We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hraban Luyat. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hraban below.
Hi Hraban, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
From an early age, I was blessed with a terrible memory. I don’t remember when it started. It may seem unappealing, but I actually strongly recommend it to everyone: remembering things is terrible. Sometimes, people make mistakes, and as if that isn’t bad enough, now they also have to remember them! Living free from the burden of your past mistakes is a sense of happiness. When was the last time something bad happened? Probably yesterday, but I couldn’t tell you if I tried. I think I had some rough patches in my childhood to be honest, but I’ve forgotten most of them.
The good news? No trauma. No mistakes. To a forgetful person, life is full of promise and wonder. I live every day in blissful ignorance of my past mistakes, ready to repeat them day in and day out.
Of course, the pessimist hears this and thinks, well, what about remembering the good moments? And that would be a valid argument for people to whom good things regularly happen. The lucky few. But I don’t think of myself as special; at least I don’t remember being that. And in that case, you are much better off being forgetful.
It’s easy to be optimistic when you don’t remember anything bad ever happening.
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“That’s what optimistic means, you know. It means stupid.”
— Louis C.K.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
During an actors strike in New York, there’s only one thing you can do: take charge, and make your own work. Luckily, I am surrounded by energized and energizing people who have a desire to put great work on the stage.
In January we have the honor of producing a terrific show: Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, written by Halley Feiffer, in the Herbert von King Cultural Arts Center in Brooklyn, NY. We have a killer cast, director, and crew, the venue is incredible and the show is well on its way to be a giant hit. I’m playing Kulygin, who is in happy but unrequited love with his wife, Masha.
Last year, in cooperation with Iain McLellan and Splendid Salmon, we produced a performance of Bull by Mike Bartlett where I played the lead, Thomas. It was our first production in NYC; we held it at a theater in Brooklyn and it was a huge success; it was a sell-out run, and the success was in large part thanks to our fantastic director, Rebecca Frank. She brought the energy that was necessary for the show, and she’s a great example of the kind of creative you’ll find in New York; people with passion and energy.
Just recently we wrapped on a Scratch Night in Brooklyn, called Tit for Tat; it’s a concept we borrowed from London theaters, where you use their space in downtime to put on new writing by emerging artists. This is an exciting format to be bringing to a city with so many artists who are ready and willing to create new work; the level was extremely high and the performances were very strong. I was very lucky to be able to act alongside them. We are organizing another one come February, this time with an even stronger theme and production quality.
Lastly, in collaboration with Gal Yosepov, we are working on a series of clips showing slices of American life through the lens of every day New Yorkers and Americans. This is a collection of interviews of people of all walks of life, and of course as actors, Gal and I were able to lever much of the training we received at the Stella Adler Studio to build this out into a strong story. It’s always good to be surrounded by talented people, I’m very lucky in that respect.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
– Being lucky. This is probably the best skill you can have. I strongly recommend this to everyone. Make sure you work on your luck. This is by far the biggest differentiator for your success and happiness, regardless of what you choose to do. – Being healthy. If you have the option between being healthy and being unhealthy, I’d go with being healthy. It’s just a lot less stress. I know being mentally unstable is all the rage these days, and anxiety is a badge of honor, but I would caution against it. Being sound of mind, and in control of your emotions, is just a lot more practical it turns out.
– Being born to parents who love you and care for you. This is another biggie. When choosing your parents you should always choose good ones, who are mentally stable, and who don’t have any unresolved childhood trauma they’re waiting to take out on you. Make sure you choose parents who have lived their own lives and are ready to settle down and take care of you. Where luck is the biggest determinant of success, this one is the strongest predictor of happiness.
In summary: be lucky, healthy, and have good parents. Then life is easy.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Absolutely. I am a pack animal through and through. I thrive in groups. The more the merrier. Nothing is quite as exciting as sharing ideas in a melting pot, blending it all together, molding and shaping each other’s work until something crazy, unexpected and completely unique comes out. There’s nothing as energizing, refreshing, and inspiring as working together with others.
And it will sound trite, but honestly the only quality I look for initially is for someone to just show up. Being physically present is the majority of the work done, right there. Just be there. Anything else is gravy. Even the most incompatible, awkward matches can still produce something, if they lean into their differences. The only way to be certain of creating absolutely nothing, is to stay home.
Unfortunately that’s where most dreams end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luyat.com
- Instagram: @hrabanluyat
Image Credits
Larissa Pinkham Joe Loper
