Going from hobby to profession

Performing on stage was once just a hobby for John Bayne, now he gets to make a living out of it.

The actor is part of the Auckland summer Shakespeare performances at the Pop-up Globe.

Originally from Christchurch and now living in south Auckland with his sister, Bayne is performing in As You Like It and Henry V during the two-month season.

With years of amateur theatre behind him, he’s relishing his first professional acting gig.

‘‘It’s always nice to get to do what you love,’’ Bayne says.

‘‘Every day for the past few years I would squeeze theatre into my evenings after work ... Now I get to fill my day with this thing for 40 hours a week. It’s so great to get to do this.’’

The Pop-up Globe is a temporary working replica of Shakespeare’s theatre and is in its second year in Auckland with four stage productions.

This year’s line-up is As You Like It, Othello, Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing and runs from February until May.

Bayne has a background in musical theatre, performing in Christchurch productions of shows like Phantom of the Opera and Sweeney Todd.

It took some convincing for him to quit his day job and make the big move to Auckland for the Pop-up Globe, but he’s glad he did it.

‘‘My friends were all pushing for me to make that jump from having it as a hobby to make it a profession,’’ he says.

‘‘It was hard to leave my comforts but it’s obviously really exciting. Once I decided to focus on my professional dream I’ve been trying to make it work. I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet.’’

He says he managed to get a handle on Shakespeare language and he’s hoping it will be easy for audiences to understand the shows.

‘‘For a lot of people this may be their first exposure to Shakespeare which is absolutely thrilling. There’s a stigma with Shakespeare that it’s just for the rich ... I’m really pleased to be part of this project and I’m excited to help people understand what’s going on.’’

The Pop-up Globe season runs until May 14. Go to popupglobe.co.nz for more information and tickets.

To win two tickets to see As You Like it at the Pop-up Globe Theatre, Auckland, Mon 6 Mar, 7.30pm. Go to our Neighbourly page and comment on this article. That’s it, you’re in the draw!

‘‘For a lot of people this may be their first exposure to Shakespeare which is absolutely thrilling.’’