Lindsay Farris is a fiercely talented young actor. But that’s not the only reason he’s on the brink of greatness. He sat down with Garrett Bithell.

To say that Lindsay Farris is just an actor would be to sell him tragically short. When so many actors of his generation are fighting for the next big role, the main stage break, the next pay cheque, Farris is running on a different artistic plane. At 24 years of age, his social conscience and generosity of spirit are wildly beyond his tender years. To say that Farris is one of the young guardians of theatre may sound a little hackneyed, but it’s closer to the truth.

As Farris knows all too well, the common perception of theatre as being elitist – some sort of high art for people with money – is on the rise; the distance between budding actors in regional areas and the bright lights of Belvoir or Sydney Theatre Company or NIDA is growing. So instead of inwardly idealising a foot in the door of Hollywood, Farris is dedicating his life as a creative being to throwing open the doors of the industry he loves. Whether that involves putting on plays in homeless shelters; teaching high school students in the distant Riverina region of New South Wales; or developing The Australian Ministry of Theatre, an online data base for out-of-work theatre practitioners, Farris is leading the way.

“I think access is a really important word,” Farris tells AXN. “Theatre is currently not as accessible as it needs to be. The plays that I’m in, and the plays that the people I admire do, don’t often get the audiences they need.

“More fundamental links to the world outside of the creative arts are so important in getting the stories heard by the right people. The theatre community is really good at talking to itself, but it also needs to find new ways of talking to the right people – getting the right people to the right plays.”

According to Farris, establishing fresh communication lines with young people in remote areas is essential. But it’s a tall order – perhaps the biggest challenge the theatre industry faces. “Those kids out in regional Australia are some of the most amazing and talented performers this country has ever seen,” he says. “But their voices are being stifled by the big fucking gap between regional Australia and the city. And particularly when we are living in such a difficult time economically, the theatres out there – the avenues for those kids to get out of there and explore creatively – are starting to shut down. We’re losing this country’s Pamela Rabes, this country’s Cate Blanchetts, because they’re being swallowed by inaccessibility.

“Opening those avenues is our job as artists – to keep opening those communication lines and getting people seeing stuff. Which is a huge challenge – maybe one of the biggest challenges we face I think.” key

The answer is in independent theatre, Farris implores, and the way actors characterise the role of independent theatre in their career. “The independent community has got to be a community of its own and stand on its own two feet, and not feel like a platform to stepping onto those main stages,” he asserts. “Those main stages have become main stages because of independent theatre at some point.

“Every theatre company has endeavours for fostering new independent work, so in that way I think they’re doing a good job. But a lot of practitioners put a focus on those endeavours as almost like a saviour. If you look for a saviour, I think it suggests that you feel like you’re a victim. Independent theatre should never be treated as a victim’s option. We have so much freedom in independent theatre – freedom the bigger theatre companies don’t have. We can put on plays in high schools, we can put on plays on piers. Do a play out in the middle of fucking nowhere, because you’ll get an audience, and you’ll get an audience that’s fucking intrigued by what you’re trying to do.

“Independent theatre is a different dream factory. We’re the guys that are responsible for new audiences.”

Sydney-born Farris, who has never had formal acting training, is currently in rehearsals for Mary Rachel Brown’s Inside Out alongside Tracy Mann, which will open at the Seymour Centre in Sydney later this month after premiering in Canberra at the Street Theatre almost two years ago. With Carol Woodrow directing and Campion Decent on dramaturgy, there is a groundswell of anticipation surrounding the production. Indeed the play won the prestigious Rodney Seaborn Playwright’s Award last year.

“I do a lot of theatre and I see a lot of theatre, and I think one of the most amazing things about this project is that it is such a powerful ensemble, and it has come a long way,” Farris muses. “What so much theatre in this country needs is a long development process and a lot of time to work out the kinks, and this is one of those projects. And Mary Rachel Brown is one of the most phenomenal playwrights to come out of this country.”

Although Farris is hesitant to give too much away. “I play Simon, who is a 19-year-old arts student, and Tracy plays Sue, who is Simon’s mother,” he tells. “And something affects their relationship that means they’ve suddenly got this beast in the room, and both of them have to re-evaluate their relationship and re-learn how to co-exist and cope and survive. I don’t want to say any more, because I think it’s the unfolding of what that thing is that makes this play really special.

“I think one of the big things about the theatrical community, not just Sydney but nationally, is that there are a lot of plays being put on at the moment that I think are socially irrelevant. So it’s a gold mine when you find a play that is freshly written, well researched, and has had three or four years’ worth of fermenting time to build itself out of. This is a very unique voice in an often barren landscape of storytelling.”

Farris admits that the experience of working on Inside Out has been revelatory. “I hope that people walk out of the theatre changed in some way, because this play has been revitalising for me,” he says. “The ability to affect and be affected by others is a gift – and that experience with Tracy has been phenomenal. Acting is so far the greatest exploration of being a human being that I’ve been able to encounter. The journey of an actor is to explore what it is to be human. Our time is limited here, and actors get the chance to stand in other people’s shoes. It’s a really great way to explore the world. Having your core challenged – that’s a gift.”

But if there’s one thing Farris is frightened of becoming as an actor, it’s secure.

“I think I’ve been very fortunate as an actor because I have always managed to be in work,” he says. “But I don’t do projects unless I feel they are going to challenge me in a very unique way. You’ve got to keep going through those fluctuations, and the second you feel comfortable, you’re doing something wrong.

“I don’t know a great actor that thinks they’re a great actor, and it’s because you’re constantly in fluctuation charting those ups and downs. And the downs are so important.

“I think independent theatre often seems like a down to people, and commercial theatre is an up. But if you look at the pinnacle of commercial theatre, you’re talking about musicals, you’re talking about things that constantly run to full houses of thousands. If that was all theatre was, I wouldn’t be an actor.”

Inside Out, Everest Theatre at the Seymour Centre, Sydney (corner City Road and Cleveland Street, Chippendale). For bookings call (02) 9351 7640 or go online at www.seymourcentre.com.au . To check out The Australian Ministry of Theatre, go to www.ministryoftheatre.com.au .