Lieber Alan, wie sieht jetzt Dein Tagesablauf aus?

Dear Alan, what`s your routine at the moment?

There are of course exceptions, but most of my days begin at 7:00am. I get up and make breakfast for my son and myself; coffee for me and a cup of tea for my wife. I drive my son to school, then spend two hours training at the gym. When I come home I take a couple of hours to work through a list of tasks I have written for that day. At 2:00pm either my wife, or I, or both, pick up our son from school.

The afternoons vary: Sometimes our son has after school activities or goes round to a friends house; sometimes I have a podcast recording or some writing to do; sometimes we go for a walk together as a family. Usually my wife chooses to make dinner while I play with, or read to our son. Not because we conform to social “norms”, but because our son quite often likes to play rough, and in our household, I seem to be better suited to that sort of thing. We have dinner together as a family, and I read to my son every night before bed. Right now we are working our way through The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton.

Once our son is in bed, if I have pressing tasks or work commitments that require my attention, I will attend to these first. After which, if there’s time, my wife and I may practice Cranio Sacral or Thai massage, as she is a qualified practitioner in both fields. Some evenings we take time to sit and talk together and reflect. Other nights I’ll curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a book. Usually on a Friday or Saturday we have a film and/or series night.

That is an “average” day, but as a freelance actor, director, writer and producer, my schedule can vary enormously depending on the projects I am working on, and of course, sticking to the schedule can be challenging sometimes when you only have yourself to answer to. With the quality of work being produced by the film industry for example, it’s all too easy to get sucked into a good series on Netflix, or to spend the whole week reading in the evenings when I should be working… but I’d say that my discipline probably averages out at a solid 80%.

Was ist jetzt für uns alle besonders wichtig?

What`s now particularly important for all of us?

Good relationships are the most important things, starting with your relationship to yourself. Understanding that there is time and space for everything important to you. Realising that stress is a response, and you have the power to choose a different reaction. Taking the time to inform yourself on important issues, and not allowing the comments and criticisms of others to be the basis for your opinions. Recognising that everyone you encounter was once a child, their actions have nothing to do with you personally, and ultimately everyone is looking for love and acceptance.

Vor einem Aufbruch und Neubeginn werden wir jetzt alle gesellschaftlich und persönlich stehen. Was wird dabei wesentlich sein und welche Rolle kommt dabei dem Theater/Schauspiel, der Kunst an sich zu?

New start, new beginning. What will be essential and which roles will literature, art play on society?

I believe that departures and new beginnings are the status quo. Although some changes are personal, and some are global, the only consistency throughout history is that things change and we have to be open and able to adapt. We  homo sapiens sapiens are where we are today because of our ability to accept change and adapt to new circumstances. A fundamental aspect of this capability, is our invention of story. Whether written in books, performed on the stage, recorded for the screen, audiobooks, podcasts, spoken word or what have you, the lessons we learn through stories are what prepare us for the possible challenges ahead, and help us to understand what we have lost or moved away from. All forms of art have been, and will continue to be absolutely crucial to our understanding and progression of society as we move from one phase to the next; generation to generation.

Was liest Du derzeit?

What are you reading currently?

Currently I am reading The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake, which is the sequel to The Atlas Six. It’s a fantasy book surrounding a group of six magical individuals who are initiated into a secret society for the exceptional. Blake is a really great writer, and if you like fantasy and magic, I would definitely recommend getting yourself a copy of The Atlas Six.

I’m also listening to the audiobook of Troy by Stephen Fry, which I listen to whenever I am in the kitchen or driving. Troy is the third book in this series, the first two being Mythos and Heroes. I am very enthusiastic when it comes to mythology and folklore, and Stephen Fry’s retelling of the Greek myths is the best I’ve read/listened to.

Welches Zitat, welchen Textimpuls möchtest Du uns mitgeben?

Which quote, text will you propose to us?

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

– Seneca

Thank you very much!

Vielen Dank für das Interview lieber Alan, viel Freude und Erfolg weiterhin für Deine großartigen Theater-, Schauspielprojekte und persönlich in diesen Tagen alles Gute! 

5 Fragen an Künstler*innen:

Alan Burgon, Schauspieler, Regisseur, Autor, Produzent

Zur Person_Alan Burgon,

geboren in den schottischen Highlands, seit 2010 in Wien, wo er lebt und arbeitet. Schauspielausbildung erfolgte u.a. am renommierten Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Danach folgten Engagements am Dundee Repertory Theatre mit Hauptrollen in den Stücken ,,Beauty and the Beast”, ,,Who’s afraid of Virginia Wolf”, ,,Quelque Fleurs” etc. Mit dem National Theatre of Scotland ging er auf eine UK National Tour mit Ibsen’s ,,Peer Gynt” und spielte u.a. im King’s Palace Glasgow, Eden Court Theatre Inverness und The Barbican in London. Weitere Auftritte gab es mit Uraufführungen am Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In Wien folgten Engagements am International Theatre und Vienna’s English Theatre, bevor er schließlich 2012 mit einer Künstlergruppe die Open House Theatre Company gründete und als Schauspieler und künstlerischer Leiter bis 2019 36 Theaterstücke in englischer Sprache auf die Bühne brachte. Darunter Highlights wie ,,Laurel and Hardy”, ,,A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, ,,The Importance of Being Earnest”, ,,Hedda Gabler” etc.

Seither arbeitet er als Schauspieler und Autor im independent Filmbereich, sowie für TV-Serien (Tatort Mainz und Das Netz) und Kinofilmen (Thank you for bombing und MeWe). Als Voice Actor leiht er u.a. der Hauptrolle The Interviewer in der Fiction Podcast Serie The Amelia Project, die bis dato über 5 Mio. Downloads verbucht hat, seine Stimme.

Wien, 26.01.2023

Fotos_1 Stefan_Panfili; 2,3 Volker_Schmidt.

26.1.2023_Interview_Walter Pobaschnig. Das Interview wurde online geführt.

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