FOR RICHARD BRANCATISANO, IT was quite a leap from performing in Wind in the Willows at the Sydney Botanical Gardens to playing the title role in Vin, the latest production by Jigsaw Theatre Company.
As Brancatisano explains, Vin is the catalyst for the play's major thematic concerns: 'Vin is about growing up, and finding out who you are. As far as the young characters Joey and Podge are concerned, Vin is everything a man should be. He's sexually active, he's older, influential, charming, confident, and very charismatic.'
Brancatisano was instantly attracted to the role. 'I felt I had the right physical look for the character, and it was such a challenging role,' he says. 'The script is poetic, and the structure of the play is fantastic. You can see inside the characters' heads; the audience is given a real insight. When I was younger, these were the themes and ideas that I would have liked to see onstage. I also found myself relating to Joey and Podge, especially in their search for a role model in the suburbs. The play makes you recall those childhood heroes. When you are a kid, those people are more than human.'
Most notably, the script for Vin is laced with sexual tension, particularly as Joey finds himself physically drawn to Vin, whose sexuality is ambiguous. While television, film and theatre have all become increasingly explicit in terms of sexual content and references, Brancatisano maintains that homosexuality continues to be taboo in both schools and mainstream culture. 'For young people especially, it's really hard to express same-sex desire. At school relationships were only considered to exist between guys and girls. We didn't discuss sexual preferences at all.'
In light of this, Vin makes some important points about the expression of sexuality and widespread homophobia. 'Joey lives in the western suburbs, where you get beaten up for this kind of thing,' Brancatisano says. 'It's not as if he's living in Paddington, or in the Cross somewhere. These characters are young, and they don't have supportive fathers or friends around. If young people come to this play and relate to the characters or learn something from their experiences, then I think it's fantastic.'
Presently, Brancatisano is studying drama at Theatre Nepean, and recently starred in Boyband, a play written by Nick Beech who also plays the role of Joey in Vin. He might have discovered theatre a bit later in life than many young actors, but he possesses the palpable enthusiasm of a recent convert. 'Theatre is live. It's tangible: you can smell it, hear it and see it. When I was young, I spent a bit too much time playing computer games and watching TV. Theatre is more social; people go away and talk about the show later. As a performer, the friendships within a production are also really amazing. The more I act, the more I enjoy it.' [Article information courtesy of Artlook.com.au.]

Richard was among 100 Australian entertainers featured in New Woman magazine's August issue. The article featured brief Q&As with all of the entertainers, regarding their past dating experiences and such. Here is what Richard had to say:

Richard Brancatisano, 22, Sydney NSW.

Job :- Theatre Actor
Height:- 178cm
Star Sign :- Scorpio

Looking for a girl who :-appreciates everything.
He'd take her:- somewhere beautiful with a bottle of red wine, some music & some photos.
His ex describes him as:- outgoing & very determined.
His most embarassing moment on a date:- it was raining & his windscreen wipers weren't working, so he had to manually wipe his windscreen at every set of lights. It was only funny for a while.
What he wished to change about himself:- He would like to be a little more patient.
His favourite way to relax:- play a few tunes on his guitar.