The Journey Interviews - 2

The new audio play A Journey Around My Room will be available very soon. In the second of our interviews, interviewee David Sillars turns interviewer to speak with Lorenzo Novani.

Lorenzo is an actor, dramatist and playwright. He has written, staged and performed two plays Cracked Tiles and Loving the Enemy as well as having co-written the filmed-theatre event A Journey Around My Tenement. Lorenzo plays the part of Joanetti.

David: Hello Lorenzo, how are you?

Lorenzo: I’m good mate.

David: First of all…that was the first time that we had read together (in the studio). We’d had another rehearsal but that was the first time you had played Joanetti.

Lorenzo: Yeah, you’re right. Initially, I was playing The Guard. There had been a read-through but that was the first time I had played this role.

David: You’ve done the play as Xavier before?

Lorenzo: That’s right. Quite a while ago now…what maybe 11, 12 years ago something like that.

David: I really enjoyed working with you. I thought it was great fun! Did you enjoy having somebody else being Xavier and you being Joanetti? That must’ve been quite strange.

Lorenzo: I did enjoy it! I thought you did a great job! I felt you brought a greater comedic aspect to the character whilst honouring the genuine reflection that was in there that would maybe make an audience member sit and reflect with Xavier. So, there is a genuine thoughtful side to him…that’s in there but he is just ridiculous at points and I thought you managed to get both of them. You did a great job. You gave me a lot to work with! It was great!

David: I really felt working with you – there was somebody who was listening. You know, I was listening to you, you were listening to me and it seems to me that gave it a life. And because it was genuinely new to both of us in a sense, the characters came through. I had seen you perform in Hilda De Felice’s play, what was that called?

Lorenzo: Loving The Enemy

David: Which you were absolutely brilliant in! It was a one-man show with a vast script and I really enjoyed that because you have that capacity, the ability to bring the lines into reality. How do you think as an actor, how do you approach it when you are given a script, how do you go about finding the reality of those lines?

Lorenzo: It was much more reactionary, l’d say, with this one (Journey). My Meisner technique - focussing on the other actor and just responding spontaneously – I’d done a little bit of that training quite a few years ago so having read the script a few times by myself…because Kenny’s script is different to the one I did originally…but when it came to us turning up and reading together for the first time, my focus was really on: what is he trying to say? Joanetti is a supporting character. He’s really just responding to the circumstances he’s forced into …and he’s basically forced into listening to all of this!

David: Xavier’s arrogance.

Lorenzo: Yeah. So that was the focus. Quite different, I guess, from what I’ve done in recent years where I have been focussed on two one-man plays: the one you mentioned (Loving The Enemy) and my own play Cracked Tiles which I’d written. That’s totally the opposite. I mean, you’re getting some feedback from the audience but really you’re looking to internalise everything and really go inward when you start that performance. Just to come back to your original question, it was much more about really focussing on you and the other actors actually.

David: That’s interesting. I think I focus on the other actors as well. But with that character Xavier, he was so wrapped up in himself. It was all about bouncing things off Joanetti.

Lorenzo: Mhmm

David: When you’re writing characters though, the same process is going on. They have to become real in your head, don’t they?

Lorenzo: Yeah, they do. The two plays I’ve previously done, they’ve been based on real life. Well, Cracked Tiles was specific to me, partly autobiographical so actually I knew these characters existed and knowing that - you’re embodying someone who did exist and who you have seen and spoken to - it’s different. You don’t have to work yourself into it. You don’t have to trick yourself. You’re just really imagining what their reality was like. Yeah, just trying to share them with other people. Make them present and share that character with your audience.

David: You’re also a stage magician. When you’re doing that, is that you or is that another character? You’ve got that improvisational ability, haven’t you?

Lorenzo: Yeah, but then again, one of the things that people would say was a good quality of mine is that I seem authentic and personable. I would say I’m probably more myself when I’m performing magic. I tend not to make it too – what’s the word I’m looking for – too affected. I try to avoid making it too stylised or dramatic or anything like that. I try and avoid playing a character. I always thought of magic like stand-up comedy in the sense that the comedian stands up as themselves and more often than not speaks with the audience telling anecdotes, life-stories, and through the course of that they make them laugh because they say funny things and of course they have condensed and compressed stories and used various techniques to make it funny but it starts from a point of “I’m going to stand here as me and have a conversation with you”. I always thought that approach should be used more in magic rather than sort of really focusing on the trick. Make it a conversation and then organically bring magic into the conversation you’re having with your audience.

David: But that takes a lot of sensitivity towards the audience. When you’re doing something like film or television or audio where there isn’t an audience until its broadcast you’ve still got to think of the audience haven’t you? You’re still thinking of the audience somewhere.

Lorenzo: Yeah, I guess so. Doing the audio drama…y’know, I was just enjoying myself. It was the first time I’d been out in ages. It’s the first time I met you! I was having a great time just being in front of the mic pretending to be someone else for a little while. So, aye, it was good!

David: The escape from self.

Lorenzo: The escape from self and my bedroom! Y’know, how long have we all been in our own bloody bedrooms?! So, it was a new phase. It was great just to be back and performing and Joanetti was quite a fun character. I guess he was the straight man to your more comedic character but it was fun to bring you down a peg or two. I enjoyed it! (laughs)

David: I enjoyed it too! It was great fun. Before we wrap up, normally this time of year you would be in Edinburgh doing your one-man show. When are you going to be back on the road?

Lorenzo: Probably next summer. I would love to do something next summer. So, I’ll probably try and work on something new to take to the fringe next year. That would be lovely!

David: OK. Well I hope we get to work together again!

Lorenzo: Yeah

David: I’m always here to bounce ideas off and give you some feedback as the ancient actor, the oldest one of the crew. So, thank you Lorenzo! Good to talk to you again!

Lorenzo: You’re welcome! Nice to speak to you as well David. Cheers!

In the next conversation, David Sillars interviews Jill Korn.