Tim McGarry’s recent performance of Mark O’Flynn’s short story ‘Iago’ at the monthly literary soiree in Sydney that is Little Fictions was ‘Part jester part Shakespearean tragic’—to steal the words of Spineless Wonders’ Publisher Bronwyn Mehan. But how do actors like McGarry enflesh a character when they read another person’s story to a live audience and how different is this from performing a role in a play? And what on earth has Dr Smith from Lost in Space got to do with it?
You are a professional actor with many years of theatre experience behind you. What Shakespearean plays have you performed in the past? How did this prepare you for your star turn at Little Fictions?
When I was studying at acting school in Perth we did several Shakespeare plays, including Measure for Measure, Macbeth and A Mid Summer Night’s Dream. I also toured with two companies again doing Macbeth and Henry 1V Part One. I have to say that was many moons ago with all those works.
With ‘Iago’ the first thing that came to me was the voice. I’m not sure why—just an instinct thing on delivering it in a certain way—the words really felt like they needed a heightened performance in some way.
What thrilled you most about being given the opportunity to perform Mark O’Flynn’s dazzling remake of such a well-known Shakespearean villain?
I loved the language Mark employed in the piece and it is great to speak as an actor; really enjoyable to perform. I think there might have been several Shakespearean lines in the piece. I could almost feel them when I read it—beautifully mixed in with Mark’s contemporary style.
Hearing you read ‘Iago’ was a wonderful experience and I’m so glad Spineless Wonders has made the audio available. What preparation did you do to get yourself into the flesh of Iago (the character) and the spirit of ‘Iago’ (the story) so you could perform it so beautifully at Little Fictions at Knox Street Bar, Chippendale?
I must confess I didn’t have a massive time to prepare—I just read it over and over again and I was not familiar with Othello at all. I have never seen a production of the play, nor ever read it, so my main task was to make sense of it as a single piece—almost like working on a monologue—read it many times, read it very slowly, have a dictionary nearby to check some words I was not 100 per cent familiar with. All this helped!
What are the challenges of performing a piece like this and what did it take to rehearse and perform it? I hear you adlibbed the bit about playing down at the Rose at Chippendale – how do you take the audience into account in your performance?
It’s difficult to ‘perform’ per se when it is just a reading. I think the challenge for any actor performing anything Shakespearean or Shakespearean-like is to work on the images for each section—if the images are clear with the words then, hopefully, it will be clear for an audience. I think that is the task of the actor—try to make it as clear as possible. Don’t shy away from the language and, as one of my acting teachers used to say, ‘enjoy the words rolling around in your mouth’. A great image I think!
What does Little Fictions mean for you as an actor—particularly as it involves you reading short fiction vs. performing play scripts?
I kind of love stories—I love telling stories and I think there is little difference—except of course sometimes the language is in third person, when for play scripts it’s more often in first person and more pointedly dramatic. The other thing I love about any written word is the subtext—why did the writer write and what is the subtext or meaning behind it?
What were your most exciting discoveries about ‘Iago’ (the story) as you practised performing it?
I wasn’t familiar with Othello and I felt like Mark’s work was an insight to Iago’s afterthoughts—like he was reflecting back and critically analysing his own words.
I have to say I thought it really read as a performance speech. In fact, I thought if I ever needed an audition speech for a play it would be terrific.
I’d read ‘Iago’ quite a few times in print before I heard your fabulous rendition so I thought I knew the story fairly well. However, adding your voice drew out different facets of the story (sibilance, assonance, emotional nuance to name a few). How did you determine to use the voice you did? And how did you know you weren’t going over the top in a way that would alienate listeners?
Well this is an interesting take on it—but the more I read it the more I felt it sounded like a character I knew in a past life. It felt a little bit John Gielgud. But then I realised that it was Dr Smith from Lost in Space. So that’s who I was channelling as I read it!
How would you describe the voice you used? At first I wanted to say ‘stylised’ but that sounds a bit staid and perhaps inaccurate. Give me some better words …
Formal—RP—Dr Smith like!
What are some of your favourite lines and/or dramatic moments in ‘Iago’? Why?
Lots! ‘I’ll shout from my perch on the pike as the jackdaws strike out my eyes’ was a great line with terrific sound value in the words … What consonants!
What did you most enjoy about taking part in Little Fictions? What’s so special about it?
I love listening to other performers. I love the fact that it gives writers a chance to hear their words out loud. And for me it is a little escape once a month to relish some good writing and reading without pressure!
You are the Creative Director and Producer for the Monkey Baa Theatre Company, which is soon to stage a play called The Unknown Soldier that is set on the battlefields of WW1 and in 21st century Australia. Tell us about this new work?
The Unknown Soldier is a rich new work for young audiences sourced through extensive research of WWI letters and personal stories. The play is set both on the battlefields of WWI and in 21st century Australia, following the dual journeys of a 16-year-old soldier fighting for King and Country between 1915 and 1918 and an 11-year-old boy in present day Australia. Entwined within these two tales is the story of a mother who refuses to believe that her son is missing in action and goes searching for him on the battlefields of the Somme. It is through her actions that the two main plots are brought together.
The company is currently in rehearsals for the work and it is shaping up to be a stunning piece of theatre. We are working with a new director for the company, Matt Edgerton, and it is a joy to watch him work with the actors on the floor. For us, this project offered the opportunity to enhance our skills as storytellers and to flex and develop our creative muscles.
Who needs to see The Unknown Soldier and how do they get tickets? What else can you tell us about Monkey Baa Theatre Company that might be of interest to A Bigger Brighter World readers?
Anyone who enjoys good new Australian theatre!
Monkey Baa is one of Australiaʼs largest touring theatre companies for young audiences. Since 1997, the company has been bringing Australian stories to the stage and touring them around the country with over 1.1 million young people participating in a Monkey Baa production and/or workshop.
Adaptation of Australian stories is the core of the company’s work. The Unknown Soldier offers us an additional avenue of creative exploration and creating of work for Monkey Baa. Previously, we’ve adapted works by Morris Gleitzman, Jackie French, Tim Winton and Susanne Gervay.
Each year the company undertakes an extensive national tour, smaller state-based rural tours as well as Sydney-based seasons. We will also undertake our third international tour later this year.
Now that we have a theatre in the heart of the city—in Darling Quarter—we will have the opportunity to increase our theatre productions for the benefit of young people.
For more details about the company and specifically about The Unknown Soldier check out our website www.monkeybaa.com.au.
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Read my Q&A with Mark O’Flynn about his story ‘Iago’ here. ‘Iago’ is from O’Flynn’s collection White Light. Read my Q&A with him about White Light here.
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