2 August 2023
Justin is a playwright, director and founding partner of Indian Ink. With Jacob Rajan, their productions have won numerous awards including two Edinburgh Fringe Firsts and three Production of the Year Awards in New Zealand and they’ve become one of our most successful theatre companies. In his work outside Indian Ink, Justin has written seven professionally produced plays. He is a graduate of the John Bolton Theatre School. In 2008 he received a Kaupapa Oranga Award for his services to theatre.
Justin's new play, Dirty Work, will be performed at Soundings Theatre (Te Papa) 2-11 August. You can book tickets here.
About Dirty Work:
The computers are down and the big boss in India wants the impossible. A hapless middle manager, his unhelpful assistant and their chorus of office workers are making a mess of things. Which isn’t good news for the cleaner. Workplace hierarchies are shattered, class and culture clash and from the chaos emerges a different way to value one another.
The first live performance I ever saw was…
Tom Sawyer at Theatre Corporate. I was young, probably under the age of 10, it was a tiny space and I think the show may have been in traverse so I was right up close to all the action. It was terrifying and thrilling – I loved it.
The first time I appeared on stage was…
As Jesus in the church Christmas show. I had a basket of chocolate fish to hand out at the conclusion of the performance but they were so irresistible that I had to eat one myself during the show. I never got cast again!
My favourite show of 2023 so far is…
Dirty Work – it’s my own so I’m biased but I love the actors we’ve assembled and the magic of working with choirs – they bring a whole other art form to what we do. You gotta love your own babies.
The part I’d love to play is…
Simon McBurney, the artistic director of the amazing UK based company Complicité. I’m a director/writer – most definitely not an actor!
The person I’d most like to work with is…
Akram Khan – an English Bangladeshi choreographer whose work blows my mind.
My worst on-stage hiccup was...
As a writer/director my on-stage hiccups can become major indigestion for actors and audience. When we launched The Pickle King it ran at well over 2 hours. By the time we’d knocked it into shape it was running at 1 hour 40 minutes – entire scenes and characters gone. It’s a great show now but was way too long!
My go-to quote for all situations is…
Love your mistakes.
The piece of theatre I’m nerdiest about is...
Complicité ’s The Encounter – one performer on stage, a 360 degree mic feeding surround sound to headpieces for the audience. Intimate, epic, imaginative and thrilling.
My favourite type of costume is...
Any kind of mask.
The show I most wish I’d seen is...
Anything with Ian McKellen in it. Even better, one with Judi Dench in it too!
The last show I attended was…
Basmati Bitch at Q Theatre.
Writing or performing?
Writing
Collaborate or go solo?
Collaborate
My process for getting into character is...
Make a mask and help the performer figure out the body, voice and way of seeing the world that brings it to life.
A performance I wish everyone could see is…
John Bolton’s Jumping Mouse – theatre at its most simple, pure and profound.
Justin Lewis is co-writer and director of Indian Ink Theatre Company's Dirty Work, playing 2 – 11 August at Soundings Theatre, Te Papa.
