Interview: Rick McIvor

In Das Experiment: Black Box, Rick McIvor plays Eckhart, who is an elvis impersonator. He is the class-clown who just lives in the moment and is always up for a party. ArtZine chats with Rick who finds his character’s loud boisterous side easy. “What is difficult is keeping him real, believable, and finding his vulnerability. Eckhart is much more interesting if he is multifaceted.” says Rick.

Rick shares with us his reflects on the themes of the production.

RM: I hope that people walk away thinking about how they behave in everyday situations that are “automatic”. Say for example, how do you behave when you get behind the wheel of a car, or when you get to work, do you put on a “role”? Also, what things in your life do you believe because you were told that they were the “right” way to behave. Really to just become more aware of your behavior, and where those behaviors come from.

Everyone has a value system, a set of morals and codes that they live by. But it’s amazing how often these principals are thrown out the window if someone with perceived authority tells you to do something you are uncomfortable with. If a person has “permission” to behave in a way that is normally taboo, it’s interesting to see how far that person is willing to go beyond their own set of values. It explains the”mob” mentality, or group riots, because everyone is assuming that their behavior is now okay because they have a cause to give them permission. It’s also interesting to apply that learning to military operations and problems like Abu Graib.

Like Director, Samantha Scott-Blackhall, Rick loves the ending of the play.

RM: The ending is fast paced… full of twists and turns and keeps me on the edge of my seat!

More about Das Experiment…

– ArtZine’s interview with Director, Samantha Scott-Blackhall

– ArtZine’s interview with Claude Giraldi and R. Chandran

Das Experiment: Black Box
Dates: Nov 14 to Nov 29, 2008
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Pavilion – 28 China Street
Tickets are available from Sistic.
Tues – Thurs & Sun performances S$35
Fri & Sat Performances S$38
Senior Citizens S$28
Students S$28

Mature Themes: M16