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An Interview with Mr. Farwell
interview conducted by Davina J & Emily C
transcribed by Emily C
edited by Davina J and Jamie L
High school students are not the only ones completing a year and forging a new path. In this 3-part interview series, we wanted to check in with some of the teachers who are starting new beginnings -- whether that's retirement or a career switch. Through these casual conversations, we hope to gain a better understanding of where our long-time mentors are coming from, and where they’re heading next.
In the three years since he arrived at Taipei American School, Mr. Farwell has become something of a mythic cryptid among students—like a slightly more productive, dip-dyed Mothman, known for his witty asides, chaotic-good energy, and uncanny ability to corral a group of teens on the brink of breakdown into a standing-ovation-worthy performance.
In this conversation with his students, Mr. Farwell traces his winding path to education, reflects on why vulnerability is central to performance, and unpacks what makes student art so electrifying. Along the way, he reminisces about his early theatrical days, critiques the modern educational model, and threatens to escape the interview via an all too conveniently timed fire alarm. The result is a portrait of a teacher who refuses to separate art from life or students from real-world complexity—and who, we’re fairly certain, has never, ever, once toned it down.
— Pen & Palette Editorial Team
Davina: Hi, Mr. Farwell! Can you introduce yourself to us, please?
Mr Farwell: Sure, my name is Mr. Farwell, and I teach theatre, a little bit of AP seminar, and some speech stuff. This is my third year at TAS.
Davina: Okay, so before we start, (laughter) I think it'd be really funny to read the brainstorming notes we put down when we were coming up with questions.
Mr Farwell: Nice.
Davina: We have: punk rock, master's degree from Harvard, ripped off at some point, teaches theatre, and college counselling in the future.
Mr Farwell: Wow, there's… (laughter). As with all great journalism, there are some horrible inaccuracies.
So, I do not have my master's from Harvard. I have a certificate from Harvard. (Chorus of oooohs). Way less cool. A lot cheaper.
What was the other stuff? College counselling? No, no, no…. for the future stuff, that's what I did the Harvard thing for. I got my master's degree in organisational leadership, which is an MBA program, because I was interested in aspects of school leadership. I care about the way that these places operate, and I feel… well. Not trying to throw anyone under the bus, but I just feel like the educational model in general is very outdated, just as somebody who is a teacher.
Which is the last thing that I thought I was going to be, because I hated school! Vehemently. Because of all of the things that I felt like I was forced to do, the paths that I was essentially dictated to walk that I did not want to walk. I think that's why the arts were always a bit of an outlet for me. I mean, I was good at it, but it also provided me with an alternative look at things.
Davina: Yeah, right now, the conversation about the American school system is very hot. What do you think is the most important issue to address?
Mr Farwell: With school? I think a simple way to say it is that we operate in a system that very much came out of the Industrial Revolution. Like factory schooling, because when the children weren't in the factories, they were in school. And I think that we do a poor job when it comes to identifying the strengths and interests and passions of students, and giving them meaningful opportunities to not just do that stuff extracurricularly, but making that a real focus of what they do while they're here. More track-driven programs.
I don't mean track and field. We have to be honest with the way in which we identify students. Where do they show strengths? Where do they show real talent? I'm a big believer in something called flow psychology or zone theory. When you ask the average high school student, "How do you feel?", usually, you'll get either “stressed” or “bored”, right? And one of the reasons you feel stressed is because you are being asked to do things that aren't interesting to you, and the difficulty level does not match your skill level. You feel stressed, anxious, and not connected to what it is that you're doing. On the flip side, if you feel bored, it's because you're being asked to do things that are easy, that are not challenging you in the right ways. And so finding that sweet spot is something that we can do a lot better with.
I just think, especially in independent schools like this one, we're a lot more flexible. We can be more experimental. We can take bigger risks and create more worthwhile learning opportunities.
Davina: Yeah. And I think it does help. As in, educators who used to dislike school might make better educators because they have that different perspective.
What do you think your younger self would say about you now?
Mr Farwell: I mean, for me, it's interesting because… you know that I went to ISM (International School of Manila), and so just being back in this part of the world and doing something that is so aligned with what I used to do in the past in many ways, I think there would be a little bit of a wink and a smile. But I also think there would be an inevitable aspect of, like, "OK, so if you chose this path…"
Because there's always this element with teaching, right? I pursued acting and I enjoyed reasonable success, but it was never something that was making me stable and able to provide for myself and my family, or whatever. And so there was a bit of that realisation, and I had to make that pivot. And so I think that there would probably be this aspect of, like, "what could I have done differently" or "where were moves that I made that weren't as effective" and stuff like that. That's like hindsight 2020 stuff.
But I think that inevitably, what my former self would look at is the fact that I still care about the same stuff that I cared about. I still am passionate about the things that I was passionate about. And so I'm happy. I think I'm happy to see that the fire is still alive.
Emily: Theatre is about stepping into different lives. How has it ever helped you understand your own life differently?
Mr Farwell: A good question. I think that is something that theatre does provide. But at the same time, one of the things that I always say is that whilst you are inhabiting a different set of circumstances and reality, it always has to be very much you.
As opposed to, "Oh, I want to become this other person." It's like, "What would I do in this situation? And why does this person behave so differently?" and trying to find that mesh. One of the things that I say to my students a lot is that acting, I think, is one of the most deeply empathetic exercises because you don't want to just pretend. You want to inhabit. And to do that, you have to think about it so holistically and so deeply. You can fool an audience all day long. But if it's not really in there and rooted, it’s just empty.
I think that for me, the type of theater that does that the most for me is the type of theater that is trying to do something; the type of theater that is trying to make a change; the type of theater that is trying to expose something or comment on a problem or rot within a particular system. That's the kind of theatre that really activates me — the type that is trying to do something as opposed to just trying to entertain.
Davina: So, how did you get started in theatre? And why did you choose theatre over, let's say, speech and debate, which is also about (performance).
Mr Farwell: Right. I did a little bit of acting in middle school. I was living in Yemen, and we did school plays.
I think that it was one of those things that I just felt I was good at. Like immediately. And I think we all have that stuff in our lives, or hopefully you find something, where there's just something about it that clicks a little bit better. You gravitate towards a little bit more, and then you enjoy success relatively quickly. And I mean, success to the extent where you get that feedback or that it's connecting.
And so when I went to high school and moved to Manila… they had auditions, you know, my freshman year, Romeo and Juliet. I got like these three tiny characters in it, but it didn't matter. It was just like I felt like this is where I belonged.
And I don't mean like belong like, "these are my people" or "this is my community". It was more just like this type of work, this level of rigour, the feeling of like, I want to turn over all of these stones. I was just so activated by it. There was nothing that I wouldn't do to get to the ends of what it is that we were exploring. You can certainly help to cultivate that, but I don't think that you can really demand that.
And so I think that it was that. And of course, like I like to entertain, right? There's that aspect, too. And so I love to give people an experience. And just being able to do that was just super rewarding.
Emily: And thinking along those lines, what are some differences between being an actor on stage versus directing the actor?
Mr Farwell: Yeah. So to be honest with you, the directing thing, I think if I think about it, I always wanted to direct in some ways. And that's just because I was acting for so long, I felt like I was effective with that. But then you work with directors and they're not… all good. I realised what not to do. There was just always this thing in me where I wanted to just have a little bit more control over the entire thing, because I had ideas. But when you're an actor, that's kind of a no, no to be like, "I think we should…!" Or giving other actors… like you just don't do it. It's bad form.
So I think that just the idea of realising that I had visions. Concepts. I mean, to be honest with you, the weird thing about directing for me… I don't know, like, for example, what's your creative outlet?
Emily: Visual arts.
Mr Farwell: And I bet you don't know where the ideas come from. It feels there's something… magical, spiritual. It's out there. And I don't question that. But there's constant input. Coming from material but also inside.
That's what I love about directing. I can fulfil all of that input. It's like I can actually make things happen as opposed to, like, oh, I had this idea, but I can't say it like if I'm just an actor. And so I think it just allows me to let that out.
Davina: I'm curious about directing and what the perspective of that is like. I do writing and I also do visual art, but I feel for those artistic mediums, there is… if you fail, it's just you, right? Do you ever feel pressured by, like, oh, if I make a directing decision, it impacts this big production?
Mr Farwell: Yeah.
Davina: How do you cope? (Laughter)
Mr Farwell: Yeah. I mean, that's the thing. I think in order to be a good director, you have to have a good eye. You have to have a really good ear. You have to trust yourself.
But you also have to... I mean, that's why stage managers both love and hate me because I'm constantly changing. I'm never satisfied. If I see something, I say something.
But it's always in service to, you know, making this thing a little bit tighter, a little bit more imaginative or telling the story a little bit more.
But I'm an actor first. My directing style is very much like what I would have wanted as an actor. Because I have that background, I feel it gives me a unique edge or whatever you want to call it. But yeah, to your question, it's terrifying because theatre inevitably is one of these things where you're like… I don't know! And it's like, we open in four days, and I still don't know! And then inevitably it gets there. Which is another wild thing that I still don't understand about theatre, where it's just like… how does this actually all come together?!
But I think that happy accidents are something that's good. And then just creating an environment where people feel driven and open to taking risks and making strong choices and all of that.
I think if you don't care what the audience thinks, that's wrong. Because that's the thing. It's all about the audience, right? That's what we do! We work so hard, and then we're just like. Here you go, I hope you like it!
So I always think about both what I would have wanted as an actor and then what I want as an audience member, so you're constantly flipping back and forth.
Davina: So you've changed a lot. I mean, when you were our age, you wanted to be an actor…
Mr Farwell: I mean, when I was in high school, I got cast in a movie that came and filmed in the Philippines. It's a Vietnam movie, and I went to an open casting call. It was for, you know, background work. And then they called me back, and they're like, "We want to give you the part of blah blah blah."
I was like, "What?!" In my teenage brain, I was like, "That's it! I did it!" You know what I mean?
So you get that level of validation, and it just felt like that's what I was supposed to do. I went to college for it, and I worked professionally for years, and it didn't feel like… well. I didn't belong at all.
It's not like I peaked too early, but I think I was getting some confirmation bias that was unhealthy. It was all like: this is a sure thing! And there was nobody in my sphere who was just like: actually, this is one of the most blah blah blah.
It was just one of those things. But it was fun.
Davina: Yeah. (Pause, nervous laughter) Sorry, I'm reading my question right now and it's like… so heavy. Okay, what's something you had to leave behind to get where you are now, and what did you gain in the process?
Mr Farwell: Well, I can answer that question.
In 2017 I was getting my MFA at LSU (Louisiana State University) because I've been working professionally as an actor for the better part of, over a decade, right. And my wife at the time had finished medical school. We went to Florida so she could do clinical rotations — or, sorry, her residency — at the Mayo Clinic there in Jacksonville.
When we moved to Jacksonville it was, like... okay. We were in New York previously so that I could see what's going on with the New York market. I did some theater and some film in New York, but we had to move. So it's like, okay, I'm gonna put that on pause.
Then, knowing that I was moving to Florida I got my teaching degree so I could make money and help support us. I taught writing for a little bit and then I found a film/tv job that I turned into a theater program at a public school there in Jacksonville.
Then I realized: I do actually really enjoy teaching! But I don't want to teach at the middle high school level. If I'm going to do this, I want to teach at the university level. But in order to do that, you have to have your master's, an MFA. There's no PhD in acting. An MFA program is all audition-based. You audition for programs, and if you get in, it's a full scholarship and a stipend. It's really a great situation. I got accepted into five or six programs, but the reason I chose LSU is because all the other ones were three years, and this one was two, and I wanted to get this on the road, you know what I'm saying?
Anyway, I went to LSU. Great program. And my wife, she was a practicing physician and a hospitalist. We were doing that and it was great.
And then in that year she got really sick and passed away very suddenly.
So it was like… my whole life was just like… oh, okay. It's like 2017, 2018, and I didn't know what to do. But I didn't want to stay here, you know, so I made the really tough decision to remove myself from the MFA program and went back to my parents' house. They were living in the states at the time, and they're just like: okay, so what do you need? Take some time.
I was like: I'm just not really… I mean, I listened to people and I listened to myself, but something in me was just like: if I sit around, I'm gonna go crazy.
I grew up internationally. I missed it. But it was late in the hiring season; this is like May, so all the jobs are already filled. But there was a school in Mexico City, ASF (The American School Foundation), and they had gotten rid of their theater person. I don't know what happened… well, I later learned what happened. Whatever, they deserved to have been let go. Anyways, I applied for it and just got that job. I was there for three/four years through COVID and stuff. It was cool, I liked it.
And then this job came up, and I hustled my way into this position, and here I am.
I think that kind of answers your question.
Davina: Yeah, it does but… wow.
Mr Farwell: As messed up as all that was, I ended up happy. I mean it turned out… not for the best in the sense of like: I'm so glad that happened. More like, things like that are going to happen in your life. Tragedy and super awful things that are out of your control. They'll happen! And the old cliche is true: it's not what happens to you, it's what you do.
So I think it taught me that I have a ton of resilience. I'm able to persevere. Which is good for any line of work, especially for an actor.
And that's when I started directing. It's still relatively fresh to me.
Emily: Would you ever go back to do the MFA again?
Mr Farwell: That's a great question. I've looked into it, maybe in a way-future sense. But that would be me saying I want to go and work in the university system, and that's not something that I'm really craving at all. Because I don't want to live in America… maybe ever. Growing up the way I did – overseas — I've never felt particularly attached to the United States.
Davina: You mentioned being ripped off at some point…? Referring to the war movie about the doctor…
Mr Farwell: Oh yeah! Yeah, this is crazy. So the movie was called Under Heavy Fire. It was originally called Going Back, and it stars Casper Van Dien, who had just finished Starship Troopers, so he was a big big star. (Blank stares from interviewers.) I mean, I didn't know who that was either, but anyways.
When we were doing this movie, the whole concept was that there were these flashback sequences, and I was in the flashback sequences. My character, Doc Jordan, who was the gay medic — okay, the number of times I've been cast as gay people…. It’s like, do you know something? But no, uh, anyways. I remember just the whole time being like… what? They're doing old age makeup and stuff that doesn't look great, you know? When you watch the movie, you're like: no, that's just him with a gray beard.
Anyway, we did the movie. 9-11 happened. That really messed up distribution. It’s kind of an anti-war movie… It's critical of the US government. I think there was actually a whole different movie that existed, and they lost distribution. Then they changed the name to Under Heavy Fire and tried to repackage this as more like an action movie. But that was that.
That movie happened. About five or six years later, after I went all through college — by the way, the movie was filmed when I was in high school. Yeah, I was like 16. So I really was a child – which made sense – and everybody else is like 40. Anyways, my buddy's like, “Dude congrats on the film!”
I was like, “What film, like what are you talking about?”
He's like, “The Veteran!”
I was like, “What's that?”
I go online. We all Google ourselves, I'm sure, but I was like: Austin Farwell Veteran. And it's like: boom boom boom!
I was like: I didn't do this movie. This must be some mistake. It was, like, a straight-to-DVD piece of crap. But there were weird actors in it, like Ally Sheedy from The Breakfast Club. Why? I don't know. And Michael Ironside, who's this really famous Canadian actor. Because it was an American Canadian production company, I guess.
Here's what they did: when we filmed Under Heavy Fire, Sidney Furie — he was the director. Still alive, that guy. He's an old school, big-time director. He got nominated for an Oscar. Lady Sings the Blues, the Billie Holiday story, did all the old Supermans, The Boys in Company C… this guy is a big deal. He was very much just like: let's just improv! Let’s just roll tape!
And so there were all of these scenes where I was just improv-ing my character. Multiple characters had all this footage. But I guess somebody saw my footage and they're like: let's make a whole movie about this guy!
So Michael Ironside plays me as an old man. And then they keep flashing back to unreleased scenes of me in Vietnam, and, like, that's the movie!
And they never contact me about it. They certainly didn't pay me for it! I talked to an entertainment lawyer, I was like, "There's no way, right?"
And he's like, "Do you have your contract from the original film?"
Dude, the contract they made me sign was like: every image and likeness from here until perpetuity, the end of all time in any planet, universe (belongs to us)…. It's ridiculous.
He’s like, "You're screwed."
So that was that. I mean, I even reached out to them. I was like, guys, this isn’t cool, like we could have done something with this! I could have… you know, we could have had some other scenes.
Whatever, it's so bizarre.
Davina: Okay, so the moral of the story is to read the contract.
Mr Farwell: The moral of the story is to read the contract. But also, when you're just starting out, you're gonna do anything. So it doesn’t even matter. If they want to screw you over, they're gonna screw you over.
Emily: Such an interesting story.
Mr Farwell: I always took it as… slightly a compliment. It's like, the improv was so good, we can't just let this rot!
I mean, I've talked to so many actors and stuff, and nobody has ever heard of a situation even remotely like that. I was like… cool, the first time everything!
Davina: We love how the industry treats teenagers!
Mr Farwell: Very exploitative, always has been.
Davina: How do you think you've changed since you were our age? In terms of priorities and values.
Mr Farwell: I'm much more caring about others. When I was in high school, younger, I viewed acting and everything as like a blood sport. I was so competitive. I don't think that served me at all, because the more I've gone through this, I’ve realised this is a very collaborative process. It's not as cutthroat as I thought it was. It's cutthroat to the extent that there's always gonna be tough decisions made that are out of your control. But it's really about fostering good relationships and making sure that you know people. You gotta put yourself out there: not in a way of like, look at me, but in a way of like, I'll do whatever it takes.
But then, in other ways, I feel I'm very much the same person. I’ve always been pretty outspoken. I’ve always enjoyed getting a rise out of people. I’ve always enjoyed making people laugh. I’ve always been, uh, loud. That’s all very much a part of me. I've always wanted to be the best that I can be. Not like the best, like, we're gonna be the best. It's just like, whatever I'm involved in, I'm 100% in.
I think that if I saw myself in high school right now, it'd be very cringey, you know what I mean? Because I was a little bit out of control. I've chilled a little bit there. But then, of course, when people meet me for the first time and they're just like, “Yo, man, you need to mellow out.” So, like, maybe not at all. (Laughter.)
Emily: So, as you may know, we're both seniors and we're heading off to college. What advice do you have for people like us?
Davina: (Laughter.) For our people, our generation.
(Alarm Blares: Attention, please, this is the fire alarm. Please remain in your seats…)
Whoa.
Emily: Okay. Wow, a cool twist.
Mr Farwell: I had such good advice, but you'll never know.
(Alarm stops)
Davina: …Are we good?
Mr Farwell: I think that must've been a false alarm.
Emily: Someone just decided to pull the alarm?
Mr Farwell: There was definitely not a fire alarm scheduled.
Davina: Okay. Good to know.
Mr Farwell: So, unless it's a real fire…
Davina: I think if it's a real fire, it'll keep going, right?
Mr Farwell: Right.
Davina: Okay, okay, we're good. Okay.
(Silence)
Emily: Should we leave that in? (Laughter.)
Mr Farwell: And at that moment, Mr Farwell pulled the fire alarm and ran.
Davina: And we never saw him again!
Mr Farwell: Some say he's still alive...
Uh… advice. I think that what I've noticed in TAS is — and I'm not saying this is unique only to TAS, I just see it more because of where I am, like as a teacher or whatever — but people take themselves way too seriously. To the extent that they have deluded themselves into thinking that success here is an absolute crystal ball for what's coming next.
Man, that's just so not true. I think that one of the most important things you can do is pay attention to what drives you and what gets you motivated. Not to say that not everybody's gonna be a painter or everybody's gonna be an actor, but we sure don't all need to be lawyers or fricking economists or doctors.
Davina (who has mentioned thinking about being a lawyer): …Stop looking at me.
Mr Farwell: Be kind, be open, put yourself out there and understand opportunities come when you take risks. I don't think there's much risk-taking in pre-planning your fricking life. That sounds like risk management, right? You'd better be in situations where things are uncomfortable; “I don't know what the heck I'm doing”; “I failed, I suck.” But I like these people, or I've never tried that before, so I'm gonna do it. That's where real growth, that's where magic happens. That's where you'll surprise yourself. That's where you're like, “Wait, I never thought I'd be…”, like the people that end up in great situations.
So often, the people who are doing their best and living lives that are really rewarding are the ones who are like, “I never imagined that I would be here.” But the reason that they ended up there was because they continually put themselves into situations that were unusual, uncomfortable, and unfamiliar. Not to pad a CV, not because they thought it would look good to others, but because they were pursuing things.
(Alarm Blares)
Damn.
Intercom: The emergency is over.
Emily and Davina: Yay (clapping)!
Intercom: Please do not evacuate. Please proceed with normal school operations.
(Intercom chimes loudly)
Intercom: 請勿疏散。請學校正常運作...
Mr Farwell: It’ll be funny if she completely contradicts what she said in English. Like, “Just kidding, get out!!”
(Intercom chimes loudly)
Oh, good lord.
Intercom: The emergency is over. Please do not evacuate...
Emily and Davina: Yay... (without clapping)
Emily: Just in case you didn’t hear it the first time.
Davina: The first time, I was like, “Maybe there is still an emergency!” But they said it twice, so…
(Intercom stops)
Mr Farwell: Uh… so, nothing groundbreaking here, but college is a playground. College is a place where you have opportunities to completely reset some stuff.
But people think they're gonna go to college and like, reinvent themself. No, you're not. You're the same person that you are. But it is identifying things. Like, “Man, I wasn't able to be this part of me because I was worried about…” That's where college can be a place where you can just be like, “Yeah, absolutely.” Like, “Finally, I can wear pajamas to class.“ I think that one of the things that acting teaches you is that A) there's nobody waiting for you, and 2) [sic] people are so self-involved that nobody cares what you're doing. If you want people to care about what you're doing, then do cool stuff.
But this idea that “if I do this then I'll be judged” is so stupid. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist in high school. But man, when you get to college, it is an opportunity to like, rip off your training wheels and guardrails and take some risks. But not risks that are gonna get you in terrible trouble or hurt you.
College is a playground. College is an incubator. College is a place to dabble. College is a place to change your mind 7,000 times. College is a place to get your heart broken 100 times. College is a place to like, do the thing. And of course, class. And thinking about next steps. But that's gonna present itself to you. Just keep testing different waters because that's what colleges are so good about. Most colleges in the States are liberal arts for a reason. They were developed to be places where you can experiment.
And I just feel like so many of our kids are going to college and they're just like (gestures). Like, okay, but you're not gonna be that happy and you're gonna miss out on a lot. And the stuff that you miss out on, you could have met that person, or you could have been part of that community. And who knows what that can lead to?
The most successful actors I know, for example, are the ones who try to build community because then it's like, we help each other, right?
Davina: What do you see as the next step in your journey? Like, we had to do an exercise recently where we had to send a letter to our 10-year future self. So in the same vein, in 10 years, what's one thing you hope is very different in your life and one thing you hope is the same?
Mr Farwell: One thing that I hope is the same is that I'm still in the wonderful marriage that I am. I hope that I'm still helping kids navigate life and school. One thing that I hope is different is…I draw an analogy to the directing thing, right? One of the reasons that I got into directing is just, I wanna be able to implement a little bit more. Same thing with leadership. I wanna have a seat at the table that carries a little bit more influence so that I can start to build new initiatives that I think will be super student-focused, but change school in a way that makes some new breakthroughs.
I think that there's a lack of creativity and experimentation in large international schools. I think that needs to change. And it's so funny, because I'm 41 and like in so many ways, that's not young, but it's still… like you look at the political system, it's like, “I'm 70.”
Our systems are still so antiquated. It's the next generation's turn to get it there and like, and mess things up a little bit.
Davina: (Jokingly) You're gonna run for president.
Mr Farwell: Well, no, definitely not that. They're just gonna be like, “It’s The Veteran guy!” (Laughter). Like, “He's gay!”
Immortalised forever. Immortalised forever by that film.