A Conversation With Director Liam Burke About his Direction of Guillem Clua's Smiley
A Conversation with director Liam Burke
By: Virag Dombay Nov. 08, 2020
Next up on my local artists interview segment is director, producer, playwright, dancer and actor Liam Burke. Liam was born and bred in Brisbane and trained at the Australian Ballet School and danced with The Australian Ballet before embarking on international career to London's West End, Europe, Off-Broadway and Broadway where he assisted Susan Stroman. He studied Creative Writing at the State University of New York (Richard Porter Leach Fellowship) and has since written for LGNY, The James White Review, Dance Magazine, the Santa Barbara News Press and Standard-Examiner. Liam was Producer's Assistant to Andi Hicks at Timeline Films (Los Angeles) in 2006 and worked alongside her for The Mary Pickford Institute for Film Education on the LA Mobile Film Unit, taking film education to the LA Unified School District. He was assistant editor on the documentary THE WOMAN WITH THE HUNGRY EYES (The Theda Bara story) and was a researcher/ screenwriter on other projects about silent screen artists. In 2013 he wrote, directed and produced Goodbye Norma Jeane about Hollywood dance maker Jack Cole (Matilda Awards nominee) and has since directed and/or choreographed in London, Off-Broadway and for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. In 2020 he wrote and directed NEPTUNE'S (short) which made Official Selection at the Montreal Independent Film Festival and Best Shorts (USA). He is currently adapting Alan Seymour's play THE ONE DAY OF THE YEAR for the screen and directing Guillem Clua's Smiley. Here's what he had to say...
VIRAG: For those that aren't familiar with the Guillem Clua's play, Smiley explores the journey of two central male characters who only have one commonality, they're both gay. It's received much critical acclaim and has been produced in over eight countries. Is there an added pressure on you in creating and performing such a widely respected work? Do you ever feel like you have to live up to the previous companies standards?
BURKE: I feel a sense of responsibility to create a fresh production but I don't feel any pressure. The play is over ten years old so I have approached it as if I'm directing a revival even though it's never been done in Australia. This gives me a sense of confidence that I have a new take on the play and I have had a very specific vision for the characters Alex and Bruno. I did not see any of the other productions but I have lived on four continents so I know what good acting is. Sergio Ulloa Torres and Matt Young are first rate, world-class actors and it has been a thrill to watch their performances grow. Brisbane audiences are really going to love them.
VIRAG: You've mentioned that this is an adaptation of the original work. Why have you decided to adapt it? What does it let you achieve and explore more that maybe wasn't a focus in the core text?BURKE: First of all, the play was 85 pages long with no interval and Sergio who played Alex in Chile (in Spanish) he expressed a desire to make some cuts. The opening was a five page monologue which is an enormous task for any actor so I had to find a way of making that more accessible. I have done this while keeping almost all of the text and without changing the plot which has been a really fun process actually. We toyed with the idea of setting the play in Brisbane and it would have worked to a degree but keeping it in Barcelona felt true to the piece. I also had to revise some of the text because it felt a little dated like replacing Justin Bieber with Ricky Martin! I also expanded the language to reflect terminology that people use in online dating today but I do feel it is still the focus of the core text.
VIRAG: Leading on from that, why have you chosen to stage this play for Brisbane audiences now?
BURKE: The actors Sergio and Matt came to me with the script and asked if I'd take a look at it. This was right after we went into lockdown in April. I really liked the play and I thought the actors were utterly perfect for the roles so it was kind of catapulted at me! Also I was aware that once we could get back into the theatre audiences would probably prefer an intelligent comedy with international flair rather than Bertolt Brecht!
VIRAG: What has the creative process been like in creating this work? Has it felt refreshing working in a rehearsal space again?
BURKE: We rehearsed via ZOOM for nearly three months because we were determined to keep our creative minds alive during the lockdown. Since we started rehearsing in the flesh it became a total breath of fresh air and I always leave the rehearsals on cloud nine. The three of us bonded instantly and we have revelled in the romantic and sexual elements to the play, often adding a character's dialogue to our own repertoire of one-liners, if that makes sense?! We have laughed a lot along the way while keeping our eyes on the goal of getting audiences back into the theatre in a covid safe environment - and here we are two weeks away from opening!
VIRAG: Lastly, how would you like your audience to feel once they exit the theatre?
BURKE: I know that audiences will be entertained and some might get a good ab workout from the belly laughs but it is a true romantic comedy and I think audiences will float out of the theatre. It is a message of love, a reminder that sometimes love comes unexpectedly or love may be part of the universe's bigger plan for us or your true love may be part of your destiny! This may sound corny but it is true for Alex and Bruno!
Show | Smiley
Season | Wednesday 18th of November - Sunday 29th of November
Venue | Backdock Arts
Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/backdockarts/419796/
Photography by Black Box Media
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