Australian Actor, Playwriter, Director Alex Grech talks to YVM about his NY Theatre Festival play 'Awaiting Evaluation'

Photo Credit: Yellow Belly Photography

YV Media: You've been involved in acting from the time you were six years of age. How did you fare starting in the industry at such a tender age? Were you anxious? Did it come naturally?

Alex Grech: I actually began acting when I joined the Victorian Youth Theatre because of my brother. At that age, and being the younger brother, anything my brother Max did, I had to do and do it better. Theatre and performance changed my life. I fell in love with the craft from day one and it never really caused me much anxiety. If anything, it’s the idea of trying to monetize something that to me seems so natural and pure that it sometimes keeps me up at night. Acting is something that comes naturally to all of us, like drawing or speaking. It's something that we all find our own way of doing but are often pushed to do in a particular way for the sake of aesthetics or formality. Every child has the impulse to scribble sketches with whatever they can or speak even if they’ve not yet learned to master language itself. Acting to me is the same; it’s something innate in how we as humans go through the world. What separates an actor from a child, in my opinion, is craft, technique and discipline. Those are the fundamentals that don’t come naturally to anyone and have to be honored with dedication often over years. My passion for the craft came naturally but I’ve dedicated the better part of my life so far to honing that natural passion into my own form of a professional craft.

YVM: "Awaiting Evaluation" is a rather unique title for a play. Where did you get the concept for such an interesting topic?

Alex: It stems from the various literary sources that inspired the piece. Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is the obvious first connection, as “waiting” and “awaiting” are practically synonymous, but the evaluation is something that extends beyond the comparison of Godot. Dante’s Divine Comedy describes limbo as a liminal space that is not one of punishment or reprieve but is simply the place where unjudgable souls wait, restlessly turning, unable to be judged by Minos and therefore unable to progress to either the Inferno, Purgatorio, or Paradiso. That is the root of the evaluation component. We are all seeking some evaluation of one kind or another throughout our lives. At school, it comes from your teachers; in romance, from your partner, in adulthood, perhaps from your boss, your parents, or even your own children. We all seek to find that evaluation that may tell us our worth, so that we can escape the sense of limbo that we often find ourselves toiling in.

YVM: Since Awaiting Evaluation has already been exposed to the American public, how do you think the European public will perceive this given the difference in culture? Will they like it?

Alex: I actually think that European audiences will connect even more with the piece. The literary, dramaturgical, and comedic inspirations for Awaiting Evaluation are largely European and have, in most cases, left their own indelible impressions on various European cultures. With this current one act version of Awaiting Evaluation having found success with both US and European audiences, I feel confident that we have a solid proof of concept that has given me the confidence to say that audiences will certainly not be jeering and may, in fact, leave the theatre inspired to wrestle with some new or perhaps forgotten questions.

YVM: You've said that you saved money to travel around the world. Did any of your global travels bring inspiration to the creation of "Awaiting Evaluation"?

Alex: They most certainly did. There’s such eclecticism available in the world, with so many different ways of seeing oneself and, in turn, the world around us. Every culture leaves its own mark on how we form a sense of identity and how we make sense of that identity within the wider world, along with this notion of negotiating one’s identity within a cultural identity that doesn’t align with it.

YVM: Hugh Jackman also started off as a theater actor before transitioning into a successful Hollywood career. Do you see yourself repeating the same steps to reach that goal?

Alex: With any luck, yes. I was once told that luck is when hard work meets opportunity. I’m certainly not content to wait for opportunities to fall into my lap, and Awaiting Evaluation is a testament to the hard work I’ve put in over years to create my own. Success as an actor, to me, means longevity. It means doing what you love for the rest of your life. The stage and theatre will always be my first love, and the idea of having a varied and successful career as someone like Hugh Jackman is certainly something I aspire to.

YVM: If Awaiting Evaluation manages to resonate with the general public across the pond, do you see yourself adopting it into a feature film? And if so, will you be just as involved with the movie production as you are with the theatre production?

Alex: In my mind Awaiting Evaluation belongs on stage. It lives in the theatre and craves a live audience. That’s not to say that there isn’t a world in which it can be adapted to the big screen, but I have multiple other scripts that I believe are far better suited to the cinematic medium. I’m currently working on an anthology of scripts that are based on the decade-spanning BBC series Inside No. 9 that pays homage to the cinematic influences that have shaped my life. The anthology blends drama, psychological thriller, and dark comedy into a distinctive world that I hope will one day find its place alongside the very series that inspired its creation.

YVM: You have clearly shown to be a multitalented actor. Do you see yourself branching out into other roles that don't correlate to musical theater? If so, what genres will you like to dip your feet in?

Alex: I love sci-fi and fantasy. As a young child, I would tear through mythology, and as an adult, those epic and timeless tales continue to inspire me. I think there’s something so beautifully human about melding the known natural world with something beyond our current understanding. The idea that any suitable advanced science is indistinguishable from magic is something that has fascinated and inspired me throughout my life. I hope to explore this more not only through my performance but through my writing as well.

Edinburge Fringe Festival Photos Credit: DMLK