Welcome to the first in a series of interviews with the ensemble creating The Long Count. In each interview with one of our fellow journey-ers, we’ll break out the internal compass and see where we are in our adventuring. With just seven questions, I thought a clever title for this series would be The Short Count.
(Hats off to Simon Ogden and Ian Mackenzie, from whom I respectfully adapted this idea. Thanks, fellas.)
Bilal Dardai is a member of the Neo-Futurists, frequent New Leaf collaborator, actor, playwright, and a lover of cheesecake – original – with maybe a little cherry topping.
1. In a word, today I feel: enervated
2. I am a theatre artist because: There is nothing quite like being in a room full of live people to share something that lasts only for that moment and then disappears. It’s the act of taking individual minutes and firing them into space with firecrackers.
3. I am a theatre artist in Chicago because: I’m constantly surprised by the sheer amount of work in Chicago there is to either participate in or attend. It’s an embarrassment of riches and, ironically, you don’t have to be rich to partake of most of it.
4. In regards to The Long Count:
a) Today, I am most excited about:
The new scene that will be unveiled at rehearsal tonight.
b) Today, I am asking myself this question:
Can I accept that not everything I want to do is going to get done?
5. Five years ago, I thought: “Maybe this is all there is.”
6. Five years from now, I: want the white hairs and age lines to look like a choice.
7. In a word, how do we build a future from a present we didn’t expect? Challenging.
Hi Bilal…
I still need a short bio from you for promotions and programs for the One Act Play Festival.
Thanks,
Gail