Durban actor is in good company

DURBAN actor Adam Doré is a man of many talents, not least of which is giving a great interview. Adam has been thrilling theatre audiences with his infectious energy since he graduated from UKZN in 2006. He’s done everything from educational workshops to shows such as The Playhouse Company’s touring stage adaptation of Bessie Head’s novel, When Rain Clouds Gather, to Shakespeare, appearing in King Lear, Hamlet and Othello at The Playhouse, and in musical theatre, most recently in KickstArt’s Beauty and the Beast at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.

His joint production company The Actor’s Unemployed Company (The AUC) (which he started with fellow actors Marc Kay and Clinton Small) has mounted a number of productions, including The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr, Abridged and most recently A Guide to the Theatre. He was also seen under the AUC banner in the debut of Birdman, for which he won Best Solo Performance at the 2012 Mercury Durban Theatre Awards

Adam sat down with Berea Mail to chat about his acting career and his latest role in the iconic Jerome Robbins production of West Side Story to be staged at The Playhouse Opera Theatre from 20 November to 29 December 2013.

Tell us more about your role in West Side Story.

In West Side Story I play an unusually named character, his name is Gladhand. He’s one of the adults so he’s not a Jet or a Shark. He actually tries to keep the peace between the two rival gangs. He runs the dancehall where Maria and Tony meet and really just wants everyone to put their differences aside and be friends. But like the most of the adults in the show he’s pretty ineffectual.

What’s it like being part of such an iconic show?

I first heard about the West Side Story when I was very young but I didn’t get to see it until I was much older. When I first saw it I thought its was so different from your traditional, polished Broadway musical because it was slightly more manic and gritty.

Have you always wanted to be a performer?

I can’t really pinpoint an exact moment because I’ve always done little performances from a young age. It was only at university that I made a conscious decision to go into it professionally. But even then, it wasn’t really a decision, it just kind of happened. I took drama as an extra course, got involved in a few departmental productions and ended up doing children’s theatre in Botanic Gardens with Dennis Rubin. I still remember sitting in a blow-up pool in the middle of Botanic Garden being pelted by water balloons.

What do you think drew you to acting?

I think that the fact that you got so swept away in it and you were excited to go to work. It was something that I was passionate about and enjoyed doing. It didn’t feel like I was being forced to do hard work, even though we rehearse horrible hours, especially when we do our own productions. We rehearse at all hours of the day, all over the place. I saw myself working hard at something that I really enjoyed doing, which I think is a rare thing.

Did you have a much support?

A lot of my friends from school were a bit dubious, and so were my parents. Parents obviously want to protect you and want to make sure that your future is secure, they want to make sure you have things liken a pension and medical aid and all that kind of stuff. It is tough to have all those monthly expenses accruing and not knowing from week to week, let alone month to month, where your next paycheck is coming from. But my parents have been very supportive and they’ve always tried to keep me grounded.

You started a production company with fellow actors Marc Kay and Clinton Small , how did that happen?

When we decided to start making our own shows instead of sitting around waiting for people to employ us, (because that can be a long wait here in Durban) we formed AUC officially. Our flagship production, which was also our first, was Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr. We’ve gotten good mileage out of that, doing it for schools, touring to Namibia, Grahamstown and Hilton. Because that went down so well, we wanted to do another show in a similar vein which is why we currently have Guide to the Theatre which we performed at Hilton. It’s very slapstick and farcical, and instead of going through Shakespeare’s plays we tackle theatre in general, everything from caveman storytelling to Greek theatre to Brecht to musical theatre.

What do you enjoy performing the most?

I’ve always had a penchant for farce and physical comedy. I like being big and out there because if the audience isn’t laughing, I find it very difficult to gauge whether they’re enjoying the show or not. I think that’s why Birdman was very scary and difficult for me, because it was a one-man drama and carrying a dramatic storyline for an hour is very hard for one person. It must not have gone down too badly because I won an award for it, so I guess I did okay!