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Maxine Lynch Bedyn: Run ragged escorting Malak Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
May 28, 2004
In the early '70s, as an information officer at the Canadian Government
Office of Tourism, I was assigned to arrange film and still photos
of the NAC.
Malak Karsh was commissioned to shoot the stills. He would arrive
at my apartment at 5 a.m. to review photos, after leaving the dark
room at two in the morning. In-between, we trekked all of the NAC,
shooting stills of the building and performances at night. Although
in my 20s, I found his schedule exhausting.
One evening, in the middle of a play, Malak exuberantly ran on to
the stage to get a better shot. The union was aghast and threatened
to walk out. I had to mollify many ruffled feathers.
Finally, one evening, I curled up in the press box of the Opera,
to rest during a performance. Joe Morrissey, a colleague from the
CGOT, locked me in. I suddenly came to from a snooze to find myself
enveloped in the dark of the NAC!
Heart pounding, I knocked on the door - no answer. Unbeknownst to me,
Joe crept back and quietly unlocked the door. I knocked some more and,
suddenly able to open the door, I stormed out to find Malak sitting
innocently on the wall near the canal.
Malak shot several award-winning photos of the NAC that were used
promotionally for many years, and often spoke to me of the fun we
had that summer.
Ottawa Citizen
May 28, 2004
In the early '70s, as an information officer at the Canadian Government
Office of Tourism, I was assigned to arrange film and still photos
of the NAC.
Malak Karsh was commissioned to shoot the stills. He would arrive
at my apartment at 5 a.m. to review photos, after leaving the dark
room at two in the morning. In-between, we trekked all of the NAC,
shooting stills of the building and performances at night. Although
in my 20s, I found his schedule exhausting.
One evening, in the middle of a play, Malak exuberantly ran on to
the stage to get a better shot. The union was aghast and threatened
to walk out. I had to mollify many ruffled feathers.
Finally, one evening, I curled up in the press box of the Opera,
to rest during a performance. Joe Morrissey, a colleague from the
CGOT, locked me in. I suddenly came to from a snooze to find myself
enveloped in the dark of the NAC!
Heart pounding, I knocked on the door - no answer. Unbeknownst to me,
Joe crept back and quietly unlocked the door. I knocked some more and,
suddenly able to open the door, I stormed out to find Malak sitting
innocently on the wall near the canal.
Malak shot several award-winning photos of the NAC that were used
promotionally for many years, and often spoke to me of the fun we
had that summer.