On the Couch with Darcy Kent

Darcy Kent Arts Review On the CouchWho is Darcy Kent?
I’m a young white middle class male actor, and I try not to take myself too seriously.

What would you do differently than what you do now?
Well I’m doing things differently to how I used to do them, and I’m sure I’ll be doing things differently in the future than what I’m doing now, but I think for now it’s just important to be as present as I can be, both in my art and in my life. It helps me listen, both to myself and others, so if things need doing differently at any point, I’ll have my ears pricked and be ready for that.

But I guess in terms of career, I believe that teaching is very noble, and I hope I’m wise enough one day to impart some things I’ve learned to others.

Who inspires you?
Alan Watts, Michael Leunig, Emma Thompson, Mia Freedman, the cast and crew of the play I’m doing at the moment. The list is long. People that pursue what they believe in with great empathy and compassion, people that can laugh at themselves.

What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I believe I’m on the right track with what I’m doing right now. I believe in theatre. Being in a room with a group of people, feeling them breathe and move with you as you all (actors and audience) perform a shared act of imagination, that’s magic to me. It is intimate, sensorial, and a great salve for an overloaded life.

Favourite destination?
Japan. Their food, their music, their fashion, their cinema, their tradition. Bullet trains through the countryside, cramped beers in the Golden Gai district.

Where would you take someone if they came to town? 
If we had the time; Wilson’s prom. I had the joy of taking a friend there who had never been and got to see it afresh through his eyes. Banksias, gumtrees, Willie Wag Tails chasing beetles, bare feet on boulders, and all those beautiful stars.

What are you Reading?
I contain Multitudes. It’s about all the tiny life forms that live in and around us. It’s shifting my views about germs. They’re actually quite cute and helpful. We’ve got more microbes living in us than all the stars in the Milky Way. Thinking small makes ya think big.

What are you listening to?
I’m listening to a lot of classical and ambient stuff at the moment. Laurie Spiegel’s album The Expanding Universe has been awesome. One of the songs on it was pressed on the golden record with the Voyager 1 probe, which has recently left our solar system. Man I’ve mentioned space like three times already. I must like space.

Happiness is?
A baby getting excited about meeting a dog.

What does the future hold for you?
Well I’m performing in a beautiful play written by Morgan Rose at Red Stitch at the moment called desert, 6.29pm, and after that, I’m joining Lightning Jar Theatre for their production of Venus in Fur at 45 downstairs in March which is really exciting. After that? I’m not entirely sure. Happy things and sad things, punctuated by cups of tea. I’m looking forward to it.

Darcy can be seen in the world premiere season of Morgan Rose’s desert, 6.29pm, currently playing at Red Stitch until 14 December 2017. For more information, visit: www.redstitch.net for details.

Image: Darcy Kent