Jasper Lindsay is making serious waves in the industry. Since graduating his Acting course, he has gone on to win awards for his play writing, opened his own production company and is now working on a full length stage production that performs this month at the Blood Moon Theatre.
Throughout all of this, he was kind enough to tell us all about his journey and how he made it from AFTT to where he is now.
Tell us about what you have been up to since graduating AFTT?
I've been doing the usual; auditioning, seeing shows, trying to network. I got some great roles throughout last year, both screen and stage. But the biggest constant for me, ever since graduating back in 2016, has been 'Arthur & Marilyn'. It's crazy to think how this one idea has affected my life up to this moment. I've done and achieved things I never saw on my horizon.
The play ’Arthur and Marilyn’ that you wrote last year was a huge success and saw you take home the best play in Hollywood at the Short and Sweet awards. Tell us a bit about the play and how you turned it into such a big success?
The play in Short and Sweet was about the first conversation Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe had and how they formed a deep connection, and I think what worked with audiences and judges was how we stripped away their celebrity and emphasised the universality of their fears and frustrations. That came from a great team of two actors (Alec Ebert and Meg Hyeronimus) and a director (Danen Young), all AFTT grads as well. Everyone was really dedicated to making the script sing.
I think that's all we did, in terms of 'aiming for success'. We were just dedicated to making something that we liked, that interested us. That's why the positive reception was so exciting. We managed to hit the right note by making the show we were passionate about.
You are now taking ‘Arthur and Marilyn’ and turning it into a full length production. Tell us about the inspiration to commit to extending this project?
I always intended for 'Arthur & Marilyn' to be a full play. What was presented in Short and Sweet was pretty much the first scene of the play; I wanted to see how my writing translated into a full production. However, with it's success, I was very hesitant to tamper with it, and struggled for a while to justify an extension. Eventually, I found something that excited me, something that plays with theatrical form and adds to the narrative, and I just committed to it. What I got is something surreal that doesn't sacrifice the charm of the original. I'm still ironing out the kinks, but I have loved experimenting with the writing. It's taught me a lot.
It's been great working with Alec, Meg and Danen again on the full length. We've been in rehearsals for a while now and they've been attacking it with the same dedication and spirit that has brought us so far already. This is an amazing team to have on my first produced play and I know they're gonna make something great out of it.
You have also opened up your own production company ‘Dinosaurus Productions’. How is it going since opening?
I started this company with Danen, our director, and there's been a lot of learning on the fly. Honestly, it's been messy, confusing, and tense at times, but we started this company fully aware that's how we'd be doing things at first. It's been cool getting help from people in the industry, as well as learning all about running a company in the arts. My respect for everyone in producing has tripled in size. I knew it was a big job, but I never knew how big. Can't wait to get good at it!
Tell us how your time at AFTT prepared you for the industry and contributed to your success?
All the support I've gotten, the connections I've made, the time I spent learning about myself, my craft and the industry I wanted to join, all of it has been invaluable to my career so far. It was amazing to learn from tutors that empowered you and explored with you, and to come out the other side, being a part of this small community, not feeling so alone, is really inspiring.
What advice would you have for current AFTT students?
Take this time to explore and grow, and use every opportunity to learn. If you invest in your time at college, you start laying your path before you walk on it. You can figure out what you're capable of and go for it!
To check out the 'Arthur & Marilyn' Facebook page, click here.
To buy tickets to 'Arthur & Marilyn', which runs from 29th of May - 2nd June, click here.
To learn more about studying Acting, click here.