Director-turned-actor Ben Schostakowski is no stranger to the stage. In a case of life imitating art, his latest role is that of a young theatre director stuck in a tricky situation.
Celebrating La Boite's tenth year anniversary at Kelvin Grove, Louis Nowra's prose will delight audiences once again with the revival of classic Australian comedy 'Cosi'. The hilarious stage play has been a fan-favourite since its conception in 1992 and is now set to light up the Roundhouse stage. The production is being directed by David Berthold, a long-time Louis Nowra collaborator, and stars Ben Schostakowski and 'Packed to the Rafters' regulars Jessica Marais and James Stewart.
Set in the '70s, the story revolves around a young aspiring theatre director who lands his first professional gig in a mental institution, directing Mozart's opera 'Così fan tutte'. The catch? None of the cast (all of whom have very diverse needs), can speak Italian or sing.
“I play the director, Lewis, who's just found himself in this awkward and challenging situation,” Ben says. “We're at the end of our second week of rehearsals now and since we started, everyone in the cast has been super keen. We've come from different backgrounds and have done different projects in theatre, film and TV but as soon as we got in the room, met one another and looked at the design — we threw ourselves in. We're committed to putting on a high quality show.”
Unlike the 1996 movie adaptation of the same name, where a lot of the material had been tweaked to appeal to a '90s audience, the script will be a loyal retelling of the original. “It's going to be performed as Louis Nowra intended, set right in among the Vietnam War,” Ben says. “We're dealing with the concepts of free love and whether fidelity is so much of an important idea these days, and then we're putting on an opera where the characters pretend they’re going off to war so there's strong references between the Vietnam War and the Australians dealing with that.”
As a founding member of the theatre collective Monsters Appear, with extensive theatre credits as a performer, creator and director of theatre, this National Institute of Dramatic Art graduate is about to embark on a new adventure in acting. “It is my first time doing professional acting. I probably wouldn't do it for anything else but this particular play seemed a close fit as my role is that of a young theatre director. I love productions that deal with theatre themselves so putting a show in a show is a perfect concept to explore.”
2014 marks the third time La Boite has performed 'Cosi', having already premiered at Hale Street in 1993 and then again in 2003 as a co-production with the Queensland Performing Arts Centre at the Playhouse, QPAC. When asked about what will separate this production from the last ones, Ben cites the casting of actors and laughs off the idea of a brand new telling.
“Interestingly enough, the play itself remains absolutely hilarious even today,” he says. “One of our biggest challenges in rehearsals has been keeping a straight face. It's still perfectly written with a case of strong comic timing. I think the best way to deliver 'Cosi' isn't to give a radical new interpretation, but rather deliver it as faithfully as possible. What's been really interesting is how we've recast famous character roles. Everyone in the theatre world is quite familiar with these characters so finding out who is going to play those particular roles is one of the most exciting parts.”
'Cosi' will see the Roundhouse transformed into a dilapidated, burnt-out theatre in a stunning design by Hugh O’Connor. “Because it is in the Roundhouse, we're using three seating banks which is a peculiar place to design for when you've got to set it in the actual theatre itself,” Ben explains. “Hugh's come up with a good solution that's going to be impressive to witness, but we're keeping it a surprise until people come in and see the play.”
'Cosi' will play at La Boite's Roundhouse Theatre from February 8 – March 8.
For more info visit: www.laboite.com.au
