Exclusive interview with Marko Kalc- Theater performer
NY Glam: Tell me about your experience as a Theater performer?
My first contact with theatre was in 2007 when I took a fourmonthly acting course in a comedy amateur theatre. The classes were taking place every Saturday and Sunday for a couple of hours for four months. I fell in love with acting and from that moment on I knew that I wanted to work as a performer. In 2008 I started to take contemporary dance classes and I realized that I really liked to dance so I continued. Very soon I started to go to auditions and started to play in dance and drama theatre shows. My first bigger role was in a choreodrama play „Saloma“ where I played „Luna“- the moon. There was no text but I had to be very subtle and expressive with my movements which I liked since I was dancing a lot. I performed in many independent contemporary dance shows but I also got invited to perform in Croatian National theatre in a comedy children show „Somewhere city“ and in a ballet show „Carmen.“
I enjoyed both plays very much. But, the biggest surprise that caught me off-guard was when I took part in a Hula Hoop workshop that was led by Karis Wilde. After the workshop I was hooked on it and I started to practice Hula Hooping every day for four hours. I combined my dance technique with the Hula Hoop technique and developed my own style. With time I became quite good and started to perform in the street, different circus and theatre festivals and I toured many times with different groups of very versatile artists in Germany, Italy and Poland.
Meanwhile back in 2013 I auditioned to be a clown for „Red Noses Clowndoctors“ organisation and I got in. Since then I have been working as a healthcare clown in Croatia and from 2019 in Slovenia and I gained a lot of experience by visiting hospitals and different medical institutions. In this work you go with your clown partner from room to room where the children are and we perform(mostly improvise) something from 3 min to 8 min. It is very short, quick and sensitive. In 2018 I became part of the „Red Noses International“ organisation project „Emergency Smile“ which aim is to send a group of clowns to crisis areas to work with refugees. We perform shows, do musical parades and also give circus workshops. So far I have been on six mission; Belarus, Ukraine and four times in Greece. The special thing with the Red Noses work is that I don’t play just to amuse but to connect with people and to let them react and laugh without being judged or feeling restricted. So, I do many different things as a performer.
NY Glam: Define your job as a performer?
As a performer I am not focused only on one performing style. I am interested in acting, dance, Hula Hoop dance, clowning…I try to balance to work in all those fields of performing arts because I think they are all linked to each other and as a performer the more skills you posses the easier it is to manage and survive in the industry. Versatility is needed these days in artists.
NY Glam: How long have you been a theater artist and when did you get your start?
I am working as a theatre artist for twelve years now. Wow, time flies.
I started in 2007 in a small amateur comedy theatre „Kalvarija“ in Rijeka. I played in two shows there and some comedy cabaret shows. In 2010 I got the part of „Luna“-the moon- in a big choreodrama play „Saloma“ in the Istrian National Theatre Pula. It was a big play with a lot of actors and with big scenery moving through the stage. It was really impressive. There were also two strong dogs in the play and one time during the show one of them bit my leg and thore a part of my pants off. I was bleeding and I quickly ran off the stage. Someone cleaned my wound and put a bandage on my leg and I continued to play the show. It was a very intense experience but this show made me end up in the main regional newspapers and after that I got some offers for other shows.
NY Glam: What is the most exciting opportunity you have had as a freelance artist?
Definitely the most exciting opportunity for me was in the year 2012 when I got invited by one Polish theatre director Arkadiusz Zietek to be a part of a project called „Instant Acts Against Violence and Racism.” We were a group of about fifteen artists from different parts of the world and we made a multi skilled circus/theatre show and toured for two months through Germany and Italy. We played shows and gave workshops in schools and youth correctional facilities. I did two more big tours like that and three shorter ones with the same director. Because of him I got to know some really talented and amazing people and because of that I am thankful to him.
NY Glam: Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from other artists. By reading, watching films and shows I always get inspired and some ideas come to my head which I mostly write down. Some of them I use, but a lot of them are just resting in my notebooks.
NY Glam: What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a career in Theater performing?
Train your craft persistently, be as curious as possible and take risks.
NY Glam: Are there any new exciting shows or projects that you are working on or have lined up in the near future?
Currently I have no new projects coming. I never know who might call me or what audition might present itself so I am open and ready to jump when the time comes.
NY Glam: Do you express yourself creatively in any other ways?
I really love to play music; ukulele and guitar. I also from time to time work on my songs that I plan to record one day. Since I love movies so much and my ultimate goal is to star in films I also wrote a full length feature comedy script and one third of another new thriller script.
NY Glam: What can we expect from you in 2020?
Hard to tell since I don’t have any concrete new projects planned, but I can say what I expect from myself this year; hard work and productivity.
NY Glam: Where can everyone keep up with you to learn more? …social media…website
WEBSITE: www.markokalc.wixsite.com/markokalc
INSTAGRAM: marko_kalc/?hl=hr
FACEBOOK : marko.kalc
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