Interview: West Side Story

By Sean Lynch

Interview with Matt Spiteri
Director of ARC's Production of "West Side Story"

West Side Story

West Side Story is such an iconic production, is there any trepidation as to how the public will react to your interpretaion of the material?

I think with any production the first thing an artistic team thinks about is what they can do with the script.

I know that, as an audience member, I really enjoy going to different productions of the same play to see how people take things differently from production to production.

With West Side Story what we've really focused on doing is getting in depth with the characters and making sure that every person on stage is a character with a fully developed history and a working knowledge of how they relate to the people around them.
 
To tell the truth, I'm really excited about audience reactions to our interpretations because I believe there are several key moments in this play where we have some genuinely "real" moments that will cause actual goose bumps.

The big question is - in real life - would you be a Jet or a Shark?

I think I would relate more to The Sharks, they have a very strong sense of tradition amongst themselves, in their eyes I see big family dinners and lots of little kids running around the room making lots of noise. 

I get drawn in by their passion, which is evident in everything they do.

How does this style of show compare to others (in terms of directing)
for you?

In the past I’ve directed shows that were "fluffy", where the dialogue is surface deep and in some cases is merely there as a segue into the next song.

With a script like you have in West Side Story, everything is not only there for a reason, it’s generally leading to something bigger.

It’s been really important to have the overall big picture view, as well as making sure that the characters know their smaller scene by scene objectives and how they all link together. 

What's your greatest challenge as a stage director?

To help the performers find their character.

It’s not enough to simply stand in the right spot and say your lines or do your dance steps or sing the right notes, everything has to happen for a reason and every reason has to be justified.

My proudest moments as a director are when the actors "get" their parts, and when they walk out onto the stage they’re not being themselves - but every movement, every look, every gesture is guided by what their character would do in that situation.

What's your dream directing job?

It may sound like a cliché, but I’m doing it.

West Side Story is my all time favourite musical, it’s the one I’ve always wanted to do. It’s powerful, it’s dramatic and if it’s done right it has the potential to make even the sturdiest audience member cry.

Now that’s a show worth doing.

Have you ever wanted to venture on stage in front of the crowd?

I did originally start by treading the boards myself, my first production was The Mikado at ARC when I was 16, I was the understudy for Ko Ko and I had to speak all my lyrics because I couldn’t sing. 

To make up for my deficiency I used to shamelessly pull focus towards myself by stealing laughs wherever I could, up to and including doing cartwheels in the background while people where singing in front of me.

Now, as a director, it’s always in the back of my mind to keep an eye out for the current versions of myself...

Does a successful show mean more to you as a director or as an actor?

Tough call, but I think I’d have to say that as a director you have a greater appreciation of how the show is progressing as a whole. 

Throughout the process you see which areas are going well and which are struggling, and at the end, when you see it all come together you’re conscious of the thousand little things that have been worked on and honed to perfection in order to tie in with a thousand other little details that not everyone will be privy to.  

There are some great songs throughout the show - have you got a personal
favourite?

It depends on the day, at the moment it’s A Boy Like That, it’s a big powerful duet and a key pivotal moment in the story – I could write five pages about why it’s good but I don’t want to give it away.

Directors shouldn't play favourites - but they do - have you found
yourself enjoying a particular character or actors performance for this
show more than others?

I must say that I’ve got a particular soft spot for any scene with Tony and Maria in it together.

We’ve managed to find two people who are not only brilliant singers and actors, but who have been able to develop a genuine on stage chemistry together. Wait until you see the balcony scene - it’s beautiful!

And the most important thing to remember as a director is....?

You’re working with individuals, each one has the potential to do something special on stage and not all of them get there the same way.

As a director you need to have your own vision of how you believe everything should look and then be flexible enough for the actors to develop their own ideas as well.
 
Together, you’ll get it right.

What's next for Matt Spiteri?

Well, it’s been a busy year so far.

I’ve just finished directing my school’s production of Fame (it went well) and after West Side Story raps up I’m looking forward to spending some lazy Sunday mornings with my three year old daughter and paying some much needed attention to my lovely (and very pregnant) wife.

Finally, in a world where the internet is rife with rumours, we thought we could at least give the stars the opportunity to make on up about themselves.

So, starting here, whats a "Richard Gere Gerbil" styled myth you would love to spread about Matt Spiteri?

When the lights are turned down low and there is no one else around, Matt likes to break out his secret helium stash and sing songs from The Wizard Of Oz…

ARC Presents... "West Side Story"
When: July 3rd until July 11th, 2009
Bookings Phone: 0435 062 087
Where: Banyule Theatre, Heidelberg
More Info: www.arc-theatre.com