THEATRE: He was bitten by the acting bug later on in life and gave up his teaching career to pursue the unpredictable life of an actor.
When six-foot-nine Allan Girod started out he was lucky to secure almost 90 per cent of the roles he auditioned for.
Even though his success early on secured him work it wasn’t always that easy – there have been many highs and lows of his career.
His personal journey can be seen in his latest show, Absolutely when he exposes some triumphant moments and funny stages in his life.
His story-telling will take audiences on a journey from Perth suburbia to a small Wheatbelt community, from inside the mind of a struggling performer.
Absolutely is an exemplary piece of storytelling that has made audiences not only laugh but relate on a personal level.
“The show is a slice of humanity and it should connect with anyone,” Girod said.
“I will show some real dorky moments and people will be in glorious laughter and they will also have some deeper moments and encounter some sorrow.”
The highlight of Girod’s career was performing in the Cirque du Soleil and he said this was a springboard for further career development.
“I thought, how did I get here, why did I take up acting and what did it mean to me?” he said.
“It was an emotional experience and a personal ride that got me reflecting back on the experience I had enjoyed.”
He divides his time between London and Perth where he has enjoyed performing to diverse audiences and said it had helped develop his craft.
Despite his doubts of whether an audience would respond well to his work he has had great feedback from audiences all over the globe.
Absolutely had a sold-out season at Perth Fringe World in February 2014 and was awarded Theatre WA Winner in 2015.
He toured to the largest performing arts festival in the world, the Edinburgh Fringe and received high acclaim from leading press.
Creating performances is one half of his career that has proven to be much more challenging than he had expected.
Having had strong theatre grounding before diving into the self devised work, he felt confident to construct performances that would invoke emotional responses.
Girod said it was most rewarding when he saw the impact a show can have on his audience
“When I look out into the audience and see the impact I have had on someone it is moving and rewarding,” he said.
“When I am on stage and I discover something new or a moment in a scene that takes me by surprise these have been some of the most memorable moments.”
When he first started out performing he was scared to break the fourth wall but now he has found the deep connection with his audiences rewarding.
You can see Absolutely at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on Friday May 22 at 8pm.
