Hunger is the culmination of your years of work at NIDA. How proud are you to be presenting it as part of this year’s Directors’ Productions?
I’m extremely proud of this work. I have taken a lot of risks in devising a completely new work and have demanded a lot from my team in the effort to try and create an essential piece of theatre. I asked myself, “In a world of internet, TV and film, what makes theatre necessary?” I believe the answer is scale, theatricality, humanity and magic. Hunger celebrates these traits. Prior to the NIDA’s directors’ course, I would have never taken such a risk – in fact, I barely had a language for the theatre I desired to make. It may seem antithetical to expose yourself when you are supposed to be showcasing your strengths, but I’m less interested in easy wins than I am in growth.
What should audiences expect from Hunger?
Hunger is a dark cabaret, an adaptation of a poem and philosophical debate. The story of Erysthicton and Mestra is one of the more obscure Greek myths that speak to the human malaise of dissatisfaction. Insatiability is a very current syndrome – we are often bored and hungry and look over the shoulder of our lovers, wondering if we are missing out on something grander, louder and more beautiful.
You’ve also worked as a music video director for the artist Loose Change – where do you see your career going from here?
I have previously dabbled in film with my short film, Smokers Are People Too, a 2012 Tropfest finalist. I loved working on the Loose Change clip; we had a joyful concept and again were discussing topics I felt were personally relevant – the struggle between following your dreams and paying the bills. I would love to keep working in film and have developed a taste for long takes and one-shot clips. The idea of challenging the artifice of the medium really appeals to me. It speaks to the discipline and craft I like to see in performance.
What are the other highlights on the Directors’ Productions program you’re excited about?
I can’t preference one over the other as all the productions are fantastic in their own way. We are a diverse group of directors who have created a season of works that really showcase our personal voice and experiment with genres as diverse as circus, film, cabaret and opera.
Hunger, playing during the NIDA Directors’ Productions 2014atStudio Theatre, NIDAfrom Wednesday November 26 to Saturday November 29, tickets online.
