JAMES STRECKER: Please tell us about one or more projects that you have been working on or have recently completed. Why exactly do they matter to you and why should they matter to us?
ALEXANDER DOBSON: The project that is consuming me right now is preparing for the upcoming production of Against Nature with Citadel + Compagnie and performers Laurence Lemieux and Korin Thomas choreographed by James Kudelka. We are re-visiting the piece and I am very excited to play such a complex character again.
What is wonderful about this piece is that it incorporates movement and voice. This is a new medium which James Kudelka has created and I am thrilled to be a part of.
JS: How did doing these projects change you as a person and as a creator?
AD: As a classically trained singer, movement has always been secondary to the voice. In Against Nature they are harmoniously intertwined.
JS: What might others not understand or appreciate about the work you produce or do?
AD: Since the performances take place in a Performing Dance space, audiences might be expecting a purely dance piece. This is far from what it is. The piece has many layers that are revealed throughout the evening.
JS: What are the most important parts of yourself that you put into your work?
AD: Honesty. It is the hardest thing to be honest on the stage, but when an artist lets the audience see their sincerity, art is taken to a new level. This is what I strive for every time I am on stage.
JS: What are your biggest challenges as a creative person?
AD: Preparation. I spend many hours alone getting ready for a production. Once in the creative process with other collaborators, it is pure joy. It is the preparation that is so important so that the fun can happen, but unfortunately, this can be quite lonely.
JS: Imagine that you are meeting two or three people, living or dead, whom you admire because of their work in your form of artistic expression. What would you say to them and what would they say to you?
AD: I have been very fortunate to have worked with many people whom I admire. I find it best to just absorb as much as possible and thrive off their creativity while in their presence.
JS: Please describe at least one major turning point in your life that helped to make you who you are as a creative artist.
AD: Meeting my fiancée Jimin. She is the grounding force that I need in my life that frees me up for my creative projects as well as being the love of my life.
JS: What are the hardest things for an outsider to understand about your life as a person in the arts?
AD: Financial Instability. In France artists receive a stipend from the government when they are between Projects. This helps let them be creative without having to worry about necessities. In Canada we need to go from gig to gig hoping to make ends meet. I have been extremely fortunate to have been performing professionally for almost 25 years but that does not mean it has always been easy.
JS: Please tell us what you haven’t attempted as yet that you would like to do in the arts? Why the delay so far?
AD: I have always wanted to start an Opera Company. I have had various ideas about it over the years but it has not yet come to fruition. Luckily, I have been quite busy performing so I have not been able to give this much focus. I do however hope to in the future.
JS: If you could re-live your life in the arts, how would you change it and why?
AD: I am actually living my dream as a performer. I feel very blessed and am extremely happy with every Opportunity that comes along.
JS: Let’s talk about the state of the arts in today’s society, including the forms in which you work. What specifically gives you hope and what specifically do you find depressing?
AD: There is so much creativity around. Against Nature is a pure example of this melding of art forms together. This is an exciting time in the Arts and to be an artist, the fact that nothing is Taboo. The flip side is that there is a lot going on and with Netflix and home entertainment being what it is, it is harder and harder to convince people to go out to enjoy live theatre. There is nothing more satisfying for me than being in a theatre and experiencing a silence that is deafening. The collectiveness of people all experiencing the same emotion at once is unmatchable.
JS: What exactly do you like about the work you create and/or do?
AD: Every Character I play there is always a little bit of me in them. With each role, I discover something new about myself.
JS: In your creative life thus far, what have been the most helpful comments you have heard about your work?
AD: I once had a teacher who told me “You are only as good as your last performance” This statement, though quite sobering, keeps me on my toes and helps me to aspire for excellence each time I am on the stage.
JS: Finally, what do you yourself find to be the most intriguing and/or surprising things about you?
AD: I am introspective by nature but once on stage, something deep down comes pouring out; I feel completely alive and invincible, which often catches me by surprise.