Zack Polanski has been leader of the Green Party for three months, but he already appears comfortable on Newsnight. The Pygge hears this is because he’s had a lot of practice.
Early in his political career – when he was still a Lib Dem – Polanski’s day jobs included roles in immersive theatre, including a major part in the secretive (and critically acclaimed) production You Me Bum Bum Train. A source who acted alongside Polanski at this time has told The Pygge more about the role Polanski occupied in the production: “he was playing the part of a Newsnight presenter”.
You Me Bum Bum Train is a production in which audience members – or “passengers” – move through different parts of a performance. The Pygge isn’t going to spoil it with more details than that, but we can tell you that Polanski’s role involved roleplaying a “high-tension” TV news interview, over and over again, for several hours a night.
“He was very much immersed in that character”, a source who worked with Polanksi on the production told the Pygge. “He clearly felt he was the star of the show. I watched him being this person, night after night… … It was his job to get a negative or positive reaction from the passenger, and he was very good at doing that… He was skilled at perceiving who the person was and knowing which particular set of lines to use in order to get the right reaction.”
Outside work, the source said Polanski’s behaviour wasn’t all that different. The person said Polanski was “very passionate about being a politician” and “very passionate about being the centre of attention… he was very good at playing a role.” Watching Polanski on the real Newsnight, the source said it “feels like he’s playing a role now. He’s a very good method actor.”
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