Interviews

Profile: Actor, Matt Norman ? A Creative Mind

A simple philosophy drives actor Matt Norman: you didn?t train as an actor to wait by the phone...you are the creator of your own destiny.

By initiating his own projects, Matt has extended his creative skills well beyond the technical training his acting craft has provided.

Matt?s acting resume stretches over a period of ten years. In this time the thirty-year-old actor has risen through the ranks from professional extra to the obligatory stint on ?Neighbours?. His most recent role, opposite Rebecca Gibney in an upcoming episode of ?Stingers? (to be aired Ch 9 8th April), is yet another step along the road towards success.

Frustration and insecurity are just two factors every unemployed actor must face and come to terms with.

Rather than leave his fate in the hands of casting agents whilst waiting for ?the dream job? to materialise, four years ago Matt set about the task of becoming the master of his own destiny in a way few do.

The Actors Café was born. Its function is to house and develop Matt Norman?s creative ideas.

His web-page,http://www.theactorscafe.com/, has expanded to assume the role of a far more business orientated vehicle.

Today it displays not just his acting resume but also stage, feature film and documentary projects / diaries, casting announcements as well as a monthly member newsletter.

One such project is ?Imperial Myer?; his first original screenplay

Originally conceived as a one-man play exploring the theme of loneliness as experienced by a soldier at Gallipoli, the story soon took on a life of its own.

Today ?Imperial Myer? is a completed feature film script with distribution agreements in place.

Despite having no previous experience or industry standing as a writer, director or producer, Matt has overcome these and other various obstacles to achieve his goals.

His endeavors have been met with enthusiasm and support by peers such as playwright David Williamson and former Playbox theatre director, Malcolm Robertson.

For aspiring actors, or indeed anyone with a dream, Matt makes an interesting study.

His single mindedness compares to that of the current Australian cricket team. Unlike the cricketers, Matt proves you can realise personal goals and ambitions without having to humiliate others via ?sledging?.

Still not anyone can just walk into the Australian Test side and simply play.

Talent and skill must be complemented by dedication and application, a criterion that applies to anything in life.

Matt says that approaching industry heavyweights such as Malcolm Robertson, Anthony Buckley and David Williamson without a track record was daunting.

So just how do you become a professional in the right circles?

To be professional you have to be a professional he says. Target the best, those who get paid for a living and at all times act in a professional manner.

?You?ve (also) got to be open to the signs,? says Matt.

For him it came in the form of an almost accidental meeting with Malcolm Robertson. Matt was appearing at La Mama, Carlton in Melbourne when told the respected director was in the audience.

Although not fully conversant with the veteran?s body of work, Matt took the opportunity to introduce himself.

Some months later during the season of a different show, Matt again learned that Malcolm was in the audience. He presented the respected Playbox director with a request. Would the industry veteran furnish Matt with some feedback on ?Imperial Myer??

Malcolm consented. The two soon established a rapport to the point where a two-year period of joint collaboration on the script ensued. ?Imperial Myer? grew from a one-man play into a short feature film and finally a full feature film script.

Matt begged his mentor to take the role of director for the film. Again the answer was affirmative.

Finding the courage to write a script is an achievement the Ballarat based actor holds dear.

Matt attended Nagle College, Bairnsdale. He readily admits to being far from the model student. Unbeknown to him, he was affected by dyslexia. The condition remained undiagnosed until he was in his twenties.

Consequently he found it hard to apply himself or even focus on the curriculum presented. Matt says he always inherently believed that if he put his mind to anything, he would succeed. However his lack of interest in all things academic was telling.

Coming from a family of high achievers it taught him something that has stuck: failure hurts.

Still school provided him with friends. It also provided other opportunities in the form of music and drama. Both made sense to him. He excelled at both despite the fact it had little positive effect on his status within his peer group.

The desire to know how things worked began to bring about changes in his favour.

Musically driven by his parents he took lessons in classical music on the trombone. He found he had such a natural aptitude for music that he took on the task of teaching himself guitar, piano, and drums.

He enjoyed the respect afforded to him by drama teacher Tony Randle, music teacher Neil Wilson and singing teacher Hugh Davies. The latter?s distant connection with The Rolling Stones beguiled Matt as a youngster, allowing him to take any constructive criticism in the manner it was intended.

?I was a little bastard,? he admits; however he has little doubt that the two arts orientated subjects provided a much-needed security blanket.

Music gave him the chance to learn vocal skills in the school choir. Trombone allowed him to travel and become exposed to the thrill of performing for others.

He attributes the rationale behind his decision to become an actor directly to the respect his efforts were rewarded with.

?Drama class was pretty good fun,? says Matt. ?I enjoyed pretending to be someone else although I wasn?t very good at that stage. I wanted to be a rock singer.?

Still, by aligning himself to that goal Matt soon found himself writing songs. The satisfaction he got from expressing himself both in lyrics and music was overwhelming.

It was also his first attempt at writing.

As acting came to become his passion Matt started to become conscious that he was embarking upon a very lonely journey. Family acceptance of his chosen career was hardly encouraging. A fact of life many creative types will no doubt relate to.

At this point the painful experiences and lessons learned in school began to give Matt comfort as he realised that he had the inner strength to drive himself and ?work for nothing for years to become known.?

?You?ve got to have a lot of confidence in yourself and an enormous amount of drive,? Matt says emphatically.

His gut instinct came to the fore in a very life defining moment as he auditioned for the National Institute for the Dramatic Arts (NIDA). After three years of failing auditions he suddenly came to see that the rationale behind why he wanted to attend was, in fact, erroneous.

?The defining moment in my life made me realise ?why the hell do I want to spend three years of my life at NIDA??, said Matt as he recounted the experience. ?I wanted to go to NIDA so that I could get a leading role when I got out.?

?It wasn?t because I wanted to learn how to act, because I?m learning how to act every single bloody day on set. There is no better experience than sitting on a professional set and learning your job.?

The National Theatre Drama School, St Kilda in Melbourne, which offers part time study of acting, is worth considering. ?New teaching appointments have raised standards,? says Matt,? some great new graduate?s have resulted from this school?.

However he remains very skeptical about the value placed upon such courses offered by it, NIDA, The Victorian College of The Arts (VCA) and The Western Australian Academy of The Performing Arts (WAAPA).

He says, ?(Although) it teaches you the technical aspects of what actors need to know, it doesn?t tend to teach actors what to do when they are on a professional set, or how to even get there. Unfortunately, most graduates that you see on a professional working set haven?t got the faintest clue as to what happens. All they are interested in is getting the best agent and getting sent for all the best jobs?.

Matt notes that like he, plenty of well-known ?name? actors with no formal training work regularly.

?Training doesn?t necessarily make you an actor?.

?You?ve got to learn how to act?, he says. ?The only way you can be an actor is by acting...to learn how to act get in front of someone?.

For anyone who dreams big dreams this must be music to the ears, especially for those who lack qualifications from NIDA, VCA, and WAAPA.

According to Matt other alternatives abound.

Experience is paramount.

Amateur theatre provides opportunities in spades. For those who are inexperienced or fresh out of school, it delivers experience via discipline and action with dialogue. It also exposes an actor to the process of learning a character.

?Amateur theatre?, as it is known, is hardly that. Although actors and those involved behind the scenes are usually not paid for their time and effort, shows still have to pay for themselves.

Amongst the many expenses are production rights, theatre and costume hire, printing and advertising costs. Income towards the next production must also be generated.

At http://www.theatre.asn.au/, some 500 amateur theatre companies nationwide can be found. The majority are companies that cater for those who treat theatre as a hobby or a place to vent their creativity. In Melbourne, where competition is already hot for the entertainment dollar, audiences are treated to an amazing array of choices.

However Matt cites La Mama, Theatreworks, The Storeroom, Gasworks and Red Stich as venues more likely to attract interest from those in the industry. Aspiring professionals could do no worse than to remember that it was at La Mama where fate brought Matt and Malcolm Robertson together.

Other benefits are invaluable says Matt.

?TV actors not doing theatre are cutting their own throat?, he says. Unlike TV and film, theatre presents longer scripts, which allows an actor to concentrate on building a character and maintaining the discipline. Working in a harsher environment means that you will learn to be accountable for any mistakes you might make.

There is added pressure to know your dialogue and get it right first time every time. Although theatre offers no second chance to make up for mistakes, it does allow for chemistry within the cast to build as actors learn to work with each other.

Actors gain valuable exposure to other aspects such as stage management, lighting and set design. Besides working with ?incredible writers?, Matt loves the uncensored nature of theatre most.

In this environment, a rookie actor can learn much. He reveals that the most important rule to remember is that you have to be a bad actor to become better.

?You have to make mistakes to learn so expect to make them,? he says. ?Don?t listen to bad or negative comments - only you can conquer your fears.?

Growing confidence may lead to independent film projects. Matt says although the best ones to be involved in are student films, seventy per cent are a waste of time and unprofessional. Learn to make discerning choices about which ones you accept roles in by doing your homework.

For example is the filmmaker likely to display a professional attitude towards cast and crew? Is the film likely to be entered into a film festival?

Australian Film Television Radio School (AFTRS) and Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) projects are very worthwhile in this respect. A worthwhile film for exposure purposes is often the goal of film students who have to pay for their course.

For both theatre and film you must expect to audition for a part.

As a producer and director he believes you still find good actors in the audition process. An unknown actor should be seen to act however exceptions are not uncommon.

Matt?s upcoming directorial debut feature, ?The Writer? features a part written especially with actor John Brumpton in mind

Other more practical techniques can be employed.

Matt?s favourite is ?Acting Masturbation?: Act in front of a mirror. Speak dialogue to yourself. It allows you to watch how your body moves and how your face works.

Matt also recommends reading books by Bruce Shapiro, Stanislavski and Dean Carey (titles appear below).

As a professional, Matt draws inspiration from peers whose drive to succeed mirrors or exceeds his own.

?Move forward by associating with people you look up to. There?s always going to be someone better than you ? that?s who you should go to?, he says.

His strategy means that he is constantly challenged to learn and to raise his standards of performance in his chosen fields of acting, writing, producing and directing. His knowledge base improves as a result. He looks for professionalism in a person?s attitude and whether the person in question ?takes it to the next level?.

Taking on the role of producer has allowed him to see this first hand.

Matt says that Sydney based actors & crew made up about seventy per cent of respondents who originally answered casting calls for ?Imperial Myer?.

?Sydney based actors seemed to really, really want the work. And they seemed to want it more than Melbourne based actors?, says Matt admitting this took him by surprise. ?Melbourne actors are quite happy to sit in their café lounges, drink coffee and talk about the gigs they could have got instead of go for it.?

Sydney by nature is a competitive place and perhaps these actors better appreciate what it takes to land gigs?

Sydney based actors Petrina Buckley and Mark Jensen illustrate this point. Matt was taken aback with their preparedness to fly anywhere in Australia chasing work, often at their own expense. It is this persistence that encourages him to hire those actors that look to help themselves.

Matt has appeared alongside international stars such as Gregory Peck, Jackie Chan, Patrick Stewart, Ted Levine and Henry Thomas. He has also worked with Australians Anthony La Paglia, Rebecca Gibney, Peter Phelps and David Wenham.

As he aspires towards the title of award-winning director, Matt continues to work feverishly on other projects. He has successfully written and directed plays. He is also about to travel to America to film ?Salute ? The Peter Norman Story?, a feature length documentary on his uncle.

Peter Norman was once known as the fastest white man in the world over 200 metres. Not only did he win a silver medal for Australia at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, but also became forever enshrined in Olympic history when the two African American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos placed first and third respectively, raised their fists in the famous ?Black Power? salute during the medal ceremony.

I put it to Matt that sometimes people just want to be told what to do. Then told again. Yet they can?t be bothered doing the hard yards. Despite yearning for knowledge, many rarely have the ability to persist and persevere to attain it.

Human nature often means that many never realise their dreams.

It takes a special person to realise, learn and absorb the opportunities and information that thrive everywhere around us. This also extends towards the application of this knowledge.

Matt agrees but adds that a person choosing this profession for a career has to be willing to do it alone. Lacking a partner in his creative endeavours sometimes feels like a handicap. Still he does view this as an advantage especially now he is a producer and director in his own right.

He doesn?t answer to anyone and can work to his own rhythm. Most importantly he retains complete control over what he does.

Actors are normal people with extraordinary jobs that present extraordinary opportunities.

I would also suggest that they also take on extraordinary challenges.

Matt loves the sound of his phone ringing.

Clearly too, he loves his chosen profession.

Recommended Reading:
Dean Carey, ?Actors Audition Manual?
Dean Carey, ?Master class for Men?
Dean Carey, ?Master class for Women?

Bruce Shapiro, ?Speaking American?

Stanislavski ? ?Building a character?
Stanislavski ? ?An Actor prepares?
Stanislavski ? ?Creating a Role?.

S.T.McIntyre is a Melbourne writer. He can be contacted at: mcintyre_sean@lycos.com

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