Rugby, racing and beer… well, just rugby and beer for me at the moment.
Since everybody else is, I’ll post this link:
Paul Fagamalo & Benjamin Teh
Rugby vs Theatre: The First Asian AB
This interview was done by my good friend and colleague James Wenley. He’s such a good friend that I let him smash the electric guitar my parents gave me for my 12th birthday – all in the name of art. (I should really post the video of that some time.) He runs a website called Theatre Scenes, looking at the theatre scene (singular) in Auckland. Or maybe there are parallel scenes in parallel theatre universes in that city.
(“Oh, tricky parallel universes!” is an anagram for “City o’ Sails. Hark, P! Revere null.” That took me 15 minutes.)
The interview is about a play which I have read the script of but not seen any rehearsals for. This weekend I go to Auckland to observe the final two performances of the inaugural season, where the much talented Andrew Corrêa is playing the incidental music. Then on Thursday next week, the Wellington season opens at BATS Theatre and I play the incidental music.
I’m not really concerning myself with thinking about the play too much at this stage. Yeah, I’ve read the script, so I have a broad overview of where the story goes. Yes, I know it’s a two-hander and that the actors play multiple characters. Yes, I’m publicising it down here to a certain extent. But until I see what the actors are doing – and more importantly, until I see how Andrew has established the tone with his music – I’m not thinking about it.
My job for the Wellington season is to maintain the production’s continuity. It’s been through Read Raw in Auckland; it’s been rewritten, rehearsed, rewritten, rehearsed; and it’s opening at the Basement in just over 18 hours. I’ve been there for none of that process, but I hope to get up to speed pretty quickly!
Edit: Eva Radich interviews Renee Liang on Upbeat on Radio New Zealand Concert; audio below.
