What’s the story behind the launch of your new independent theatre company, Pulse Group Theatre?
Being the artistic director of The Actors Pulse gave me a direct insight into what actors and artists need in Sydney, what was lacking, and the opportunities that are needed to take their skill sets to another level once they have graduated from an acting school. The idea was to give opportunities to local talented actors and artists. Besides havinga great love and respect for acting and performers in general, I really didn’t have much choice [laughs].
What are the main challenges facing independent theatre in Sydney at the moment?
Well, budget is always a big one. Having to really pull strings, favours and generally do a lot of it yourself. Managing actor rehearsals outside of their own daily jobs is always fun, but hey, that’s just part of the experience. So all challenges must be embraced and enjoyed also.
The opening production Grace begins on Tuesday July 7. What can audiences expect from it?
Being an intimate theatre space (which is my favourite type), we want to take the audience into their living room, into the dreams, hopes and fears of the characters’ lives. We want to make the audience really feel that they are a part of it, not just watching it.
Who are the key players involved in Grace?
We currently have three actors – Pulse graduates Joe Addabbo, Nikki Waterhouse and Jeremy Shadlow – who have been a core part of the school for a while now, and Dudley [Hogarth], who has joined our stable recently.
Where does Pulse Group Theatre aim to go from here?
We aim to be a big part of the Redfern and inner city theatre community. I relocated The Actors Pulse to Redfern in 2000, with the aim that once the area picked up that we would open PGT. PGT has been brewing for over a while now, but economically it couldn’t survive back then. So here we are now. We have a great group of actors and artists alike. We are planning to do a season next year, and hopefully have an opportunity to get some of our work into the larger theatre spaces as well.
Pulse Group Theatre‘s Grace runs Tuesday July 7 – Sunday July 26.
