Actor Josephine Gazard was born and raised in Canberra. She is the writer and performer of the critically acclaimed one woman show That’s What She Said which premiered at Kings Cross Theatre in 2023, alongside a series of curated panels and educational performances to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus. Other theatre credits include: Human Activity (KXT/Riverside Paramatta), SOL (NIDA Festival of Emerging Artists). Short film: Captcha (St Kilda Film Festival). She has trained at Actors Centre Australia and The Hub.
THE STREET TALKED TO JOSEPHINE WHO PLAYS SONIA IN THE ADAPTATION OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT DEALS WITH ISSUES OF PUSHING MORAL BOUNDARIES AND THE REDEMPTIVE POWER OF SUFFERING TO HAVING A LIFE AGAIN. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THIS?
Ahh – an easy question.
I will try to answer this as eloquently as I can, as it’s been something I’ve been thinking about a lot in rehearsals. So! Here I go. I’m a huge believer in second chances and forgiveness, as I do believe people can make mistakes and change for the better, especially when sincere accountability is taken. Forgiving yourself is also important, as someone told me recently: we all make mistakes and screw up and sometimes will fall flat on our faces. So making peace with our pain is important in life, as is learning how to not define ourselves by our errors, but that is something I am still learning how to do myself.
That being said, in ’Crime and Punishment’ we are talking about a guy who kills two people, so the area’s a bit more, well, unclear. I think it will spark a lot of conversations about these kinds of topics.
YOU ARE PLAYING THE FEMALE LEAD IN CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE ROLE OF SONIA?
Sonia embodies forgiveness and redemption, she leads with kindness, compassion and understanding. She’s also a young woman coming to grips with her sense of self, with a lot of pain in her backstory. She lives for other people, particularly her family, she truly gives them everything. She also has an innate strength to her, which stems from her unshakable faith. She holds so much wisdom, and I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to bring her to life. It’s a gift to work on a text with so much in it – every rehearsal there is something new to bring into scenes, new life to breathe into the words, the ability to go deeper into the character as we learn more about them.
WHERE DOES JOSEPHINE MEET SONIA?
I wish I was more like her! She’s so kind and understanding, and is always seeing the good in others. Also, she’s an optimist, as am I – sometimes a little too much of an optimist, which in my case can come across as a bit naïve.
She is definitely a character who will stay with me. I know a lot of actors say this, but I will hold her unshakable compassion very close, and aspire to lead with her kindness in all I do.
TALK US THROUGH THE PROCESS OF BRINGING SONIA TO LIFE. WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IN A WORK LIKE THIS?
A lot comes back to the script, the language, and paying attention to the grammar. It’s all there, you just need to pace yourself, listen and be reactive and in the moment. I love projects like this as I am learning as I am going – I’m untrained, I never went to drama school, and preparation for roles changes job to job. This has been one of, if not the most, challenging. It’s so rich, and the themes are huge, and with a classic, iconic Russian novel, my god you want to do it justice. I say to Caroline often that her notes are ‘in transit’, going from one side of my brain to the other, as it can take time to integrate things.
I also play three other characters briefly in the piece, so I worked with Shelly on voice and movement which was so helpful, including doing some animal and text work. All that preparation helped me craft the characters.
THERE ARE THREE ACTORS IN THE WORK. WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED TOGETHER IN REHEARSAL?
I have learnt a lot from Chris and PJ, especially how they use words and their characterisation, I find myself getting totally engrossed in what they’re doing when I’m waiting to come on for a scene, they are so good.
Something we’ve been working on together is a sense of connection. The staging requires us to be very aware of each other as it’s set in a dream-like landscape. We’ve also made a few interesting discoveries in rehearsal when experimenting with something new and different and taking each other by surprise.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO A SUCCESSFUL AND FRUITFUL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN ACTOR AND DIRECTOR? AND OTHER ACTORS IN AN ENSEMBLE?
Actors and Directors need to fully trust each other, to listen to each other and respectfully consider each other’s viewpoints. Ultimately, it’s their vision we’re bringing to life, and their call when something isn’t working. With other actors, I always try to be collaborative, to listen, offer ideas, ask questions, be honest about how I feel, and laugh at myself when things don’t go right. Acting is incredibly hard work but when it clicks it feels effortless. It’s such an amazing feeling when you forget you’re in a scene, and you’re totally in the moment with your scene partner.
YOU GREW UP IN CANBERRA. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EARLY INFLUENCES ON YOUR CAREER?
Growing up on a goat farm outside Canberra meant a long drive to school, so I read a lot of books in the car. My sister and I would also put on a lot of plays, ballets and musicals for our parents – and charge them for tickets. I remember a two person rendition of Les Miserables that went on for hours. Personally, I believe it was some of my finest work. The victims who sat through it may not agree. However, I surpassed myself when I played a tap dancing rat in year six. I remember I said a line and the audience laughed. I was a shy, gangly kid with wonky teeth and a huge retainer, and then here was this crowd laughing at something I was saying. I went, ‘hey! This is cool!’
My school highlight was discovering drama in Year 11 at CGS when as part of an ensemble we created an original physical piece of theatre under the guidance of our drama teacher Stephen Gersbach, and then doing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in year 12. I knew I wanted to chase that unique feeling you can only get from live performance for the rest of my life, and can really thank my high school drama teachers Mr Gersbach and Lori Gray for that.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR ONE WOMAN SHOW THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID.
I wrote That’s What She Said when I was 19, and it tells the story of a young woman who moves away from home to a university college and her life is turned upside down by a traumatic incident.
For its 2023 season at KX Theatre, we partnered with a range of sexual assault organisations for a series of post-show panels, with dedicated performances for Sydney University and college students as part of an education season. Afterwards I received so many beautiful messages from women who had been through similar experiences and wanted to say how the play helped them feel seen. I remember during one performance having to stop for a second because I saw a mum and daughter holding hands so tightly. One in five women have experienced sexual violence, even higher for university students. It’s a huge issue we must keep talking about.
WHAT IS INSPIRING YOU CREATIVELY AT THE MOMENT?
A lot! Being in rehearsals both inspires and challenges me, especially the collaborative aspect. Working with other artists in their disciplines and seeing how it all comes together is incredible. It’s truly a team sport. There’s nothing quite like being part of a production – the rehearsals, the costume fittings, doing a run for the first time with sound, being a cog in the wheel.
Every time I see a live performance or read a great book or play I’m inspired. I recently read Ulster American by David Ireland which is fresh in my memory – his dialogue is so sharp and witty and well written, I aspire to make work like that, pushing boundaries and not playing it safe.
WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WATCHING LATELY?
Reading Crime and Punishment for obvious reasons! I also just finished reading Gracie Gold’s autobiography Outofshapeworthlessloser, which is so raw and vulnerable and a very powerful piece of writing.
Watching – Succession (for the millionth time) for the incredible writing and performances.
Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment opens at The Street Theatre on Saturday 22 June 2024.
STREET TALK 