Professor Ron Amato’s photos of The Gilded Age star Claybourne Elder ran recently in an Out magazine fashion feature. The photographs, part of Amato’s ongoing series Theater Folk, were accompanied by an interview with Elder and Amato about making the photos. The article also includes a Q&A with Elder, discussing his experience portraying John Adams, a queer character with presidential ties, on The Gilded Age, as well as growing up Mormon and being a gay father in the current political environment.
Amato’s Theater Folk project began before the pandemic, during which it was put on hold. It remained on hold while Amato worked on other things, including the book and exhibition Artists of Provincetown. Amato resumed the theater project in 2024, with the Claybourne Elder photo shoot. Other notable subjects Amato has shot for the project include Alan Cumming, Bebe Neuwirth, Billy Porter, and Charles Busch.