A Conversation With Mark Vincent

Interview with a Stage Actor

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Mark Vincent as Billy Kostecki singing ‘In The Still of the Night” | Image Taken by Myself

At a young age and will many years in the industry still ahead of him, Mark Vincent already has a significant list of accolades as a classical artist. Not only was Vincent the winner of 2009’s Australia’s Got Talent, but according to his official Dirty Dancing profile page, had released six albums by the time he was 20 years old and has sold in excess of 500,000 albums worldwide. While albums may be one venue for him to share is clear vocal prowess with Australian audiences, he has also taken up the role of Billy Kostecki in Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage. Although not unfamiliar with getting up on stage, this marks his debut in musical theatre.

Many lead characters in the Dirty Dancing stage production have minimal if any vocal roles, with more emphasis being put on dancing. Mark Vincent’s voice on the other hand has a number of opportunities to shine – most notably with the solo song ‘In The Still of the Night’ – which takes full advantage of his skills in classical music.

At the moment, Dirty Dancing is currently holding its Queensland season at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in Brisbane, which is set to run until Sunday July 19 2015 at the very earliest. In my recent review of the show, I gave this stage adaptation a commendable ★★★☆ / Five Stars, with my in-depth commentary found HERE.

During a media call for Dirty Dancing before its opening night, I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Mark Vincent, which you can read yourself below:


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Mark Vincent as Billy Kostecki singing ‘In The Still of the Night” | Image Taken by Myself

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Although usually the first question is just for my records, Mark Vincent provided some interesting commentary on his character so I have decided to retain it.

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So, first of all can you please state your name and your role in Dirty Dancing?

Well my name is Mark Vincent and I play the role of Billy, which is Johnny’s Cousin. So, Billy is 19 and tries to be cool like his cousin Johnny, and tries to get the women and really doesn’t, he always gets rejected. Billy’s a very loving person, loving character and he does his best to keep everyone happy. He tries his best to convince Johnny that he’s part of the group and that he’s cool.

Can you share a little bit about your history in the performing arts?

I started out at AIM, which is the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney, for three years and studied musical theatre. That was an experience for me because I grew up with a classical background, and being in theatre was a great change for me – both as a person and as an artist. But I think being in musical theatre has, you could say, broadened my horizons in my career. Being in Dirty Dancing is something very different for me, which I think is a good thing because it keeps me versatile as an artist and it makes my horizons more open to what I want to do with my career. I think it’s good to see people and show what I can also do besides singing classical.

Because this is your debut in musical theatre, do you think this could be something you would continue with?

Absolutely. There are so many show’s I want to be a part of and star in. For example, I’ve always wanted to be in Phantom of the Opera. That for me is a dream come true role to play, to play Phantom. And also, being in shows like Les Mis, Carousel, Man of La Mancha; very popular, well known classical musicals that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. That’s my dream, because I have a lot of love for musical theatre. Dirty Dancing for me is a beginning of many great things for my future in the theatre.

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Billy Kostecki (Mark Vincent) and Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman (Kirby Burgess) in Watermelon Scene | Image Taken by Myself

What Enticed You Into Musical Theatre?

It would have to be seeing Anthony Warlow in Phantom, which was about seven or eight years ago when he played the role of Phantom. I was just blown away. The way he portrayed that role, vocally his acting was just magnificent and the storyline of the show… I watched it about three times and after watching it three times I knew that musical theatre was a path I wanted to put into my career.

Since it was first screened in cinemas in 1987, Dirty Dancing has remained a timeless classic. Why do you think this is the case, and still remains to be today?

Well, when you mention Dirty Dancing the movie and the stage show, mainly in the movie, you think of Patrick Swayze. He was so loved by the world and the way he portrayed the character of Johnny. The women just loved him, they thought he was sexy, amazing and he brought taste to the movie. And someone like him has made this movie and stage show what it is today. People still watch the movie and people still, as you can see, come and watch the musical of Dirty Dancing because it’s a classic show. And its a show people are very familiar of.

You’ve got to remember too that there’s great music in the show. You’ve got “In the Still of the Night” which Billy sings, you’ve got “Time of my Life” which is another song that Billy sings, which is the role I play, and you’ve got songs like “Hungry Eyes”. These are all classic songs the people know. Its rare when you have a stage show thats toured over the world and still touring. Dirty Dancing started in Australia ten years ago, and now its back again and selling better than ever. Now over 200,000 people have seen this show, and we’ve only done Sydney and Melbourne and now doing Brisbane. Its an amazing result.

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(I’m Having) The Time of My Life |Image Taken by Myself

Because you are quite young and have proven to be very successful, can you share some advice for those looking to enter the performing arts?

Well, I think people who want to peruse a career in musical theatre, its very important that they broaden their horizons. That means be versatile. So, make sure your singing ability is good, make sure your acting ability is good, and if you are not a strong dancer, at least learn the basic movements to get by. That’s really important. I say that because I went through the same thing. Obviously singing was something that came to me naturally, but the acting and dancing I had to really work hard at – and I am still working hard at it. People who want to get into the performing arts should not be hard on themselves, because you never stop learning. The more shows you do, and the more study you do, you are only bettering yourself. And that’s the key thing. And working hard, because working hard is really important, because that’s how you better yourself.

Are you looking forward to the coming weeks performing in Brisbane?

Absolutely! I am very much looking forward to it. It will be eight weeks, and I’m just very much looking forward to experiencing the amazing audiences that we have in Brisbane, and cross fingers it is going to sell out. And people will love it I’m sure. The weathers great is Brisbane, compared to Melbourne, so that’s a great thing about Brisbane as well.

Especially considering we are going into Winter now.

I know. It’s beautiful, I am walking along the streets and the weathers always great. It also gives all our cast a positive vibe!


Special Thanks

I would just like to pass on my thanks to Mark Vincent for taking the time from his busy schedule to speak with me about this show.

I would also like to thank the team at Cinnamon Watson Publicity for helping organise this Q&A.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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