My Place: Christian Bagin

Christian Bagin. Picture: Shawn Smits.

By Jessica Micallef

Christian Bagin is no stranger to the stage, performing in two shows during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The Riddells Creek resident chats with Jessica Micallef about the two shows and his love for his hometown.

What is your connection to Sunbury and Macedon Ranges?

I’ve lived in Riddells Creek for 15 years. Before that, we lived all over the city. My partner’s parents – they’d been living in the Macedon Ranges for 15 years before that. That’s what drew us up here, the visits on the weekends, we loved the area.

What are you passionate about?

Theatre and gardening. We have a few acres. I do the landscaping [and] planting.

You’re performing in the shows Macdeth and Stark and Dormy during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Tell me about the shows.

Macdeth – It’s a one hour fun version of Macbeth the Shakespeare play. We knock it out in an hour and it’s just silly. It’s a fun, ridiculous silly interpretation of it. I play Macbeth and a witch. We do lots of different roles. When you aren’t a character, you’re playing music, you aren’t constantly on stage.

Stark and Dormy – It’s a puppet show and it’s a tale between father and daughter who run a park and it’s a relationship and things go fun with alien invasions. Both shows are family shows.

What show is your favourite to perform in?

I can’t say. I love them both for different reasons.

What would people be most surprised to know about you?

I’m Hungarian.

What do you like best about the Macedon Ranges?

It’s still got the community vibe. You go to the shops and you run in to people you know. It’s great. A five minute drive from my house and I’m walking in the forest, I just love that. We’ve got this beautiful environment.

If you could change one thing about the area, what would it be?

Bike paths. I’d love to see that happen, connecting all the towns with bike and walking paths.