Actor/Director Peter Elliott

Peter Elliott had 53 different jobs before he became an actor, at the Court Theatre in Christchurch.  It led to a 30-year career - spanning television, film, theatre, opera and radio - that he could not, and would not, change.  But he can try new things. 

Elliott answers The Big Idea community questions about his solo directorial debut with The Scene for Silo Theatre.

“I have finally grown up and found my anchor for this restless waka of mine.”

See his answers to the community questions in the comment box below.

During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

Generally, I am faster and more able in the mornings. I like to rehearse before lunch, take jumps and try things out when there is energy in the room. Actors tend to wake up again around 6pm as the body clock switches on night time performance energies. This is a total pain in the arse for anyone who lives with us, as we tend to stay awake late, find it hard to get to sleep before 12 or 1am, and rise late. So, that said, our mornings are later than other peoples mornings, per se.

We usually start at 9.30 - 10.00 in rehearsal and go till 1pm for lunch. The afternoon is not such an inspirational time and is usually consolidation.

Away from the theatre I can adjust to early beginnings but it takes time. Early morning winter starts as the dawn creeps in, wrapped in polyprop and waterproofing with a shotgun in my hand and an eager eye for incoming ducks, can be deeply profound and inspiring. Best on your own though. Duck hunter's opening morning farts are legendarily vile.

The worst time for inspiration, and one that unfortunately is almost always wrong, is the middle of the night. That moment when you wake with a start, and think, eureka! I've got it, is always mentally deranged and unhelpful in the morning light. I have thrashed entire plays out in my head, worked out the deeper emotional and incredibly powerful journey that we all missed, thrown out all my previous work, and finally nodded off exhausted but exhilarated after three hours, and woken an hour later. Late, rushing and depressed at the sheer stupidity of my night visions.

Oh. It's hard being me. (for those not used to me - this is self deprecatory sarcasm) Enough. Enough.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

Flatteringly, I  would hope, since you insist that they are a GOOD friend. My personal aesthetic? I dunno... He means well, he's older than he looks and he's running to fat? My personal style? Well it changes like the wind most of the time, rumpled denim, frumpy country, mutton dressed as lamb, looks good in a jacket. Used to be considered handsome - now - Not so much.

Work wise? I would think I am a bit driven, certainly dedicated and unable to give less than I can.  I work hard. I have to do my absolute best at all times.  My mothers legacy I think - "if a job's worth doing - it's worth doing WELL" I can be opinionated.  Stubborn. But in the next minute fickle and a pushover. Mercurial then, perhaps.

As a director, I know what you have to go through, to ‘deliver’, so I empathise with actors.  I think I am a quite sweet director really. Others could answer that better than I perhaps.

What aspect of your creative practise gives you the greatest thrill?

Oh undoubtedly the rehearsal period is for me the best time and where I get the most kicks.

The moments when ideas and discovery gel into something greater than the sum of your efforts - when you become transported into the realms of genuine and original creativity - those times are transcendent. I get so excited as that rush occurs I can speak so fast that I can’t keep up with my own thoughts. It's like being harnessed to a gigantic unstoppable train, and the ride is sublime.

Trying to recreate that is however almost fatal. When we try to do what we did before we lose the exact spark of delicious originating momentum and become rote players of memory.

In television the sheer pace of what we do dictates that any great decision making largely occurs alone and before interaction with other players, which is a sad bastardisation of the form in a way. We are social creatures and to act or direct alone is worse than drinking alone. It’s almost masturbation - a brief thrill, ultimately unsatisfactory, slightly grubby, and dully lonely. It’s much more fun working with others.

In recent years there seems to have been a return to the notion of rehearsal for some series and even for the occasional film. When that has occurred, the product generally has greater life, depth, humanity and even more essentially, humour. One cannot knock down the doors of resistance to idea, more effectively than by de-alarming the gatekeeper with humour.

In passing though, I would say the greatest moments in my career to date have been when the ‘duende’ moves inside, when the discovery of idea and connection to the universal engine occurs, and our own ‘self’ is pushed firmly aside - the energy flows through you like air in a vacuum cleaner hose. I have been lucky enough to experience many of those moments onstage, but never in television or film.

How does your environment affect your work?

Actually most of the time we are in such shitholes to rehearse in that most actors in this country wouldn’t give a toss about it. But a chair and a hand basin recently cleaned, a toilet, unblocked and clean, and available without interruption, some light and a bit of air, and we are happy as pigs in shit. A place to smoke for those who do is helpful and preferably away from those who don’t. It’s not asking much is it?

Backstage in performance I like a space clean uncluttered and run by the Stage Manager, I need time to myself and the space to prepare without noise or interruption. That is quite difficult as the stage itself can be sed by all staff till the half or the house is open.
So those are the physical constraints necessary for the delivery of the work. HOWEVER, by far the most important is the creative environment.

That means we must have absolute trust in each other, the ability to fail without ridicule or belittlement, without rancour and without personal attack. When we are in a safe group of trusted likeminded practitioners who are unafraid to take risks with one another we are as close to heaven as we can get. Such groups are rare and when you find a group of people able and willing to work in the same way it is like coming home.

The greatest tragedy that befell the Performing Arts Community in this country is the advent of the accountant as the Company head. When we lost ALL our community theatres that had resident companies we seriously weakened our ability to make and export this country’s ART.

I pray that I live long enough to see someone reinstate COMPANY in this country. And that eventually some enlightened government will see that our industry has the ability to take this country and her products into the world and respect it accordingly.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?

Good question. As an actor I tend to have done far more work on MY PART than the director has when we first come into rehearsal, if the director wants to stay too broad I get frustrated while they catch up with where I have gone. I like actors to bring a lot of work onto the floor early as a director. I don’t like to have to give a performance to anyone, although I can if I have to.

As a Director however, the big picture and the big questions need to get served early. What is happening, what are the physical realities, why is there conflict, between whom, what is the history, who are they, alone, and together, what is stopping action from occurring, good big basic questions that set the parameters of early exploration.

If an actor is too honed too soon it can destabilise the process, so I have come to realise that although I always thought I was easy to work with I may in fact have been an absolute bloody monster. I apologise now for all hurts caused to Directors in the past, I thought I was helping. Sorry.

Nah....I’m too old to change my way of working as an actor now - you get what you are given - live with it. And I reserve the right to expect different from actors when I am directing. So, when you come to my rehearsal, bring something. Cantankerous? Who?!

What’s your number one tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?

Good God. I wish I knew, what the hell are you asking me for?

One. In this tiny little country, and in no other place on earth would I suggest this, - Diversify. I believe to be truly brilliant - to excel - to become an artist - one must be singleminded, relentless and open. However, you will become a burden to others and to society unless infeasibly lucky and gifted. So you have to broaden your palate, widen your base of activities. Write, direct, act, sing, make doco’s, film, whatever you can to keep your talent focussed in one field. Storytelling. Well that’s what I tried to do.

Two. Don’t underestimate this. Marry well. Yes I am joking but only sort of... I got lucky, after three kids my wife got another career and she’s loving it. So am I! Two people to pay bills in this fickle biz is a hell of a help.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?

I adored making, and was very fulfilled during the EXPLORERS documentary series for TVNZ. The journeys of Brunner, Heaphy, Barrington and Colenso were wonderful to research and write with Mark Everton, shoot with Peter Young and Richard Sweeting and represent some of the greatest experiences I ever had in the New Zealand bush, rivers mountains, lakes, icefields and coastlines. I learnt a terrific amount about myself and met some of the most generous and memorable people who changed my life forever;  Kath Hemi, Ngati Apa Ki Te Ra To and Maika Mason, Poutini Ngai Tahu. Thank you all.

I have also been very fortunate in the theatre with some great roles coming my way over the last decade including Dysart in Equus at the ATC, and Peachum in Threepenny Opera for Mike Hurst and Silo Theatre.

However, it is in directing, - my first solo directorial debut with The Scene for Silo Theatre that I feel I have finally grown up and found my anchor for this restless waka of mine.  I am happy and eager to do more.

Who or What has inspired you recently?

Much of my inspiration comes from the immediacy of emotional response that music provides. I have a tendency to melancholia when left to my own devices and music is a great way to rise above that, or to wallow in it should I so desire. I adore sculpture, and the exploration of mad ideas in architecture, and the grace and beauty of light and air made form. These things interact within me on an organic emotional response level.
BUT
Words remain the greatest medium for me, marks on a page which can direct the course of history, words uttered that remain completely ephemeral, gone as soon as spoken but with such consequence that entire worlds fight and fail, and emperors are made flesh. That’s a bit purple but you get what I mean.

Oratory and rhetoric used to be taught. No more. Sad.

Driving to the Coromandel to go fishing with friends I listened to Barack Obama read his book ‘The Audacity of Hope’, on my iPod. Long before the election I was so inspired and so frightened that such a great and generous MAN was so able, sincere and fiercely intelligent and insightful, that I thought the world would kill him before any of his dreams could be given the breath of life.

But he made it and he is still there, and above all else he gave me hope for the future of the human race. That we are not just doomed to a predestined course of lies, treachery and deceit. So. He inspired me. You think!??

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

Patently silly question. This ‘career’ was not chosen, I was expelled from school as a second year fifth form student, after some difficulties. I never set foot in another learning establishment again, but read like a bastard. And tried to find a way forward. By the time I became an actor at the Court Theatre in Christchurch I had had 53 different jobs. I was unemployable anywhere else. I couldn’t settle to any one thing because I wanted to be and do so MANY things. Acting was a way of trying it all out without getting fired all the time.

Well of course that’s all bullshit. But at the time I made those decisions that was my way of justifying it to myself.

I would not change it. I could not change it. Although Architecture sounds good...photography, I did an arts paper, tried pottery, made hot water bottles and surfboards, picked apples, drove trucks, assembled tractors, sold insulation and solar heating, and videoconferencing equipment, ran a night club and a recording studio with friends, wrecked cars, and demolished houses and worked in staging for tv2 in Christchurch.

Change anything? Bugger off. I earned this.

What place is always with you wherever you go?

The Tongariro River.  The very top of Mount Pleasant looking to heaven. Totaranui, Coromandel, The Buller Kawatiri, A blackening stormfront bruising down the Waimakariri River Gorge still bathed in brilliant South Island High Country light. French Pass, South Luangwa National Park in Zambia on a brilliant starfilled moonless night.

I could go on............and on. But. Planet Earth. Unspeakably beautiful.

What’s the best way to listen to music and why?

Loud. Very Loud and Fucking Loud. Live is best. Cos it is, innit!?

You are given a string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

A Journey with a small pack. A kite. A net. A tent. Fire.  Or a  good cleaning kit for my motorbike.

What’s the best stress relief advice you’ve ever been given?

EFT. Sonia.

What’s great about today?

Great fishing weather, excellent talking weather, good drinking weather, fantastic coffee weather, superb walking weather, but it’s a brilliant day to make a play and entertain some people.

Let’s make ‘em laugh while we’re at it.

What’s your big idea for 2009?

I am trying to start my own television channel. It was 2007 and 2008’s idea too.  It’ll happen.
 
THE SCENE plays May 29th – June 27th at the Herald Theatre, THE EDGE®
Tickets: $20.00 - $39.00
Bookings through THE EDGE® Ticketing: 09 357 3355 or www.buytickets.co.nz

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Articles: 

The Scene

10 June 2009

In his directorial debut Peter Elliott delivers blacker-than-ink comedy at its’ finest as The Scene delves into a world of malfunctioning modern relationships where toxic blonde bombshells leave no survivors. Read More »

Submitted by The Big Idea Editor on Wed, 10/06/2009 - 3:19pm.

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