Comedian, actor, director and reluctant writer Dan Bain talks theatre, standup and the concept of octopus strangling.

What have been some highlights of learning to wing it professionally? I made my living as an improviser for 20 years, which is more than half of my life and it’s all a bit of a blur. But a moment that I found truly wonderful was in rehearsal for a play, backstage with Judy Douglas in her final show at the Court Theatre. She leant over to me and said “I’m never worried in the scenes with you, because you are an improviser and if I make a mistake I know you’ll fix it.” I never had to fix anything, because even at seventy-something she was a total professional, but that still sticks with me. I was terrified because I had to remember to say the same things every night. She was terrified she’d say something different. And if I have learnt anything worthwhile, it is to be fearless as I speak in front of a group of strangers.

What’s behind the name Noosed Octopus? Noosed Octopus is what happens when you start a production company at age 19. You make up a name that sounds cool. I still think it sounds cool, but it’s also weird. Unfortunately I’m kind of stuck with it. The irony of course is that you cannot noose an octopus, they’re too agile. And I like that idea of a company being slippery, clever and agile and able to escape from everyday constraints.

You’ve got writing, directing and acting credits under your belt, is there one you enjoy the most? It’s important to note I absolutely hate the process of writing and only continue to do it because I enjoy the process of having finished writing immensely. I have a great love of live performance – I’m not sure if what I do can really be called acting, it’s mostly talking loudly and with too much confidence for the quality of the content. I enjoy directing the most as all the skillsets come together and I can actually see the value I’m adding to a collaborative process. And I’m a control freak. So, that appeals.

Professional theatre must feel like a world away from street performing – best and worst parts of both? Street theatre is entirely honest. There is no leeway for not being compelling. The audience enjoys it, or leaves. Indoors allows for more subtlety and you can take a little longer in setting things up. One requires a hammer, the other a scalpel. They’re both good tools to know how to use.

You recently ran the Summer Theatre production of Around the World in 80 Days, what was that like? Really good. It was an enormous project and I was producing, directing and sound designing, which in retrospect was probably too many jobs, but I had a blast. As a self-employed solo creative it’s really important to do things with other people and the team on 80 Days were just extraordinarily skilled and pleasant. Also, the audiences seemed to like it.

If you could invite any three people living or dead to a dinner party, who would they be? Neil Gaiman. Trent Reznor. John Mulaney.

Any shows coming up in Christchurch that you’re looking forward to? Naomi Ferguson’s Songs for Fallen Women. She’s a treasure. I love Hello Pecia’s monthly comedy show at Wunderbar. Shay Horay’s Stars in Their Eyes Lyttelton hosted by his alter-ego Keith Preene looks ridiculous and fun. I’m often down at Good Times seeing what’s happening there, huge mix of comedy. Hillary Moulder’s Sexy Time with Pat is on my must-see list at Little Andromeda.

What’s been your favourite part of collaborating with Kathleen Burns and Emma Cusdin for Perfuct Storm? I’ve worked regularly with Kathleen and Emma for the majority of my professional career. They are both key collaborators in my various practices and part of a small group of artists I turn to first when I need advice, support, or people other than myself to do things. So, it’s been just like every other project. We each have our own strengths that offset weaknesses the others possess. The common thread is that we’re all damn fine improvisers, and funny as heck.

What do you like about performing at Little Andromeda? Michael and Holly are providing an essential service that has done more for the performing arts in this city in its short lifetime than I’ve seen in my entire career. A theatre community cannot grow meaningfully from a grassroots level when the financial risk to artists is too high due to prohibitive and/or mercenary venue hire rates. It can only be curated by gatekeepers, who decide what will be seen and who will present it, or, accessed by those who have the financial ability to pay to play. Little Andromeda upsets this monopoly by bringing an essential piece of theatrical infrastructure that has long been recognised as a vital incubator of talent – see Wellington’s BATS and Auckland’s Basement Theatre – to the practitioners of Ōtautahi. So my appreciation is not as performer, it is as political being. Also, the bar is good.

Any other interesting projects on the cards for this year? My first solo hour of standup, Dan Bain: Variations on the Same Joke, is on at Little Andromeda in the end of July. I am equal parts excited and terrified by that. In preparation I’m regularly doing sets at Good Times Comedy Club. Check them out. My sleep-aid podcast Dan Bain’s Sleepy Time Mumbles continues to come out weekly and is about to hit 20k downloads in North America. New Zealand should have a listen. It’s a podcast you can miss. I’ll be producing another installation of the live panel show/podcast Feminist Yarns with Kathleen Burns. The live show has never not sold out, book now! If Perfuct Storm goes well we’ll look at making it more regular. Hard to tell right now. Make it easier for me to decide - book now! I have a couple of other things that I am very excited about but they haven’t been signed off and I can’t talk about them yet. But they are exciting and interesting. Mostly for me. Book now!

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