0°C | Thursday November 13, 2025 
23 June 2025
By James Mullan
Albert Mwangi has returned to Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre to take on the lead in Primary Trust, in what he describes as the most challenging role of his career to date.
Speaking to The Sun ahead of the production, Mwangi reflected on his unconventional path from marketing to acting, his initial disdain for stage work, and the process of embracing a role he says demands emotional vulnerability and presence.
“I grew up loving film and TV… but I hated working in an office and hated working in marketing,” said Mwangi, who trained in Brisbane before shifting his focus to acting. He initially sought out screen work exclusively, avoiding theatre. “I never thought of being a stage actor… doing nothing related to stage.”
That changed during his time at NIDA. “The more I studied and the more I got to understand, I fell in love with the stage and I have equal love for both of them now,” he said.
Mwangi said he finds the demands of live performance exhilarating. “You are pretty much the editor… you start, but there’s nothing to stop it. You have to go through it till the end, and there’s fear… and nerves,” he said. He also praised the dynamic nature of working with a live audience: “Whether they’re listening intensely and being quiet or responding vocally, it’s just something you can get nowhere else.”
The role of Kenneth in Primary Trust came via director Darren Yap, a previous collaborator from NIDA days. “We did a musical called Next to Normal together… working with him was such a great pleasure,” Mwangi said. So much so that he accepted the role without reading the script. “I didn’t know he was sending me a script for the main character,” he laughed.
The story resonated deeply. “I couldn’t put the script down and I cried at the end,” Mwangi recalled. “This is going to be the most challenging piece of my career so far.”
Primary Trust, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Eboni Booth, follows 38-year-old Kenneth whose life of routine—working at a bookstore and drinking nightly mai tais with his best friend—is disrupted by a sudden layoff, triggering a journey of self-discovery.
“When I first read it, my immediate reaction was, wow, this is extremely vulnerable,” said Mwangi. “His story… it’s such a human experience and it’s something that could happen to anyone.”
He praised Booth’s script as deceptively simple. “Rehearsals have been challenging because this piece is so simply written, but the simplicity is what brings out the complexity… it hits you like a train. But to be able to portray that is the challenge.”
Mwangi is joined by Charles Allen, Peter Kowitz and Angela Mahlatjie. “They’re awesome… we all have different approaches, and it’s been such a beautiful synergy,” he said. “I’ve learned something from each and every one of them.”
Despite the play’s emotional depth, Mwangi said rehearsals have also been fun. “It’s been a joy, to be honest,” he said.
For audiences, he suggests they prepare for “some very offbeat and a lot of vulnerability and a really human experience.” Early audience reactions during previews, he said, have already revealed how relatable the play can be. “You hear people going… because they relate to it, and it’s not even a planned thing. Their body naturally just responds.”
Primary Trust runs at Ensemble Theatre until July 12, with tickets available at ensemble.com.au.