ANGUS WILKINSON | A PATH OF HIS OWN

Angus Wilkinson is a man of determination. He has skilfully carved a place for himself in an industry that can so often be difficult to even crack. This journey, like so many in creative industry he tells us, has come about from a little bit of luck and a whole lot of hard work.

Angus first began his training at the Hunter School of the Performing Arts before completing his undergraduate at Charles Sturt University in Theatre/Media. He then strived for the ambitious goal of NIDA’s postgraduate Directing course. He was admitted on his first attempt.

Since then Angus has found positions for himself within the industry that defy the usual professional constraints of a director/actor/writer career path. His short career thus far has seen him work in a versatile range of roles for film, theatre and television projects within large companies such as Sydney Fringe Festival, Home and Away, & SPRUNG festival.

Most recently, Angus spent 10 months as an assistant to Australian film maestro Baz Luhrman, working intimately on projects such as Strictly Ballroom: The Musical & Chanel No 5. And it is this unique adaptability in Angus’s journey that highlights that there is no one path to becoming an actor, director, writer, creative. We caught up with Angus to hear more about his unique creative trail-

How did you come to work with Baz Luhrman & what was that experience like?

It was by chance that I met someone integral in the process of bringing Strictly Ballroom to the stage, but that was in May 2013 and I didn’t officially have a job within the production until late January 2014.

Once I was in, it very quickly became all-consuming. Working for Bazmark is a lifestyle more than a job, where you commit yourself to ensuring the art is the best it can be, no compromise. There was no 9-5, and almost always we worked through lunch and late into the night. I think it is a testament to the culture Baz has developed within his company that the people working on Strictly Ballroom: The Musical are the same inner circle that worked with Baz on Gatsby, Australia, Moulin Rouge and so on.

The new Chanel No 5 advertisement featuring supermodel Gisele Bundchen was one of Baz’s other projects last year. What did you learn?

Chanel was incredible because I got to partake in the entire process from the concept being green lit through to the launch of the Campaign. I would describe it like a crash course on ‘how to make a kick-arse film’. We did everything you would do when making a feature-length except in a tenth of the time. It was completely immersive and Baz’s process is very inclusive and meticulous.

We also heard you recently hosted a section of The Met Ball?

‘Hosted’ is a bit of an overstatement. In fact, it was all rather last minute. We were in tech rehearsals for The MET Gala the day before, and Anna Wintour was concerned there was no one to introduce Sarah Jessica Parker & Bradley Cooper onto the stage. It was at this moment that she turned to me, pulled those famous glasses down her nose, eyed me off and said ‘you seem young and handsome, how’s your British accent?’ Cut To: Me standing on stage in an oversized Tail Suit and 1000 safety Pins holding it together, banging a Gong to silence the crowd before I introduced the speakers onto stage. No one paid much attention to the gong and eventually the stage manager ducked his head from behind the curtain and told me to just speak…I don’t think they’ll be asking me back this year.

Is there anything you would say to young people considering a career in the Arts?

Don’t make art someone has already made. But in saying that, emulate artists you aspire to be because that’s the best way to learn.

Make sure to cultivate and develop your own practise and process! Don’t think the acting books or directing books will have all the answers. Steal the best from others but then build on them to create your own signature.

From the perspective of someone in the creative industries- what would you say were some of the pro’s and con’s of growing up in Newcastle?

Growing up going to The Palais Royale, the incredible youth music venue on Hunter St, was just awesome; a great place to hear local bands mixing it with bigger national acts. Sadly it was demolished and replaced with the southern hemisphere’s largest KFC. I guess the pro’s and con’s of the Newcastle I knew are embodied in that one building and its eventual demise.

Do you have any comments on the more recent burgeoning of the Arts culture in Newcastle?

I have been away from Newcastle for a long time now so I won’t lie, I’m not so up to date. It seemed a shame that when I looked at my career prospects that Newcastle would never be a viable home for me. So if a renaissance is happening hopefully I can come back and join the revolution soon! Vive la Révolution!

What’s next for you and how can we keep our eyes on you?

After finishing up at Bazmark I was back in Australia briefly as the Creative Director for NIDA’s Gala Night. Now I’m in London setting up my own Theatre Company with a group of creatives I have worked with over recent years.

We are currently in the early days of prepping a show we are taking to The Edinburgh Fringe called ‘Miss Sarah’. You can head to www.cicadastudios.org to follow us as things progress. ZK

Photo by Thomas Druit

#bazluhrman #anguswilkinson #newcastlecreative #followernewspaper