that openness is exactly what draws people in droves to her. She is having many adventures in her new Chicago home, but Memphis runs through this girl’s soul and colors her every facet. These photos were taken in a gorgeous alleyway off of Madison Ave as it nears AutoZone Park.
ALSO a Memphis native, Morgan Howard is just now completing her 2nd year as a Company Member with Playhouse on the Square before moving on to pursue her acting career. Her roles in shows like Les Miserables (Eponine), Grace (Sarah), and The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Pippi) earned her the 2014 Larry Riley Rising Star Award at the Ostranders last summer, and Memphis audiences saw her this season in shows like Peter Pan (Peter), The Rocky Horror Show (Magenta), and Seminar (Izzy). As these photos show, (taken in a badass alleyway off Union and Front), Morgan is a chameleon on stage and off – a flip of a hat or skirt or a cheeky pair of sunglasses or heels, and she quickly and easily pervades all the best traits of a confident human – sassy, sexy, funny, silly, sweet, bold, and audacious, Morgan is beautifully at home in her style and at home in her city.
Please keep an eye out for more photos captured in alleyways off of Union, 4th Street, Nettleton, and Marshall. One selected photo from each of the shoots will make up the 10-part series – and that one selected shot has yet to be seen!
All photos were taken by Carla McDonald. These words were written by Courtney Oliver. For suggestions on upcoming series, please email us here.