David came to our production of Rent as one of his students was playing Mark in it. David’s the high school drama teacher at Eric Hamber Secondary and has taught some past Fighting Chance alumni. Did you see our production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead? Did you enjoy Matt Clarke who played Van? Well that was one of David’s students. Anton Lipovetsky who scored rave reviews as Mark in Rent – also one of David’s students. If he can help produce that much talent, just imagine what he’s going to be like on stage. Here are a couple of questions we asked him 
about his experiences with musical theatre!
What was your first musical theatre experience?
Being in the chorus of Oklahoma! my first year in high school. The scariest thing is that my second experience was playing Jesus in Godspell. It was a big leap for a young kid!
What is your Dream Role?
At this time….Dan (the father) in Next to Normal.
Of all time…probably Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a part I have already been lucky enough to play!
What is the scariest thing you’ll have to do in Forbidden Broadway?
Sing higher than any male human being ought ever have to sing.
What is the best experience you’ve had in the theatre?
Playing Action in a production of West Side Story where we danced the original Broadway choreography. It was the hardest thing I have ever done theatrically, and consequently the most rewarding.
Do you have any musical theatre role models?
John Callum and Irene Ryan (who actually suffered what turned out to be a fatal stroke onstage during a performance of Pippin), because I would love to continue playing in musical theatre well into my old age….
If you could go back in time and be a part of any Broadway show which show would it be, who would you play, and why?
Original productions of Rent (Mark) or A Chorus Line (Bobby). These were two musicals, that changed my life nearly 
25 years apart.
List the four theatrical people you would have around your dinner table in an ideal world.
Angela Lansbury, Joe Orton, Daniel Sunjata, and John Wilkes Booth
If you couldn’t perform, what would you do?
I’m doing it! Teach….. (In an ideal world I would write – especially musicals – and produce)
What do you think is missing from the Vancouver theatre scene?
In Buenos Aires there are many, many small theatres which run small plays for extremely long runs. Most of these plays only have one performance a week. They usually play on Wednesdays through Sundays, often with shows starting at 7:00, 9:30 and even 11:30 pm. The ticket prices are low. Actors can commit themselves to these shows because usually they only have one performance a week and participation does not prohibit them from engaging in other activities or other productions. The result is a dynamic local theatre scene that resembles, in many ways, a permanent Fringe Festival. How great is that?
