Oliver Driver directs Morgana O'Reilly and Curtis Vowell to bring 15 different characters to life in the encore season of Toa Fraser's Bare.

O'Reilly says she enjoyed the challenge of studying each character and 'showing off the spectacle that acting has the potential to be.'

"As an actor you go about life soaking up the people around you, this play is a wonderful vehicle for that."Oliver Driver directs Morgana O'Reilly and Curtis Vowell to bring 15 different characters to life in the encore season of Toa Fraser's Bare.

O'Reilly says she enjoyed the challenge of studying each character and 'showing off the spectacle that acting has the potential to be.'

"As an actor you go about life soaking up the people around you, this play is a wonderful vehicle for that.""A lot of the characters I play are made up of one, or many different people I've meet in my life. But then there are also those which are just made up weirdos from my head, which is just as fun."

During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
It's usually, and rather inconveniently, when I'm lying in bed about to go to sleep. That's when I'll have a revelation about a script, or a need to paint. I promise myself to do it in the morning, but I'm not nearly as enthused first thing.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
Hmmmm. I just txted a good friend to see. She suggested avant-garde, classic hood rat - - .??

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
There is something very intoxicating about making a big room of people laugh out loud, while you keep the straightest face you can. This often makes them laugh longer. Then! Just as its dying down, you start to speak again. In acting this is called 'riding the laugh'. If you can do it well, it can be just as much fun for you, as well as the audience. It really is a form of surfing. You're out there, under the lights, very vulnerable and you're harnessing this to the benefit of everyone in the room. Very cool.

How does your environment affect your work?
A lot. I think this goes for physical and emotional environment. I am a person who is greatly affected by the whether. Too much grey and rain does terrible things to my mood and creative impulses. Emotionally I work a lot better with people who are fun and thoughtful. I believe that in your working environment, it's good to try and leave your own crap at the door. Just because you've had a bad day, doesn't give you the right to take it out on any one else.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?
I love the big picture!! One of my favourite things to do, is dream about all the countries I'm one day going to see, all the people I will meet and all the work a hope to do in the future. But I think I understand that little details make up a big picture. I can't say I'm much of a micro-manager (at all!) but I definitely know that all the little things are the most important. Study, organisation and persistence means you can get the big picture you want so bad.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?
In the industry I've gone into, there's a lot I've learnt, so here's 3 tips.

When you don't get the part, don't let your talent take the hit, trust that it wasn't yours, but another one will come! When you've got no work, call it a holiday (even though it is enforced and dollar less) you never know, tomorrow you could get the next job and be run off our feet for the next three months. And finally, be a good person, be yourself and be professional and courteous to everyone you work with.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?
I 'm not sure that I want to name one. There are projects that I have enjoyed more than others, but I'm not going to say which ones they are. Every project teaches me something new about myself and my craft. That gives me satisfaction.

Who or what has inspired you recently?
I have just come back to Auckland from performing down in Wellington where I went and saw the Rita Angus exhibition at Te Papa, which was amazing chills up spine material. Awesome to see a whole body of work from someone's whole life. Especially a woman like her. Strong willed and thoughtful.

I also went and saw the Fiona Hall exhibition at the Wellington art gallery. Another amazing woman! Gorgeous installation of small everyday objects made out of yellow soap. I dreamt about that the other night.

What are some of the central themes in Bare?
I think the play is about looking under the surface of yourself and the people around you, seeing the stereotype but searching for more. But mostly it comes down to finding love and family in places you didn't expect to.

How has this production of Bare been reconfigured?
The original was performed by two actors on a 'bare' stage. The play is made up mostly of monologues with only two scenes where the actors actually talk to each other. In the first production the two actors faced the audience for the whole show, even when they were talking to each other, they would mime the others body in front of them if they had to touch. One of these scenes is a sex scene, so you can imagine how funny it was having two actors pretend there was another person in front of them.

The new version is set in a student flat type setup. We both watch each others monologues, and interact in our two scenes together. Originally this change was because it was celebrating the Silo theatre 10th anniversary, so Oliver had the idea to bring the Silo greenroom onto the stage. All the Silo actors who came to the show could see the place they'd all warmed up and got made up before going on stage, on, the stage. From that, it didn't look right for us not to acknowledge each other.

But I think this way works well for us. We couldn't have just done a remake of the original, both for our sake and the audiences who have seen and loved the first one.

Describe the characters you play in BARE?
I play around 9, so I won't go into too much detail about all of them. The first character you meet is Tina; she does a shout-out on the radio to all her homies. Tina is related to a lot of the other characters in the story. She is 12 years old and is studying Shakespeare at school. Venus is one of the main characters, and she is Tina's older cousin. Venus is a gym bunny, obsessed with achieving the level of fitness she feels she needs to set her free, but realises that only through love and family can she get what she really wants.

Other characters are: a smoker who works at burger king and is trying to give up, a parking warden, a woman pissing on the street, a rich-pisshead-smoky-croaky-voice lady, Burger King Manager and a wonderful university lecturer who does an awesome rant about representations and constructions of the south pacific.

What are the challenges and rewards of bringing multiple-characters to life?
Challengers: basically that there are a lot of them, so you have to spread your time out between each, when studying them. When we first did this show, Curtis and I were performing in two other plays every night, and rehearsing during the day so I felt I couldn't give each of the characters the time a wished I could. But now that we've been doing the play for so long I feel I know them all so much better than when we were first performing the play last year.

Rewards: I love to show off the spectacle that acting has the potential to be. To say, I'm an actor, wanna check out what I can do? As an actor you go about life soaking up the people around you, this play is a wonderful vehicle for that. A lot of the characters I play are made up of one, or many different people I've meet in my life. But then there are also those which are just made up weirdos from my head, which is just as fun.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?

That's a hard one. One of the reasons why I'm an actor I think is because I couldn't make my mind up as to what I wanted to be. Acting means that, hopefully, I will be able to be everything.

But since you're asking. I'd love to be a photographer. Or a musician. Or a gypsy. Or a vet. Or a fireman, or a pilot, or a painter, or a skydiver, or a dancer. Or Prime Minister.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
Ponsonby/Grey Lynn area I grew up in and is drenched in my history. Also Eastbourne in Wellington, lots of my family live and are from there. It's like my island or my iwi.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
Loud! And dancing to it! Preferably outside. Because dancing to loud music outside on a summer's day with some ocean near by, is for me, worship of the highest kind.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
A Kite!

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
Deep breaths, everything's going to be ok in the morning, you do your best work under pressure, this too shall pass, wine?

What's great about today?
I get to go back on stage tomorrow!

What's your big idea for 2009?
I'm doing a BIG trip! Through Europe, then South America and up to New York!! All by myself. I can't wait!!

October 8-18th 2008
Herald Theatre, THE EDGE
Monday and Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm
Bookings: THE EDGE Ticketing on 0800 BUY TICKETS or www.the-edge.co.nz

Written By Toa Fraser
Directed By Oliver Driver
Designed By Jeremy Fern
Featuring Morgana O'Reilly & Curtis Vowell

09/10/08