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The Director's cut

Mark Waite

Mark Waite, who directed this production along with Escape Theatre's Creative Director Samantha Scott-Blackhall, has been the artistic director of the group since 2003. He won `Best Actor' at the Straits Times Life Theatre Awards for Sarah Phelp's "Modern Dance for Beginners."

For this production, he's doubling as an actor, and therefore asked Samantha (the Straits Times Life Theatre Award Winner for Best Director) to re-direct the show. Discussing British humour, Mark says it "ages better than our American cousins, simply because it relies less on physicality and more on wit," adding, "it seems to travel well." Defending this brand of humour, which seems to be increasingly swamped by American sit-coms, he says, "British humour tends to take more risks — look at shows like `The Office' or `Coupling', both of which have now been adapted by the U.S. with varying results." Besides, Mark says, "I like to think it's to do with marketing. The Americans can take any product and sell it on a grand scale. The Brits, I think, are more innovative with their humour, but they are too modest to push it. It's our biggest failing as a race, which also makes it our greatest asset."

Explaining how theatre strikes a chord, he talks about the "magic of live theatre — be it comedy, drama or even opera." That, he states, is what sets truly great theatre apart from movies or TV. "A play needs the audience to breathe life into it, be it through laughter or suspense, while a film relies on the director and the post production team."

Stating that "A Very British Affair" doesn't try to be anything besides pure fun — a night of good entertainment — Mark says this is their first trip to India and he's excited about bringing the play here.

And his favourite thing about this production? "The team. We have a fabulous group, from our producer, Edwin, to the incredibly talented artistes, Matt and Ian, and our hardworking stage manager, Neelam. Samantha is a director I truly love and respect... so we can't really go wrong. When your hobby doubles as your job, then life is good!"

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