| Australian
actor Dwayne Lawler brought his solo performance of Tokyo
Vampire—which he also wrote and directed—to
New York City for the Midtown
International Theater Festival.
What is your show
about?
It is a vampire’s last confession before he goes “into
the sun.” I enjoy work with dark themes, and this
has horror and tragic romance. It is set in Tokyo and has
particular Japanese influences.
What’s next
for you?
I’m continuing with Tokyo Vampire. I’m
thinking about bringing it back to New York next year, but
I haven’t decided yet. I’m also considering
taking it back to my hometown as well.
Tokyo
Vampire
What
theater do you see?
I have lived in Tokyo awhile, so it’s almost impossible
to find English language theater while I am there, but I
did see the Royal Shakespeare Company when they toured A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. I very much enjoy kabuki
even though it is a challenge for me to understand. While
I’ve been in New York, I’ve seen a lot of theater,
and what I’m interested in right now are productions
with a dark or gothic style, because that is what I am working
with.
Who or what
are your influences?
I was trained by a wonderful teacher, Babette Stephens,
for about seven years. She has had an enormous positive
influence on me, and I studied acting at university as well.
I love martial arts—I study karate, and I am very
interested in Japanese culture, so naturally those things
play into my work.
Can
you tell us about your particular approach to creating theater?
I am affected by my environment, and so a lot of things
I do are based on what I like to call my “chameleon
approach,” adapting a theatrical concept to suit the
environment. For example, with Tokyo Vampire, I
designed the costume as a mixture of samurai, Visual Kei,
and Gothic influences. Visual Kei is a flamboyant style
of costume popular in a certain musical subculture in Japan.
It’s like glam rock. With these bands, the costume
takes precedence over the music. I’ve used that look
and added certain samurai details, such as having a family
crest on the costume.
Read
Jill Jichetti's review of Tokyo Vampire. Find out more
about the Midtown International Theater's website in our
preview and at www.midtownfestival.org.
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