Known for his work on the Greater Shepparton stage, Brandon Armstrong is now directing a show in the state’s capital.
Brandon first stepped into the world of theatre in primary school at the age of six.
“I have Sue Meeking, my drama teacher, to thank for giving me the stage bug,” he said.
“Very quickly I wanted to know how I could be involved in as much theatre work as possible.”
Involved he was, joining local theatre groups such as Dilmac Entertainment in Kyabram, Initial Stages and STAG in Shepparton as well as EMTC in Echuca.
"All of which taught me different things and allowed me to meet some really wonderful and creative people,“ he said.
“I have so many wonderful memories from each of the different shows and companies I was involved in.
“I think that sense of belonging and family that you find in local groups is hard to replicate anywhere else.”
Now that he’s grown out of the regional Victoria stage, Brandon has found his footing in the big smoke. But it didn’t happen overnight.
“There have been re-adjustments to my trajectory many times since making the move; as they say, one door closes another opens, but I am truly thankful to each of the experiences that have led me to this place,” he said.
“A young Brandon probably wouldn’t have seen himself taking on directing as he was very adamant he wanted to act; however, it is an ever-evolving experience having the arts as a career, definitely has been a rocky one at times.
“But the rewards that have come from it are the kinds of rewards that I would struggle to find anywhere else.”
He is now directing a physical theatre work called DREDGE.
“The show follows several organisms in space being prodded by human-made systems,” Brandon said.
“It's quite a visceral experience of a show for both the audience and the actors on stage.
“We have performed this work once previously as a group of actors and have been fortunate enough to gain interest from producers at Theatre Works to bring the show back on a bigger scale and bigger stage.”
Theatre Works is a space for independent productions, including experimental works and challenging new Australian plays.
He got involved in directing with Theatre Works in a roundabout way.
“After I finished drama school in 2022 ... I was approached by a friend of a friend who had a show they wanted to stage as part of last year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival,” he said.
“I took the opportunity and the show (The Les Darcy Show) was a success, with three of our five shows selling out.
“We had been talking about bringing back DREDGE for over a year before. Once we saw Theatre Works was seeking expressions of interest for their 2024 season, we knew it was time to bring back the work.
“My producer, Rosa, and I sent in our pitch after two weeks of mulling over every facet of it — and the rest is history.”
The process of putting on a show has been fun and pushed Brandon out of his comfort zone.
“It is definitely a different experience working on a physical theatre show compared to a musical or standard play,” he said.
“There is so much play and exploration on the floor.
“One of the exciting processes we are using is the Japanese movement process of butoh, which is focused on the extreme internal and external stimuli that are put on the actor.”
He said the show promised to be unlike any other theatre experience.
“People should come see DREDGE if they want to support local artists making work in the big smoke, but also to experience work that is challenging and not commonly staged in Australia,” Brandon said.
“DREDGE is focused on giving the audience a felt experience rather than a thinking-through dialogue.
“It aims to give audiences the impetus to make changes and reflect on who and how they play their role in society, whether that works or not.”
He’s excited to put on the show in Melbourne but credits the regional stage for his love of the arts.
“As someone who has grown up in the local area, I really have appreciated having the access I had to the arts. It has led me down a path I’m not sure if I would have had without it,” he said.
“The importance of the arts not just on a professional scale but a local independent level can’t be stressed enough.
“It's where we learn about ourselves, challenge what we know, create community and cultivate local culture for everyone to enjoy.”
DREDGE is hitting the St Kilda stage from September 18 to 28. Tickets can be bought on the Theatre Works website.