Ian Stenlake had never thought about acting as a possible career path until a backpacking trip through Europe saw him wind up on the set of 'The Godfather Part III', and scoring the role of an extra.
Twenty years later and that passion he discovered for acting all those years ago in Europe is still strong. And now that passion can be witnessed on the stage as Ian brings the late Smoky Dawson to life.
In the new stage show production ‘An Audience With Smoky And Herb’, Ian will star as Smoky, the iconic Australian country music legend who died in 2008, aged 94. Like many Australians, Ian had heard the name ‘Smoky Dawson’, but after reading through scripts he realised there was so much he didn’t know. And part of what attracted him to the role was the realisation that this was a story that needed to be told. “I realised I knew nothing about Smoky Dawson, and this show is a chance for a great Australian story to be offered up to audiences.
“As an actor, I much prefer to create or help create a brand new piece of theatre, especially one that’s a unique Australian story, than to maybe play in some of the shows that come from overseas, which is always good fun, but there is something more poignant about telling our own stories,” Ian says.What surprised Ian the most about Smoky was how tragic his earl life was. “He had such a rough up-bringing and that was basically abuse in the family home and loss of kin. His mother died when he was very young, his brother died, his sister died very young.
“As I said, he was in an abusive situation and ended up in an orphanage. So what you find out about this man is that he turned adversity into success. He didn’t let those obstacles get him down, he was aware that that’s what had happened in his life and he made it almost his lifetime journey to share that with anyone he could, especially with young folk. He loved looking after kids, inspiring them to be better people.”
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During a time of Australia’s history when the population was less than half of what it is now, Smoky Dawson had a fanbase of around one million people. “This was in a time when there was no internet and things like that, these were people that would write in and become actual fan club members. With one million fans, if you think about the paperwork that’s just extraordinary.
“He essentially touched everybody’s life in Australia, everyone knew who Smoky was. The question was whether you would write in and become a fan or not, and most people did!” Ian laughs.
You might wonder if playing the role of an Australian idol, who was known and loved by many, makes Ian feel anxious. “I don’t think like that, no. I get nervous in that I want the story to be accessible, I want it to be engaging, I want people to laugh, and to cry. So, as an actor, if I can tell these stories and sing these songs and invoke feelings in the audience, then I’ll be happy, so that’s what I’m more nervous about.
“There’s nothing that you could do on stage in trying to be him that would upset anyone I think, except for them to find out a few of the things that happened to him,” Ian says.When asked why people should go along and see 'An Audience With Smoky And Herb' Ian had this to say. “I think it’s a great year to see it. This is the 100th anniversary of the ANZACs and it’s a great Australian story.”
