As The Playground Theatre embarks on an exciting new collaboration with acclaimed Lithuanian director Saulius Varnas, we sat down with Peter Tate to discuss their latest project: The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, adapted from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s powerful short story.
How do you relate to the philosophical depth of the Ridiculous Man, and what was your approach to portraying him?
I do relate to the possibility that mankind can find a way to create another life that is different from where we are now with so many wars and destruction and so much suffering biu it does take visionaries like Dostoevsky and Martin Luther King and even John Lennon to show us a different path. Both of the latter have found their way into our piece.
How has the use of projections and sound affected your performance and storytelling?
I would say that sound has affected me more than the projections as I am not always seeing the projections. There is a lot of music and various kind of sounds which, I think, enhances what I am doing and is another character on stage
What has your collaboration with director Saulius Varnas brought to your interpretation of the character?
Saulius has a very strong vision and as I have worked with him previously in Lithuania I trust that his vision is the right one. I had worked with Anna Sokolov, a great modern dance choreographer , who was a great influence on Pina Bausch on a piece of my own and I realised very quickly that she knew what she was doing so I just gave in but within her structure there was a great freedom. I’ve always said that the greater the structure, the greater the freedom and likewise with Saulius.
How do you feel about incorporating audience feedback during the Voila! Festival into the final piece?
I think that one should always be open to other ideas as sometimes one is surprised that something that seemed obvious to the viewer gets completely missed by the creative team.It is a collaborative art form and that can include audience members
How have the visual elements, like Čiurlionis’s art, impacted your portrayal of the story?
There are certain images that I can work off and affect what I am doing on the stage and seem to be organic to the structure of the overall work and I suppose that’s why Saulius chose them.
The dream of a Ridiculous Man runs till the 9 Nov at The Playground Theatre.
I held my breath during Peter Tate’s performance. And yes, the sounds and music added tremendously to the brooding atmosphere. Peter is a superb actor, no one could have done this better.