Interview: ACTOR, DIRECTOR AND WRITER BRANDON ALLISTAIR CZERWINSKI

Actor, Director and Writer
Brandon Allistair Czerwinski does keep busy.

MCL: When did you know you wanted to be on stage?
BAC: I'd been pretty interested in acting since I was a boy, but it was more of a fascination. I ended up becoming a little involved in theatre during high school, but Hawaiian high schools don't have the full productions they have in schools around here. My mother ended up telling me a local community theatre, Ghostlight Theatre was holding auditions back in 2014. I was "What the hell?" and gave it a try. I was cast, and had a decent time. I came back for their Christmas show, It's a Wonderful Life. At auditions, I felt possessed by a new motivation. Nevermind the supporting roles I had expected to get, I went up there to read for George Bailey and just knew I could land the role. As it turned out, I did, and it spiraled into a hobby/second career for nearly three years now.

MCL: What have been some of your stage roles?
BAC: The aforementioned George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret at NCCC, John Brooke in Little Women, and Vice Principal Douglas Panch in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are some of the more universally recognizable rolls I've portrayed. I primarily perform in straight plays, but I've had the opportunity to be a part of musicals (such as Cabaret) as well. I'm told I have a very broad, 3.5 octave singing range, but I'm not as trained with it as I'd like to be.

MCL: Do you have any favorites?
BAC: I can honestly say I don't have any particular favorites. I find each character to be an exploration of my own psyche as I construct each one with my own experiences and values. I will say that I have been identified more as a character actor than anything else, meaning that I'll be cast as the notable villain more often than the lead, but I have had my share of the latter.

MCL: Any roles you've done but want to do it again?
BAC: I'd really like to revisit Ernst from Cabaret. I say this respectfully, but the director and I had different views on what Ernst was like; I preferred him with more nuance. I'd love the chance to portray him in a more human light. I think his character sends a very important message about how things aren't so simple as black and white.

MCL: Any favorite roles?
BAC: I think George Bailey will also hold a special place in my heart, being my first lead as well as the moment I realized that my first show wasn't a one-off curiosity. I also had a blast playing Sganarelle in Jon Elston's farcical reimagining of several of Moliere's plays in a production knowing as LOVE DOCTOR! Episode One at NCCC.

MCL: You also write and direct. Please tell us a little about those projects?
BAC: I've been a writer since I was very young, and have just recently decided to attempt to break into the local scene with it. As of yet, I have not had a chance to write a stage play, but I have recently written several scripts for short films. I also led a team for last year's 48 Hour Film Contest in Buffalo. Waiting to Hear, as we called it, was a silent film I directed with a message about depression. It didn't win any awards per se, but I found it rewarding all the same. As for directing on the stage, I'll be doing that this Summer at the Springville Center for the Arts. I am directing one of the short plays for their Annual Short Play Festival. Auditions are planned to be held at their theatre on June 19th and 20th from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM.

MCL: You're into film making. How did that come about? What's the feeling like someone else directs something you've written?
BAC: The film making aspect only came about more recently. I acted in a film for a local independent filmmakers, Johnny Barden and Jacob Gregory Marciniak. I also met Michael O'Hear through a production that sadly did not see the light of day. Michael then began to introduce me to others in the film scene, and eventually I knew enough people to reach out to and give my own films a shot. We just recently held open auditions for the project, which is a vampire-themed short film anthology. We're still looking to fill some roles, but everything's moving along nicely. As for the feeling I get when someone else directs my work, it hasn't happened directly yet, but I'm...a mellow control freak I guess you could say? As long as the director is keeping me in the loop, and asking my permission for any major changes, I'm pretty happy. I just can't handle a flagrant disregard for the intention of my creation. (I don't think I'd survive the stress of having some of my work perverted by Hollywood, for instance.)

MCL: Finally ... What's going on for 2017/2018 you want people to know about?
BAC: Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention both the short play anthology and the short play at Springville are both still looking for talent. Otherwise, I'm still looking to expand my experiences as a stunt choreographer for both stage and film.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BRANDON ALLISTAIR CZERWINSKI:
https://www.facebook.com/brandon.czerwinski?fref=ts&ref=br_tf