The Long Room

Last
week I got invited to try out a new bar that has opened in Ballarat: The Long
Room. This venue is a bit special, because it’s the upstairs bar of Her
Majesty’s Theatre, which is one of the oldest operating theatres in Australia.
They are now going to begin opening on Friday evenings for drinks.

The
bar itself is a really nice spot. The view from the windows behind the
chesterfield leather couches is of the historic Lydiard St South streetscape
including Craig’s Royal Hotel and the balcony Dame Nelly Melba sang from when
she stayed in Ballarat.

The
connection to Dame Nelly Melba continues in the room, with a stunning historic
grand piano, which carries her signature. The piano is tucked in the corner beside
the bar. With so much history and glamour associated with the venue, I decided
to partner up with my friend Nigel to give today’s shoot a different vibe. That
vibe is distinctly James Bond.

Now,
I’ve had James Bond on my mind a lot lately. My best friend Tessa is a massive
007 fan, and I have begun writing her a fan fiction, which is novel length, and
I’ll be giving it to her for Christmas. The story follows James as he finds out
that 009 is not the middle-aged, cringe-worthy man it was hinted at in the last
film. 009 turns out to be a thirty-something woman, bristling with sarcasm, facetiousness
and a bad hangover, called York Regan. Bond plays poker; Regan plays chess.
Bond drinks martinis; Regan drinks gin and tonics. Bond drives Aston Martins;
Regan drives Jaguars. Spoiler: they don’t hook up. The story begins with Bond
mansplaining to a hot intern in the shooting range, later discovering this hot
young woman is not just capable, she’s an equal double-o agent. There are
casinos, guns, a hidden uranium mine, submarines and a mission that forces the
two opposites to look past their disdain for one another and work together,
because Bond isn’t the only double-o agent that’s made enemies. So think of
this shoot not as me being a Bond girl, but of my nod to 009: York Regan. And a
nod to Tessa.

Local
Ballafornian’s can check out York Regan’s new drinks venue at The Long Room
from this Friday night or stay in the loop with them on Facebook over here.
It’s a great spot for a pre-show, finger-defrosting beverage as the cold
Ballarat weather begins to settle in.

A
big thanks to Janelle (pictured here with me) for connecting me with the team at Her Majesty’s and to
that team for their impeccable hospitality. Also thanks to Nigel who not only
came and did this shoot with me, but handed the photos over to me to do as I
please with in post-production. The finished product is exactly as I imagined, but hopefully this
bold, very processed style doesn’t shock you too much, Nigel! I know it’s produced very
different to how I normally would style and compared to the work we did at
Clunes Booktown! I hope you like them.