One man, Two Guvnors is a play set in the ’60s in Brighton, England that features slapstick situations and a skiffle band; the play features around 30 cast and crew members. Kyle Kushnar is the lead actor of the production, portraying the character Francis as he attempts to successfully moonlight for two governors, without either one of them catching on.
“Francis finds himself all of a sudden employed by two people, and spends the entire day trying to get everything done for both of them, without them finding out about each other, and trying to win the heart of a lady at the same time,” says Kushnar. “It’s a really hilarious play. It’s kind of like a British farce; there is lots of physical comedy, lots of slapstick.”
Kushnar says he still feels as though he must continue to adapt and grow as an actor, and keep pace with the other performers as they do the same.
“Within this show the cast is so talented, and every rehearsal they are constantly trying new things, and it really ups your game,” says Kushnar. “It’s difficult to not get upstaged sometimes by the other actors. Just because this role is written as the lead character doesn’t mean you don’t have to work for that and you’ve definitely got to earn that on the stage.”
Although performing in live theatre is a passion for Kushnar, he quickly realized at a young age that he did not want to live the starving-artist lifestyle, so he works a day job to pay the bills and spends his leisurely time on theatrical endeavors.
“For me it goes all the way back to high school, and being a part of all these different high-school productions,” he says. “After high school I went to theatre school; I thought that was kind of what I wanted to do for a living, but theatre school quickly convinced me otherwise. I much prefer the 9-to-5 security, the Monday-to-Friday kind of thing. I thought acting was a great thing to do, but I didn’t want to rely on it for a living.”
Kushnar has been involved in around half a dozen shows at Langham Court; this is his fourth performance with current production director Roger Carr. Kushnar originally comes from Vancouver, however, he loves the feeling of community and support which he’s discovered in Victoria’s bustling live-theatre scene.
“I think the arts scene here is like everything else in Victoria,” says Kushnar. “It’s just such a supportive community, and there is always so much high-calibre stuff going on, such as community theatre, professional theatre, contemporary theatre, plenty of improv. So yeah, the variety is awesome and it’s a really cool, awesome community.”
One Man, Two Guvnors
January 18-February 4
$16 for students ($10 student rush ticket, 15 minutes before curtain time)
Langham Court Theatre, 805 Langham Court
langhamtheatre.ca