Tell us about the concept behindLighten Upand your character, John.
I conceptualised Lighten Up with the hope to shift racial perceptions in Australia. My character John Green is a brown Aussie struggling to define himself. He has dreams of being an actor but first must find a way through the racial and social dislocation that permeates his world.
It’s a real case of art imitating life – how have your experiences in acting mirrored John’s?
The play is semi-autobiographical. John’s main dilemma with his family is based on an identity crisis I went through with my own. It’s quite a strange feeling exploring a crisis on the rehearsal room floor that is very close to your own heart. My adventures and misadventures as an actor in Australia and India have certainly influenced the script. My assimilating parents have been channelled into the mother character, Bronwyn. Most of the characters are based on real people. Their struggles and desires are based on real events. Despite being a larger-than-life magical realism comedy, I hope that the characters are all coming from a truthful place.
How did you come to collaborate with Sam McCool?
I’d seen Sam on Australia’s Got Talent and thought he was hilarious. A few days later I was writing in a cafe and saw a poster for his show at the Opera House and thought it was a sign. I immediately wrote to his agent, Sam got back to me and the rest is history. Synchronicity brought us together.
You’ve also starred in Bollywood. Is it everything you expected?
I had no expectations when I first moved to Mumbai. I had no idea what to expect. I went there with an open mind and heart and I was rewarded with work and lifelong friendships. India has a marvellous way of pushing you to your limits, and if you stick around after ‘jumping off the cliff’ you are rewarded. I’ve been fortunate enough to do big-budget Bollywood films and indie ones – it’s a very different world to the Aussie film industry. As much as the chaos drives me mad, I do adore it.
What do you think it means to be Australian in 2016?
To acknowledge the colonial wrongs of our past and to work together to move forward celebrating equality, diversity and respect for the land.
Lighten Up runsWednesday November 30 – Saturday December 17 atSBW Stables Theatre.
