You can watch a play with loads of talented actors, but there are only a few that make a real impression on you. David Calvitto from New York is one to watch in the critically acclaimed drama Twelve Angry Men, playing in the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End. I talked to him afterwards about being an actor, future opportunities and the best aspects of his job. 

“The best aspects of my job…well, I can walk to work! I’m very lucky and live in walking distance of the theatre. But I probably shouldn’t have said that first!” he quips. “A much better aspect is the fact I work in the West End with a wonderful group of people in a show that’s a hit.”

Popularity

And a hit it certainly is! The rehearsals for this high class drama about twelve jury members who have to decide the fate of a boy accused of murdering his father, started in September 2013 and it opened officially a month later. Twelve Angry Men proved to be a success. Thanks to the popularity and marvelous reviews of both critics and audiences, the show has been extended three times.

Understudies

“The show has been running for over seven months now. So we don’t rehearse anymore, although the understudies do once a week,” David says. “I understudy the German immigrant and – wait for it- Robert Vaughn! They make me look older with make-up for that part. I got to perform as the older man for a week, when Robert was down with a slight case of pneumonia. It was good, but also a big challenge! And I did a couple of shows as the German immigrant. That was great, I love going on stage, I really do.”

Competitive world

As it is with any job, being an actor also has its downsides. “You may be on top of the world and then not work for two years,” he explains. “It’s not always easy to find a job within this competitive world. You’re lucky if you get to audition. It’s not even about getting the job, the lucky ones are the ones who get a lot of auditions! I created my own jobs over the years. When you manage to get or create a job and you’re at the beginning of the run, you don’t think about the ending. It’s like when you’re a kid at the start of summer vacation, you feel like it’s never going to end!”

Edinburgh

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end…The cast of Twelve Angry Men will do the final show in a couple of weeks. David however does have another job opportunity lined up for him. “I have an offer to do a show in Scotland if I want to,” he confides. “It’s called ‘The Capone Trilogy’; three one hour gangster themed plays. I really want to do it because I get to perform three shows a day in Edinburgh, with no days off. It’s like a marathon!”

David is no stranger to the Scottish city. He has performed in Edinburgh for 14 years straight, at the famous Fringe Festival of Edinburgh, but also in cities across the globe such as Berlin, Adelaide and Amsterdam. In 2010 he won the Adelaide Fringe Award for Best Theatre Performer for ‘THE EVENT’.

A/N: If you want to see David Calvitto in Twelve Angry Men, starring alongside Hollywood legend Robert Vaughn, Jeff Fahey and Sean Power among others, I suggest you rush to London’s Garrick Theatre before the final curtain call on the14^th of June 2014!