Next week, Sharehouse Productions makes its debut at the Old Fitz Theatre with Tonsils + Tweezers, an Australian work by playwright Will O’Mahony, directed by Lucy Rossen. Set on the eve of a high school reunion, Tonsils + Tweezers follows two best friends reckoning with grief, masculinity and the fallout of one life-altering night.
The Scoop sat down with co-producers and actors Caitlin Green and Victor YZ Xu ahead of the season. Caitlin and Victor talk all things indie theatre, including launching Sharehouse Productions, the urgency behind their debut work, and why Tonsils + Tweezers needs to return to a Sydney stage. Read the full interview below.
Can you tell us a little bit about how Sharehouse Productions came to be?
Caitlin: We founded Sharehouse with two of our best friends, Caleb Jamieson and Jago Field. We were all living together at the time and had just finished NIDA. I think when you graduate from acting school, the industry feels shiny and exciting, like all these gigs are just going to fall into your lap.
Don’t get me wrong; we have all been incredibly fortunate over the past two years, but also came to the realisation that success in this industry has almost nothing to do with talent. Everyone is so bloody talented. It’s all luck and gumption.
Victor: Yeah, I think the decision came from just totally itching to do something. And who better to make work with than your best friends? Running a company with your closest people makes everything so much easier. Everyone just gets it. And in the times when you don’t get it right, we give each other a lot of grace. Massive props to people who produce by themselves. I truly don’t know how they do it.
How does wearing both a co-producer and performer hat change the way you are approaching the rehearsal process?
Caitlin: I think at the beginning of this process, transparently, it was beginning to get on top of me. I felt like I didn’t know where actor Caitlin began, and producer Caitlin ended. Our fabulous director, Lucy Rossen, gave me some great advice. She said to make a conscious decision that when I am in the rehearsal room, I’m an actor, NOT a producer. I think that helped a lot.
Victor: Yeah, for me, I don’t know if it’s ever fully off. But I do think that it’s a really unique experience and one I’m grateful for. This is what we set out to do. We wanted to make the work we wanted to be a part of, and this is it.
What initially drew you to Will O’Mahony’s writing?
Caitlin: Will was my favourite teacher when I was at WAAPA. He was the cool teacher whose class you always looked forward to. We worked with his text a lot in class, although not this specific play. I read Tonsils + Tweezers that same year, and it really stuck with me.
When Vic and I were talking about putting something on this season, it immediately came to mind. We did a read of it in our lounge room with Caleb, Jago and our other housemate, Al and hearing it out loud just reminded me of all the reasons why I loved it so much in the first place. It’s fast-paced and gripping, and dark and funny. But most of all, it feels very resonant for this moment in time. It tackles masculinity in a really unique way.
Victor: I totally agree. It’s a really vulnerable text. Genuinely. It’s a challenge to perform, and it’s a challenge to watch because you have to confront yourself. But I also just think it’s just weird, like bizarre. The first time I read it, I thought, “oh this guy is insane. You see me.”
How would you describe the collaboration between the cast and creative team on this production so far?
Victor: We have assembled the Avengers of indie theatre. We feel so fortunate that these amazing creatives agreed to be part of this insane journey and also bet on us and this show. Everyone really is the best at what they do.
Caitlin: He’s not kidding. Ariyan and Toby are the A league, like these guys are running laps around me, but that’s what we wanted, you know? You want to have people on your side who bring out the absolute best version of yourself and make you work really hard just to try to keep up.
Our whole creative team are absolute guns too. Lucy Rossen is our angel. Nick Warrand is our angel. So is Poppy and Matt and Mehhma and Bella and Lia (if you are reading this, we love y’all). We are also so grateful to the team at the Old Fitz for taking a massive chance on us.
What advice would you give to drama school graduates looking to sustain and survive a career in the arts?
Caitlin: This is not my advice at all, but it was very good advice I was given by a number of teachers during my time at NIDA. The phone is not going to ring. No one is coming to save you. So the only way to be as an actor is to be proactive.
Work is difficult to come by, especially work that you’re passionate about, so it’s incredibly important that you make those opportunities for yourself. Do that play reading with your friends in the lounge room, and sketch comedy night at the pub, and write that thing you’ve been wanting to write.
A personal nugget of wisdom from me, who has absolutely no business giving people advice, is to surround yourself with the best people. People you love, who support you, and make work with those people. It is SO much more fun that way.
Victor: Stay open-minded, make things, stay connected with those people you went through drama school with. And also having a whole life outside of this job is really important because acting is an incredibly volatile thing. So just living your life, I guess.
Brilliant, I love it. And finally, what roles or shows are on your bucket list?
Caitlin: It’s not specifically a role, but I would love to be in a procedural drama. Preferably something medical, like Grey’s Anatomy or The Pitt. I want all the high stakes and fancy smart words and none of the fear that I’m actually going to kill someone.
Victor: I would love to be a part of something one day that moves people, makes them think or inspires. I’d also just love to be the monkey king.
Caitlin Green and Victor YZ Xu are appearing in Tonsils + Tweezers from 17 – 27 February at the Old Fitz Theatre as part of their Late Night programming. 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011.
Tickets: https://tickets.iwannaticket.com.au/seller/old-fitz-ad9r
Website: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/tonsils-tweezers
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/sharehouseproductionco/
Hero image photo credit: Nicholas Warrand
