Star Talent Spotlight: Actor Enea Pagni “In the Basement” Theatrical Performance!

Actor Enea Pagni shared with us about his recent theatrical performance title “In the Basement.” Read further as we talk about his role, rehearsals, and more! Follow Actor Enea Pagni on his official social sites below to also keep up with all the latest!

Q & A with Actor Enea Pagni

Q. Enea, congratulations on your latest theatrical performance! Can you tell us about the play and your character? 

Enea Pagni: : Thank you so much, it means a lot. I don’t even know where to start. In the Basement was simply genius. It lives rent-free in my mind. Being a part of this play has truly been an honor. I know everyone says that about the projects they’re in, but this time I truly left a part of my heart on that stage along with “Dad.” Being “Dad” in this dysfunctional family has taught me and shed light on places I did not know I could pull from, as theater promptly always does. On this note, Ben Mehl, our director, worked meticulously with all of us on our choices and our ideas about the world we were setting up, and I am endlessly thankful to him for that, and to Bailey Williams for creating this family. To me, everything in “In the Basement” is seen through the lens of the family’s youngest child. The world and its people are shown to the audience as the child perceives them, with an intriguing accentuation of daily life behavior, as well as the secrets these people are trying to hide and live simultaneously.

 Q. How long did rehearsals take?

Enea Pagni: From the first table read to the first performance, I believe around three months and a half went by. This may seem like a lot, but truly, you realize as time passes, that it is barely the time it takes to make discoveries and implement them. 

Q. What would you say was the most unique about this project? Is there a specific message that was meant for the audience to take out of watching the play? 

Enea Pagni: In the Basement is bold. That’s what I loved about it. It isn’t scared of showing what it intends to show, and it does so smartly. This play reminded me of a version of the Victorian compromise, in a much different context. In “In the Basement,” I saw and existed in a world in which the values that are shown “officially” are the ones that societal norms dictate, but then, it is behind doors we think are closed that these “official” values are contradicted by the same people; who need to act as who they are, who they were born as. The compromise: as long as we put on a smile and we are nice to each other, we can formally deny every secret. This is what I find unique about In The Basement. Whether you think the play criticizes society and how it has failed some, or whether you perceive it as an encouragement for freedom, it does so boldly. That’s what I loved. What is art without controversy? In the Basement is also hilarious, and it works perfectly.

Q: What do you most enjoy about theater versus film?

A: You could ask this question to a million people and get a million different answers. Theatre has an urgency that you don’t necessarily find all the time in film. In theater, you’re live. You feed off of the energy that comes from the audience. With different audiences comes a different performance. It is a consistent exchange between the seats and the stage. Sometimes it benefits your idea of the show, other times it doesn’t. What’s beautiful about that is that the show is whatever the show is at any given moment. There might be a missed lighting cue, a missed entrance, and you can’t call cut. So the show becomes that. The reality of the missed cue or whatever else. In that moment. You deal with it. I love both film and theater. Theatre teaches you life.

FOLLOW ENEA PAGNI – OFFICIAL SITE LINKS

Website: https://www.eneapagni.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eneapagni