Marcus Takizawa is no stranger to the stage, since he's been earning money as a performer since he was an 11-year-old student at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
But he's not as familiar with being at the centre of the storm - or, more accurately, the tempest.
The North Burnaby resident and his viola appear in this season's mainstage production of The Tempest at Bard on the Beach.
He's one of four musicians who appear onstage in a costumed string quartet (though a less than traditional one, since the usual cello has been replaced by a bass), performing original music by sound designer Alessandro Juliani to accompany the entire production.
"I haven't done much theatre at all, so this has all been new to me," Takizawa says with a grin that expresses his enthusiasm for the experience.
The 35-year-old musician has an extensive professional background - he comes to the stage with a master's degree from the Juilliard School of Music, and his resumé includes such groups as the Turning Point Ensemble, Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
He's come a long way down a musical road that began when his parents enrolled him in violin lessons at age three-and-a-half. He grew up in New West, attending French immersion elementary school in Coquitlam and then high school at St. Thomas More, and all the while continued his music lessons - including several years at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
He found his true musical love in the violin's less-popular sibling, the viola.
"There are qualities of viola that are unique," he says. "It's a warmer sound."
But, he notes, the instrument's proportions - which are "squashed" compared to a violin - and the fact that violists must learn to read alto clef (rather than the common treble) make it more challenging.
"The viola's dynamic range is a little smaller," he says. "It's incredibly expressive, but it just requires more work."
Not to mention, of course, that it's often outshone by its flashier orchestral siblings.
"You're in the trenches. You're always surrounded, you've got the violins here and the cellos here," he says, gesturing to either side. "It's like you're the middle kid."
He laughs, but it's clear he loves his instrument.
And it's certainly proven to be worth his while knowing both viola and violin, since he's been kept busy as a freelance musician for the past nine years, since he returned to the Lower Mainland after graduating from Juilliard.
"The typical life of a freelance musician in Vancouver is, you never say no," he laughs.
His foray into summer theatre, he says, has been an immensely rewarding one.
So far, he says, the most eye-opening part of the Bard on the Beach experience has been the lack of a conductor.
Though bass player Mark Beaty is the music director, meaning the quartet takes their cues from him, there's no conductor standing in front of the stage to keep all the performers together.
"You really have to focus on playing together," Takizawa notes. "We have to be especially attentive. You can't ever go on autopilot."
But Takizawa is enthusiastic about the rewards that have come along with the experience - not the least of which is that he's part of a quartet that's playing newly composed music.
"We're trying to find the nuances into the music, we're growing into the music," he says. "You're developing a relationship with the music, evolving the history of the music."
Moreover, he notes, having Juliani on hand as the production's sound designer means the musicians can collaborate directly with the composer - something that never happens in a traditional orchestra setting.
He's full of praise for Juliani and the production's director, Meg Roe, for working so cooperatively with the musicians.
"They've always been open to my ideas, so you actually feel a sense of collaboration," he says.
He says that collaborative spirit is pervasive in the Bard on the Beach company.
"The impression I get from Bard on the Beach is that genuinely everyone loves to be there, they're genuinely committed to the production," he says. "Everyone's working towards the same goal - you want the production to be the best that it can be."
Takizawa will be onstage with The Tempest through July.
For more on The Tempest or to buy tickets, see www.bardonthebeach.org or call the box office at 604-739-0559.
