Too often, staged events have restricted photography. Concerts would only let you shoot the first 2-3 songs or plays and operas would have you come to a photo day where they'd stage photos for advance publicity. The energy is so different as the encore approaches or the actors let loose and disappear into their characters.
Over the years I've had the good fortune to document staged events with and without restrictions. Most of them are on film so I need to devote some energy to digitizing them to display here. A few IU Sing productions from the mid-1990's I made a point of shooting every act with the idea of creating a book. Now that services like Blurb are around it might finally be possible to do it well.
Digital camera technology has advanced so far in recent years that image quality in low light settings rivals what could be done on film. More than ever it is possible to unobtrusively document live performances without disruption or annoyance to the audience. Since moving to New York in 2001 I have photographed the Fringe Festival and a performance at the Julliard School. I'm ready to do more.