Interview with: Tarek Iskander Director of Community 20's production of Macbeth at Theatro Technis,Camden Feb 21 – Mar 18, 2006 Conducted by Mary Couzens
'Early rehearsal notes' Mary: I thought we might start off by asking you if you could tell our readers a little about your theatrical career so far, both in relation to Macbeth and previous/other projects...Did you always want to be a director? Tarek: Sometimes I wonder myself how I came to be directing Macbeth and in all honesty it would never have happened, except for a strange set of coincidences… I had done some directing at university but it had never really crossed my mind to ever do it again. Then last year, my girlfriend said she wanted to audition for Julius Caesar, and several weeks later I found myself in the Barbican demanding to be satisfied. And it was when I was sitting backstage, watching the performances, that I realized how much I had missed directing. After all, the one thing that was obvious was that I could never be an actor! Simultaneously, I had become friends with a number of established professional directors, so as soon as JC was over I began assisting them in a number of drama school productions. The reaction I got from both the directors and students was incredibly encouraging. Eventually one day, one of them just said ‘Really you should be directing your own production - you know you're ready for it – so you should just do it,' which is possibly the best advice anyone has ever given me.
Director gives a stirring speech for first cast and Mary: Why have you chosen to direct Shakespeare's tragedy? Tarek: The directors I was working with also gave me other nuggets of wisdom about directing your first fringe play: 1. don't do Shakespeare because it's so difficult, 2. don't use a large cast because that is simply too demanding and 3. don't EVER try to use children or animals. All good advice - but all it made me want to do was prove that it could be done! And I systematically set about breaking all those rules over the following months. If you're looking for a real directing challenge, Macbeth is the obvious choice because it is notoriously difficult to stage. It's the play that so often dies on its feet for the simple reason that it is so relentlessly quick and intense and also difficult to perform. And I've seen enough awful productions of Macbeth to prove that it can ruin many a director's career. But that's what makes it so enticing for a director - if you can make something as difficult as Macbeth work, you can walk away with the confidence that you can pretty much make any script work. And Macbeth also has so much going for it. It contains some of Shakespeare's most beautiful poetry and memorable lines. In Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare has created one of theatre's few truly great theatrical heroines. And it's a play that has been irrepressibly popular with audiences for centuries. But what mainly attracted me to Macbeth was its psychological comprehensibility. It's not a Shakespearean play where you sit there thinking ‘This plot is so silly. Why doesn't she just tell him she's just disguising herself as a boy?' It's very easy to understand why the characters in Macbeth behave the way they do – and in that sense it feels incredibly modern. Now that we're in the final weeks of rehearsal I've found myself both thrilled and moved by the performances in front of me – so I think it was a good choice, really. Mary: What propelled you to take a new slant on the play? Tarek: The immediate problem with Macbeth is that it is a play completely in our cultural subconscious. I am amazed when talking to people in pubs how many know the story or can quote lines, even if they've never seen it. And I've yet to meet a woman who doesn't secretly harbour a desire to play Lady Macbeth. So as a director you really need to offer something fresh or the exercise is not worth doing. At the same time, I didn't want this to be my showcase as a director where all that mattered was my concept or being new for the sake of it… all great ingredients for creating really boring theatre. The story and the strength of the performances were always the priority. What we've tried to do with this production is ‘avoid the obvious', particularly with the characters. So rather than 3 screeching witches we have the very talented Nathalie Pownall playing all three parts simultaneously.
Nathalie Pownall plays all 3 witches. Matt Minto And rather than portraying the manipulative, ambitious Lady Macbeth that most people are expecting, we've worked hard with Cecilia Colby to create a more loving and sympathetic character. We've also played with altering the gender of certain roles such as the porter and murderers. All small changes in isolation – but together they give you something new and startling. Of course, there are other surprises, in terms of audience manipulation and staging etc. – but I don't want to give too much away! Come and see it!
Ross(Matt Minto) greets Banquo(Graham Price) and Mary: Good Advice…What have you learned so far in the process of directing Macbeth? Tarek: I don't even know where to start. I've just learned so much as a director – all things you can't learn unless you throw yourself in on the deep end. Some of it is just logistical e.g. how to set a rehearsal schedule that works, or how to negotiate with a theatre. Other aspects are more personal: e.g. knowing what your particular strengths are, how to cope with incredible stress, or how to recognize and deal with the many anxieties an actor faces. I've also learned that money is unfortunately crucial. We are running this project as a ‘profit-share' and we have pretty much stretched this as far as it will go. But if you want to do things that are more experimental and ambitious, you do need funding to absorb that risk. But the main thing I've learned is that putting on a low-budget play with 17 professional actors and 5 children from local schools is an incredibly difficult undertaking and you have to have the right people around you before you even think about it – assistant directors, stage managers, producers. I was very lucky in that I have had exceptional people helping me at every point. So much so, that this really doesn't feel like my production, but it's truly a huge collective effort. For example our production designer, Alice Hoult, and our costume designer, Jules Goldsmith, are two of the most talented, hard-working young professionals I have ever met – and it really is no exaggeration to say that most of the wonderful ideas in the production, are theirs.
Mary: You moved to England when your family had to leave Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Have those experiences affected your approach to the play? Tarek: I suspect so. The war scenes in Macbeth do have poignancy for me as a consequence, particularly in the desperate need for information. That's sometimes the most frightening thing about being in a war-zone, not knowing what's in the next street, let alone the next town. It's that ignorance that makes you feel so helpless and frightened. But I suspect the impact is also more subtle. I remember a time when Iraqi soldiers came to search our house, armed to the teeth with rifles. Of course it was terrifying, but as a teenager I also recall thinking: ‘These guys are no older than me, and they look just as scared as I do. They'll kill me because they're afraid, not necessarily because they want to'. And so in Macbeth I didn't want to have a ‘good' Duncan and Banquo and an ‘evil' Macbeth or witches because the characters as people are obviously much more interesting than those simplistic labels. Sure, you can distinguish between actions that are ‘right' or ‘wrong', but all the characters in Macbeth do both. So what's of real interest to me in this play, is understanding why the more horrific (so-called evil) characters do what they do. Just as I caught a glimpse of why the Iraqi soldiers behaved the way they did, even if it seemed horrific and cruel and terrifying. Mary: How did your production company, Community 20 come about? How did Gabby become the producer? Tarek: There is no way to overstate how important Gabby has been to this production. When I first mooted the idea of putting on Macbeth I went to Gabby for advice, really just to ask ‘is this a really crazy idea, or is it possible?' And I was completely surprised when she offered to produce it – it was not something I would ever have asked her. Without her endless support, (logistical, theatrical, emotional) this would never have got off the ground – but she's just one of those special people – she just makes incredible things happen. Of course, in retrospect she really shouldn't have offered, because she is quite possibly the busiest person I know. So part of the pressure for me is not to let her down, as I know how fortunate we are to have her. Community 20 came about because we needed an ‘umbrella' company for the production. We initially took the name from the Community 60 in Julius Caesar , but people kept telling us the name sounded like an OAP charity. So we changed it to Community20 pretty quickly after that. Whether the production company has a future really depends on whether Macbeth is a success. But the more I see the play in rehearsal, the more confident I am that it will be.
Mary: Will the cast of Macbeth be comprised of former Julius Caesar actors/designers, or will it also include other people? Tarek: The whole production has a very strong JC flavour : Stephen Eliot-Mcdonald and Guy Moore from the 40 give startling performances as Macbeth and Macduff respectively. Obviously Gabby is producing and Roger Clark from the 60 is chairing Community20 and is doing a great job on marketing and fundraising. Chris Cadman from the 60 is has also helped us set up the project.
Guy Moore as Macduff, Stephen Eliot-Mcdonald -Macbeth But the remainder of the cast, designers and crew are people that we interviewed for this production – and no-one received a role because they were in JC. On a personal level, I sorely wanted to bring in more JC folk and many kindly came to audition – but the competition was incredibly fierce, particularly for acting roles.
Mary: How does Community 20 go about recruiting actors and other participants from the London community? Tarek: We primarily advertised for professional actors on CASTNET and PCR. We were completely inundated with CVs and applications! I received about 500 over the space of three weeks, and there was a point when I couldn't open the door for brown envelopes blocking it. I think the incredible response had a lot to do with Macbeth being such a popular play and such a great acting challenge. We made sure we gave every application proper attention, but in the end we could only audition about 200 people. Those auditions were grueling, but well worth it as we have now got a supremely gifted actor in every single role. But what's exciting about the production is that though the designers etc. are also professionals, we also managed to bring in people who had little experience of productions of this size (such as myself!). For example, our Stage Manager, Helen Smythe has mainly done amateur theatre before and has proven to be one of the greatest assets this project has. And we have a variety of people who have never been involved in theatre before who have helped us with scoping rehearsal space, marketing, accounting and the like. We have five kids to alternate the role of Lady Macduff's son / daughter. Because the theatre is in Camden, Helen obtained permission from the Camden council, and then advertised this role in local schools. So it's great for me that we will be able to give some of these kids an experience to remember and be proud of.
Mary: Are there any projects on the drawing board for you, and/or Community 20 in the near future? What would you most like to do, either with them, or as an independent director? Tarek: Everything depends on whether Macbeth is the success we all expect it to be. If the audience comes and they enjoy it thoroughly, then yes, we will start thinking about the next project. On a personal level, I keep finding my mind wandering to Henry V , or even a stage adaptation of The Big Lebowski – but who knows. I would like to Assist Direct on other projects for a while first. But you know, if I'm really really honest, I do harbour a fantasy about one day staging a larger project called ‘Romeo & Juliet: Brixton vs Southall.' We can but dream!
Mary: Thanks Tarek! We'll see you at Theatro Technis on Feb. 22 nd …
Macbeth rehearsal photos courtesy of Tarek Iskander
21 st Feb – Sat 18 th Mar – Box Office 020 7387 6617 Adults £10 – Concessions £8 – Under 16s £5 Matinees on Wed 22 Feb, Wed Mar 1, Tues 7 and Thurs 16 Mar - 2 pm
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