Robert Catto, Photographer

31/07/2026

Some recent work with the choir of Christ Church St Laurence and The Muffat Collective here in Sydney! Not a venue I’d been to before, but an amazing evening of beautiful music, performed by an exceptional group of musicians—glad I could be there.

17/06/2026

Nice to see a few of my images from the Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King premiere in Wellington, as part of the new Lucky Kiwi Podcast from the lovely Jed Brophy--second episode arrives tomorrow!

31/05/2026

Great to be over at KXT bAKEHOUSE on Broadway recently for this production of Cadaver Synod by Ruby Blinkhorn. The script's hilarious, the cast is great, it's a really delightful production--but it's a short season, so get there quick!

26/05/2026

Some very sad news from New Zealand this week, Dame Jools Topp, one half of the fabulous Topp Twins has passed away. I photographed them a number of times over the years I lived in Wellington--and ran into them at the airport in 2009, when they were just back from Toronto International Film Festival with their documentary, Untouchable Girls.

They didn't know me at that stage particularly, but I did stop to congratulate them on winning the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary--I'm not sure most of New Zealand really appreciated how big a deal TIFF is in film circles, and what that could actually mean for the doc! They seemed quite chuffed that someone had noticed the news while they were out of the country. They're both lovely, lovely people; this is a great cultural loss for New Zealand.

26/05/2026

When you've been a photographer for a few years (as I have now), there are always moments you look back on later and wonder, "did that REALLY happen?"

Sonny Rollins—who died this week, at 95—was a titan of the jazz scene, and when he came to the Wellington Jazz Festival in New Zealand in 2011, I photographed him in concert at the Michael Fowler Centre. He was ONLY eighty, in those days!

But with the horn in his hands (and another one in miniature around his neck!), the years melted away, he pumped his fist, and he and his amazing band showed us what was possible for someone who’s been playing a lot longer than I’ve been alive. Incredible to be there, and to have these images to remember him by.

10/04/2026

Great to be back at Sydney Opera House over Easter weekend for this marvellous concert by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs—they sounded simply wonderful in the room, I had to remind myself to stop listening and take photos!

10/02/2026

Nice to be back working with Well Done Creative on the poster for Head Over Heels at the Hayes Theatre Co later this month. I'm really pleased with how this image turned out, great work by the graphic designer Kenney Designs, and thanks everyone involved in the shoot--Gaz Dutlow is looking amazing thanks to Renee Taylor's hair & makeup efforts, Ellen Simpson's direction & choreography, and Brendan de la Hay's costumes (including headgear!).

Make way good gentlefolk! Our banner struts in finer fashion. A glow-up most royal! Blink not, lest thou miss what mischief comes next 💫

WE CANNOT WAIT to see this gorgeousness in the front window of the Hayes Theatre Co soon! Head Over Heels opens its doors NEXT WEEK! If you haven’t bought a ticket we suggest you do so ANON!

Art by Kenney Designs
Photography by Robert Catto, Photographer
Featuring our Pythio Gaz Dutlow 💜
MUA Renee Taylor

Director Ellen Simpson
Music Director Zara Stanton
Choreographer & Assistant Director Ryan Gonzalez
Set Designer Josh McIntosh
Costume Designer Brendan de la Hay
Lighting Designer Sidney Younger
Sound Designer Em-Jay Dwyer
Stage Manager Tom Hamilton
ASM Angélique Riou

Producers Tim & Sally Dashwood
Associate Producer Sasha Lian Diniz

05/01/2026

Before the new year truly takes over, I just wanted to do a quick look back at some of my highlights of 2025—and apologies to ALL the exceptional casts, directors, creatives & designers I couldn’t tag in each of these! Photos are as follows:

(1-2) Furious Mattress at Belvoir St Theatre, directed by Margaret Thanos
(3) Emma Pask and her Latin Jazz Orchestra perform Cosita Divina at City Recital Hall, Sydney
(4-5) Posh at Old Fitz Theatre directed by Margaret Thanos (that first image is actually eleven photos I spent far too long combining into a single one…!)
(6) MJ Wilson in Type-A Marketing Man at Qtopia
(7) Foam at Qtopia, directed by Gavin Roach
(8) Alinta Chidzey in Strictly Baz Luhrmann at Sydney Opera House, directed by Mark Sutcliffe
(9) Timon of Athens (or: I Hate People) produced by Sport For Jove Theatre at the Seymour Centre, directed by Margaret Thanos
(10) Shack directed by Benjamin Brockman
(11) Bright Star at Hayes Theatre Co, directed by Damien Ryan and Miranda Middleton
(12) The Edit at Belvoir St Theatre, written and directed by Gabrielle Scawthorne
(13) Holiday Inn at Riverside Theatres, directed by Sally Dashwood
(14) Virginia Gay in Carols by Cabaret at Hayes Theatre Co, produced by LPD Productions.

PHEW! And of course there were many more shows over the course of 2025, these were just some of the images that stuck in my mind when I was thinking back. Here’s to a whole new year of more amazing productions!