There are career milestones, and then there are the ones that feel like the first page of a whole new chapter. For NIDA graduate Samir Nasser, stepping onto the Ensemble Theatre stage in David Williamson’s Top Silk was one of those moments, embraced with equal parts excitement and gratitude.

While audiences may already recognise Samir from his screen work, including George Basha’s upcoming feature film Caught Up, Top Silk marked his arrival on the professional stage. What impressed me most was his humility. He spoke generously about director Mark Kilmurry and castmates Rachel Gordon and Nicholas Brown, approaching every rehearsal as an opportunity to absorb, grow and refine his craft.

During our chat, we discovered there’s a small generational gap between us when Samir casually mentioned he’d never held a Walkman before. As someone who grew up rewinding cassette tapes with a pencil, I suddenly felt about a hundred years old. It was a lovely reminder that while Top Silk belongs to another era, its themes remain remarkably current.

We spoke about making the leap from screen to stage, finding himself in the character of Mark Fredericks, and why David Williamson’s 1989 classic still has plenty to say to audiences today.

So without further ado, here’s Faith’s Top 5 with Samir Nasser. Let’s make an entrance!

Q1. Stepping into your professional stage debut is a significant career milestone. What has the experience been like, both as an actor and as a person?

It’s been a wonderful experience. I haven’t actually done a full-scale professional stage production before, so it’s all been a real first for me.

I’ve been working with such talented and accommodating actors. They’re all lovely, especially Rachel Gordon and Nicholas Brown, who I share most of my scenes with. They’ve been amazing to work with, and because they’re so generous, you can really explore, experiment and try different things. It’s been such an accommodating space, and I’ve learned so much already. It’s honestly been phenomenal.

Q2. Alongside Top Silk, you’ll also appear in George Basha’s upcoming feature film Caught Up. How do you approach the different demands of performing live theatre versus acting for the camera?

The characters couldn’t really be more different. In Caught Up I play a young, unhinged criminal, so it’s been such a joy jumping from one completely different personality to another.

Acting for screen made stepping onto the stage for this production even more daunting. They feel similar, but they’re two very different mediums. Screen acting is much more contained, whereas on stage I have to be conscious of projecting, filling the space and performing for a live audience.

It was definitely a challenge at first, but working with director Mark Kilmurry made the transition much easier. He’s incredibly patient and such a brilliant director, so I settled into it pretty quickly.

Q3. David Williamson’s Top Silk has returned to the stage for a new generation of audiences. What’s it been like collaborating with director Mark Kilmurry, the cast and creative team to bring this story to life?

It’s been really rewarding. Nowadays, especially in such a digital age, it’s great that live theatre is still thriving, so to be included in something like this revival has been really exciting. David Williamson’s writing is so brilliant. It flows beautifully, and everyone has brought such great ideas to make the play connect with audiences today.

Director Mark Kilmurry has been fantastic to work with. I honestly didn’t know what working with a theatre director would be like because I’d never done it before, but he’s super flexible with actors’ choices. We’d get up on the floor, experiment and explore different approaches and really feel out what worked. We genuinely married our ideas, and that made the whole process really special.

The cast has been amazing too. I was a little nervous walking into a room full of people who’d done this time and time again, but I never felt out of place. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming. I felt like I was at home with them, like a little family.Rachel Gordon and Nicholas Brown are so experienced and so good that I honestly found myself giving a better performance just by working opposite them.

Seeing the finished set for the first time was incredible. It looked amazing, and I was so excited to be part of bringing this play to a new generation.

Q4. As Mark Fredericks in Top Silk, your character finds himself at the intersection of family loyalties and professional pressures. What has been the most rewarding challenge in bringing him to life?

What drew me to Mark Fredericks was actually how similar he feels to me.Starting this journey was really about understanding his struggles. He has two parents with very different expectations. One is much more understanding, while the other expects him to excel academically, but Mark Fredericks has a very creative brain.

The most rewarding challenge has been understanding a character from a time I wasn’t part of, and bringing to life someone whose strengths don’t fit the traditional academic mould. Especially back then, having a creative mind instead of an academic one wasn’t always as accepted, and I think that’s something people can still relate to today.

The play is also set before the digital age, so I get to wear a Walkman in the show, which is awesome. I’d never actually held one before, so that’s been pretty funny.

Q5. David Williamson’s plays are renowned for entertaining audiences while asking big questions. What do you hope people are still thinking or talking about after they’ve seen Top Silk at the Ensemble Theatre?

I think different generations will probably take away different things from the play. For me, it’s about recognising that there isn’t just one way to learn or succeed. My character, Mark Fredericks, struggles at school because of dyslexia, and I hope audiences come away thinking about the fact that people experience the world differently.

As an actor, I really connected with Mark Fredericks’ creative mind. I wasn’t someone who necessarily excelled academically either, but I found my strengths in other areas. I hope people leave thinking about that, that success doesn’t always look the same for everyone.

Bonus Question. What question were you secretly hoping I’d ask, and what’s your answer?

* What moment in rehearsals made you realise this production was going to be something special?

I’d say it was our first full run. Up until then we’d mainly been doing table reads and working on individual scenes, so I was pretty nervous. But once we ran the whole play, everyone was just relaxed and free. People were trying anything they wanted, improvising, exploring and having fun.

That was the moment I realised this was going to be such a safe place to work and try things. The professionalism in the room came from everyone feeling comfortable enough to take risks while staying completely focused.

I remember thinking, “This was going to be a great place to spend the next three months.” And it absolutely was.

Top Silk plays at Ensemble Theatre from 31 July to 12 September 2026. For tickets and more information see: https://www.ensemble.com.au/shows/top-silk/

I’m off to see if my old Walkman still works. Until then, don’t press stop. Rewind, replay and follow Faith in Theatres on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for more theatre stories worth pressing play on.

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