Who is Kit Brookman?
Kit is a writer currently moonlighting as an actor in his play, A Rabbit for Kim Jong-il for Griffin Theatre Company in Sydney.
What would you do differently to what you do now?
Use time better. Not wait to be asked. Back myself. Not worry about the future.
Who inspires you and why?
Patti Smith. Because she’s curious but particular. Engaged with the world but true to her vision, which is a tough balancing act.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I make theatre because I believe it makes a difference in the world. In oblique ways, maybe, but a difference nonetheless. At its best, theatre is an insistence on community, on shared endeavour, on the capacity of imagination, all of which I think is very important.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Japan. An incredible collision of modernity and tradition. The beauty of the landscape, the incredible trains that thread through the country like its nervous system, the kindness afforded to strangers, the zen garden at Ry?an-ji.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take then to, and why?
Take the ferry over to North Head. On a clear day nothing in Sydney can really compete with the natural beauty of the harbour, so best to make the most of it.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished reading Karen Joy Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. A beautiful, clever, thoughtful book. Just started on Randolph Stow’s Tourmaline – a desert-struck, dehydrated vision of a town lingering past its own ragged ending. So far, so brilliant.
What are you currently listening to?
Working my way through all of Grand Salvo’s albums. Exquisitely observed songs by one of Australia’s finest lyricists which, in their deceptively low-key way, catch at the heart with a stealthy suddenness.
Happiness is?
Running away.
What does the future hold for you?
Running away, for a little while at least.
Kit Brookman’s recent work as writer includes: Small and Tired – which was shortlisted for the 2012 Griffin Award and went on to be staged at Belvoir St Theatre. His play Close was shortlisted for the Griffin Award in 2010 and the Patrick White Award in 2011. Other recent work includes Nora (co-wrote) for Belvoir St Theatre; Heaven (La Mama); Night Maybe (Stuck Pigs Squealing Theatre). Kit trained as an actor at NIDA.
He has appeared on stage in Twelfth Night, also directed by Lee Lewis (Bell Shakespeare), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (B-Sharp), DNA (Old Fitzroy), and on television in Micronation. Kit’s recent directing work includes Is This Thing On? (with Zoe Coombs-Marr) which won Best Ensemble Cast at 2014 Sydney Theatre Awards; Small and Tired; and Heaven at La Mama. As assistant director, Kit has worked on Belvoir’s productions of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Private Lives, and Babyteeth.
A Rabbit for Kim Jong-Il is currently playing at SBW Stables Theatre until 21 November, before playing at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta from 25 November 2015.
Image: Kit Brookman