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SINGAPORE: Very few people know Kevin Spacey as a theatre actor. Most remember him as the a depressed middle-aged man who turns his life around in Sam Mendes' 1999 film "American Beauty", which also earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.
However, Spacey had actually been appearing in theatre productions long before he debuted on the silver screen in 1986, so it was not that big a deal for the the 50-year-old actor when he announced in 2003 that he was returning to London to become the artistic director of the Old Vic, one of London's oldest theatres.
"I think, rather than doing what I have been doing for 10-12 years which is film after film after film after film and sneak a play in, I am going to do it the other way around and do play after play after play and sneak in a movie," said Spacey. "My priorities changed."
"It has been the best decision I ever made. I've never been happier, I feel like I am doing what I was meant to be do. I am now working on something that is bigger than my own career, outside of my own ambition and involves a great number of people," he added.
That 'something' is the promotion of theatre, arts and culture throughout the world, which is virtually impossible to do without funding. The American actor said he spends almost 85 per cent of his time seeking additional funds and urged governments, corporate as well as individual donors to continue giving to the arts.
"Arts and culture are a hugely, hugely important part of our lives. I believe they are a necessity in our lives, not a luxury," said Spacey, stressing that people should continue to donate to the arts despite the economic downturn.
Some have heeded his call and their generous donations has made the formation of The Bridge Project, a trans-Atlantic theatrical venture between director Sam Mendes, the Brooklyn Academy for Music (BAM) and the Old Vic in London possible.
Since its formation in 2009, the Bridge Project has gone on to perform "A Winters Tale" that same year and will be performing Shakespeare's "The Tempest", a play widely considered to be The Bard's last, in April this year.
While the play, which dealt with themes like power and being an outcast, was written by Shakespeare, Spacey is convinced that even those who do not fully understand English or who are from different cultures will still enjoy the show.
"These aren't Western plays. Shakespeare stood the test of time because he understood the human condition and had the incredible ability to hold up a mirror to all of us," said Spacey. "It's about things that we all grapple with."
No matter how good the play is, it is quite pointless if nobody is there to see it. That is exactly what Spacey is worried about nowadays. He said if theatre owners remain shortsighted and price seats so dearly, there will be fewer youth who get the chance to experience theatre, and hence fewer theatre goers in the long run as they seek out more affordable entertainment options.
"If they [theatre owners] do not begin to make it affordable, they will lose the next generation of theatergoers. They will lose them to technology; lose them to games, videos, DVDs, all kinds of sporting events and concerts," he said.
Spacey practices what he preaches. One of the first things he did when he joined Old Vic was to implement a scheme which saw it set aside 10 per cent of its seats, a mixture of front row and other seats, for students and youth at concession prices.
He believed this was the way to get them interested in theatre at a young age and thus nurture future theatre goers. However, he lamented how this concept of investing in tomorrow is lost on many theatre owners today.
"One of the banes of my existence and one of the things that I am constantly harping on about, to the point where people practically kick me out of rooms, is that I believe it is a shame that if you look on Broadway, they do not have these kind of schemes," said Spacey.
"The Tempest" by The Bridge Project runs from April 2-10 at the Esplanade Theatre. Tickets are available from SISTIC.
- CNA/ha
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