Brian King's designs have graced the stages of many Wellington theatres since he graduated from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in '06. His former tutor Penny Fitt has also taken him on as design assistant for The Trial of the Cannibal Dog, which features in the '08 NZ International Arts Festival. It's a positive prognosis then for a man who spent 20 years as a GP before deciding to follow his true passion. King says his collaboration skills are the strongest legacy of his time in medicine, but he's also pretty handy with a scalpel...During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
I'm not sure I have found inspiration connected to circadian rhythms but as a rule I prefer to get up early in the morning and work. There is something about the quietness, the chill, the watery light and the sense of expectation that gets me going.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
What I hope they would say is that they could perceive an attempt to integrate the design into the inherent architecture of the performance space and that I eschew unnecessary detail.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
At the moment thrills come from having to embrace new collaborations, forming new relationships with other theatre practitioners and exploring the many new vistas that each project throws up. Last week I was in a skate shop buying 'New York thins'.

How do you think your environment affects your work?
Environment is such a catch-all concept that of course it must affect my work in ways that I am both conscious and unconscious of.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?
I'd like to think that I was 'big picture' focuser but I am increasingly interested in how the audience fill in their own details. Helping by providing questions that can not be answered with an uninvolved 'yes' or 'no'. Giving enough without being prescriptive. Picking that quintessential detail, the specific that evokes the universal, is a skill that I would like to master.

Are there any skills you learned as a GP that you still employ as a set and costume designer?
Knowing how to wield a scalpel - I suppose that the skills one learns as a GP mainly revolve around creating an appropriate therapeutic relationship with the individual patient. A relationship that is based on being honest about expectations and ability, communicating ideas and information effectively and a commitment to quality and sticking to the 'contract'. These are also the skills needed for successful collaboration, which is what theatre is about.

Many New Zealanders in creative industries have a 'day job' that often doesn't cross over with their creativity - what advice would you have for them about focusing on their creative ambitions?
Take some time to ponder on what fulfilment is for themselves and what sort of compromises they need to make to achieve that fulfilment with the level of security they require in life. Then embrace the compromise but keep reassessing and throwing out the rubbish.

The Trial of the Cannibal Dog is that rare thing - a Kiwi opera. What are the challenges and considerations relating to opera design that you wouldn't find in other performing arts?
For Cannibal Dog I am a design assistant to Penny Fitt, set designer and Kate Hawley, costume designer. Opera design is where I want to be but this is the first exposure that I have had. I suspect opera is more bound by restricting historical conventions which may take some negotiating if one wants to challenge those conventions but I would not expect opera to have any unique challenges apart from those of scale.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?
Hell, I'm still at the mewling and puking stage and don't feel the least bit confident to offer survival tips, but if I was to put a punt on it I would say it was something like having respect for self and others.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?
Overall I consider designing the set and costumes for last year's Shakespeare offering at Toi Whakaari as being the most satisfying project. David O'Donnell directed all three parts of Henry 6. Four and a half hours, 22 actors and 49 roles. It was a collaboration that worked and most satisfying because I was able to make many mistakes in a very supportive environment.

Who or what has inspired you recently?
T.S. Eliot, WH Auden, and Goya.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?
A horticulturist managing my own truffiere or a jazz clarinettist or both.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
Mount Taranaki.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
Live, because of its performative aspect and the experience necessarily involves the interaction of intended and ambient sound.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
Something sticky like Michelangelo's David.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
Breathe.

What's great about today?
Being in a loving relationship which supports me in creative work that excites and stimulates me.

5/12/07