Mark Farrelly is an actor and writer who is about to perform in a vibrant new solo play Jarman written and performed by Mark. We got to speak to Mark about Derek Jarman the inspiration for the show and creating roles and influences and inspirations.
How did you get into acting, was there a particular performance you saw that resonated with you?
I was fascinated with acting from the start. Humans are incredibly bad at communication. We lie, evade, let moments slip by ungrasped. Itβs tragic. Acting has always offered hope of true connection, even communion. Living in the moment and revealing your deepest soul. Lots of great performances gave me that when I was growing up, but must pick out Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho. A masterclass performance of a trapped soul longing for release.
What production changed your life?
Aged nineteen I saw my first one-person play. It was David Bensonβs brilliant Think No Evil Of Us: My Life With Kenneth Williams at the Kingβs Head in Islington. I was stunned by the way one person could hold a room for ninety minutes with only a chair for props and set. And speaking directly to the audience the whole time! Bliss. I dislike the way so much theatre pretends the audience isnβt there, hides behind the βfourth wallβ. No wonder stand-up comedy and live music are more popular: they actually engage the audience.
Can you tell us about your current, project: Jarman What drew you to the piece?
I created Jarman to pay tribute to one of the most exciting, provocative and inspiring artists of modern times. For many years I was scared of Derek Jarman. As a teenager I had watched him dying in the most harrowing way in newspaper photos and on television, he was one of the key public faces of the AIDS pandemic because of his courageous declaration of his illness in the late 80s. But to me he was a figure of contagion, something to be avoided. I also perhaps bought into the media image of Derek as a dangerous, even Satanic figure.Β So it was quite a shock when, in 2018, I summoned the courage to read Derekβs diaries, fearing they would be a grim catalogue of illness and despair, how wrong I was. The two volumes, Modern Nature and Smiling in Slow Motion, donβt shirk the painful realities that Derek was living through, but they are also vibrant, beautiful, witty, fun and relentlessly inspiring. I was hooked, and soon explored all the amazing art Derek has left behind. Not just his films such as Jubilee, The Tempest, Caravaggio and the astonishing Blue, but his other writings, his extraordinary last paintings, and of course his hypnotic garden at Prospect Cottage in Dungeness. I realised I had been neglecting a very special artist because of my own small-mindedness. Every time I imbibed some of Derekβs work, I felt a powerful sense of needing to be bolder and braver in my own creativity. He has become an inspiration and mentor to me, even though we never met.
Is there a message you want people to take away from the show?Β
Start living! Itβll be over in a flash and youβll regret every wasted second of not being your true self, not expressing your real feelings, not creating things. As Derek says at the end of the play, βMay you of a better future go and love without a care, and remember that we loved tooβ.
What has been your favourite role you have played and why?Β
My favourite roles are the ones Iβve written for myself. Iβve done three solo plays, playing Patrick Hamilton, Quentin Crisp, and of course Derek Jarman. Also a two hander called Howerdβs End in which I play Frankie Howerdβs secret partner Dennis Heymer. Creating my own work has been vastly rewarding. I was never happy when I was waiting for the phone to ring, and trying to fit into productions that were all about someone elseβs vision of life. I wouldnβt want to go back to that, and love the autonomy of being a creator.
What is the most rewarding thing about your work?Β
The responses of the audience. Because I always speak directly to the audience in my work, I get to see every little reaction. The laughter, the tears, the extraordinary conversations in the bar afterwards when people say theyβve been deeply affected by what theyβve seenβ¦this is priceless.
Who are your influences and inspirations?Β
There are lots of little influences. For example I was very inspired by Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, and the crystalline truthfulness of some of his performances. But really, I am now my own inspiration. I have a very healthy inner dialogue with myself, and am always looking for ways to improve my own work. I also get spiritual guidance from the writings of Eckhart Tolle and Richard Rohr, and these influence my work in all sorts of ways. Do read The Power of Now and Falling Upward if you feel ready for them.
What advice would you give to aspiring talent in the industry?
Itβs going to be relentless hard work. Youβre going to have to graft and hustle from the word go (something I failed to do). The rejection will seem relentless and callous, but itβs never truly personal. Despite this, go for it! Create your own opportunities wherever possibleβ¦you may find this much more rewarding than being in a Hollywood movie. The world needs more communication and art, not less, so take this sacred task very seriously. But still keep the twinkle in your eye. And for Godβs sake make peace with the fact that you might not become good at acting till youβve had a bit (or a lot) of life experience. I wasnβt a good actor until my mid-thirties. Iβm so glad I clung on through all the frustrating years until I came into my own.
Where can people follow your work on Socials?Β
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also markfarrelly.co.uk, my website which has all my tour dates for the coming year. Jarman is written and performed by Mark Farelly and the gala performance will take place on Monday 31st January at 7.30pm at Greenwich Theatre. The show will then embark on a UK Tour.
