Episode Six: Earnest Chaos, Mime Romance & Young Women Finding Their Voice

Adelaide Fringe is in full swing and Episode Six dives deep into joyful chaos, physical theatre and urgent storytelling.

🎭 …Earnest? (Say It Again, Sorry?)
What happens when the lead actor doesn’t show up and the audience becomes the cast? Josh and Rhys unpack how Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest transforms into an interactive experiment in identity, ego and theatrical bravery. By the final bows, there are no professional actors left, only audience heroes.

🤍 Joylyn Secunda & Marcel Cole — Partners in Mime
From The Routine to Smile: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, two physical theatre artists share how they met at Fringe, fell in love, and built wordless worlds of movement, magic and mischief. We explore clowning, ballet, silence, and why physical comedy still cuts deeper than dialogue.

🩰 Amy Raitman — PleaseDon’tCatchMeWhenIFall
A daring contemporary dance work bringing together performers three decades apart in age. Amy reflects on risk, improvisation, agency, and why young women’s perspectives remain urgent on stage.

🔥 Open Room Theatre — Ripe
A late-night Sydney story of two 18-year-olds navigating power, ownership and danger on New Year’s Eve. The cast discuss why these themes remain painfully current and why we so often centre powerful men instead of the girls.

Plus: Fringe highlights from Gluttony Gala, Slingsby at the Botanic Gardens, Ladyboys of Bangkok, Celestial Gardens, and more.

From audience-led theatre to mime romance to generational dance, this episode is a reminder that live performance is unpredictable, intimate and electric.

🎧 Recorded on Kaurna land.
 🎭 Adelaide Fringe 2026.
 📍 The Arts Garden on 3D Radio.

Transcript

got in the Arts Garden with, uh, James and also Bronwyn, , a, a packed Adelaide Fringe, uh, show tonight. Uh, before the show began, I spoke with two of the cast members of Earnest, a very funny show at Gluttony, and so you'll hear that. We've got, uh, a couple of mimes out in, uh, the kitchen having a cup of tea, a an actual cup of tea.

They're not miming it. Um, Jolene and Marcel, and we're also gonna be, uh, speaking to a dancer from, uh, Victoria, Amy, who is gonna be in talking about their show at Goodwood Theaters after seven 30,

Hello, busy during festivals in fringe season, and so welcome, uh. Bronwyn and yes, all these shows are keeping me busy getting the Vox swaps together. Yeah, no, and hearing what audiences have to say.

In the studio now we've got, uh, joylynn, uh, NDA all the way from Canada with uh. Who's brought their show back to the Adelaide Fringe, the routine.

And so that's, uh, while we were talking about, uh, the routine. And, uh, we've got, uh, Marcel Cole also in the studio, uh, who he's presenting again, a smile, the story of Charlie Chaplin at the chapel, at the courtyard of [00:01:00] curiosities at the Migration Museum. So welcome Marcel and Joly, uh, into the studio. Hey James, thanks for having us.

Hi. Thank you. My pleasure. And, and so we had both of you on together because I. Last year I saw, uh, the routine and I loved it. And I thought, if, if you come back, I need to have you on. And, um, then, but also. I was at the courtyard of curiosity a lot last year and I heard lots of great things about Marcel's Show's smile, which I also didn't get a chance to see.

So I'm gonna see that on, on Wednesday night. And so having you both on made sense, but also, uh, your partners in Mime as well, your, uh, dating each other. And I thought it be a very fascinating insight into, uh, the Mime experience. Uh uh, but did you meet at the, the Fringe Festival last year? Is that how you met or was it before that?

It was, I think Wednesday. This Wednesday. It would've been a year ago. Oh, it was at the Fringe? It was at the Adelaide Fringe. Yeah. Yeah. Last week we met, the first day I arrived in Australia. Hmm. My first day [00:02:00] ever in Australia, actually. Well, I think there's lots of things going on and lots of encounters in the fringe and festival.

It's good to hear one that actually is heartfelt and long lasting and, um, you know, born out of shared interests, obviously. Yeah, because I was, I, I was walking home, uh, from seeing a show on Saturday night and I saw a group of mimes outside. I think the Exeter all gathered together, you know. It, it, it is such a great opportunity, whether it be at the courtyard of curiosity for people that have studied clowning, uh, together or, you know, it's a congregation and where you can meet so many like-minded, uh, people.

Do you enjoy that about the, uh, the fringe and festivals generally? Yeah. It's a great way to make friends who have common interests. Mm-hmm. I think particularly this festival, particularly Adelaide, uh, more so than any other festival, I guess Edinburgh, but Edinburgh is a bit hectic, so Adelaide's a, a really great festival for, for meeting people.

Are there any mannerisms that, you know, you can tell a mime artist at a distance? Like do they kind of have very distinct. Expressions, [00:03:00] or it's normally the white face. It's a little bit more discouraged. Yeah. Yeah. The, the face, the white face does, uh, give it away. Well, that one, okay. Yep. That's a bit of a hint.

And the hat. Yeah, the hat. I do. Yeah, I'll, I do spend a lot of time in costumes, so, so the white, the white face, the, the bowler hat gives it away. But that's a really interesting question. I dunno. Well, one thing I noticed, and maybe it applies more to generally to physical theater people, clowns, but I noticed like in their eyes sometimes there's like a sort of aliveness.

Like when I first met Marcel, I noticed his eyes were really twinkly. So that's what I'm saying. Did you now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was, no, I was remembering back to being in a dance group and because we, we used to dance as a form of communication, so that was how we used to chat. We'd dance with each other, but, you know, so my artist, I was gonna say that.

Yeah. 'cause I used to, I was a dancer for 10 years, so. There is a lot of, you can sort of tell [00:04:00] dancers very often by the way they're dressed or, or the way they do their hair or, yeah, and I think, yeah. I'm not sure what exactly the crossover is to basically, there aren't many mimes in the world, so like it's not something that It's, yeah, it's not something, it's not a common.

Occurrence to meet people who spend, like, there'll be people who dress up as mimes for like costume parties, but to like actually meet someone who spends a good deal of their life working on gesture and posture and stuff like that. I think dance is the closest. So you'll meet many more dancers than you'll meet mimes.

Mm-hmm. Fantastic. And normally when we have guests in, we get them to talk about, tell us about their show. But I thought. Uh, in this instance you could tell each other, you could tell us about the other show and what you love about the other show, because, you know, one of the things I thought about, you know, as you say, not that many mimes.

That's a good idea. Yeah. Not that many mimes in the world, but you know, the, the capacity to learn and feedback and give. Give [00:05:00] feedback to each other about what you love and about their shows and things would be a wonderful part of it. So, Marcel, what do you love about, uh, the routine? Ooh, putting the pressure on.

Let's, so I think particularly at Goodwood, actually, I really love the. And seeing it again, because I see the show every day because I'm at the tech desk. It's really nice to see more and more of the, the objects that aren't there, which, I mean, sounds simple, but it's when you are the mind with no set, no props, uh, and, and particularly having the.

Black, these beautiful, just black curtains behind. So the background disappears yet when Jolynn say, like, makes a wall or, or what are some other things? Uh, yeah, be it climbing a tree or, or climbing a cliff or various things. I've more and more I really appreciate, like it's, it's just magic that. I think that's the magic of theater is that I know that it's not there, but simultaneously I also believe that it's there.

So it's, I think when you start believing both things at the same time, that's when sort of magic starts happening in your head. [00:06:00] Mm-hmm. Fantastic. And yeah, with the routine it is. Uh, Jolyn. You, you go through your morning routine over a, a, a couple of times, and then it goes into this magical world and the thing that amazed me the most, very much touching on what Marcel said, it goes into the such a.

Incredible, uh, kind of fantasy world, but you can tell what's happening. I like, I felt like I could tell what was happening the whole time, even though it wasn't just, you know, there were scenes to begin with when you're driving your car to work and brushing your teeth and things. But no matter where it went, I felt like I was carried along on the story, which was such an incredible, uh, gift I thought.

And then. Uh, yeah. So, uh, but, uh, what do you love about a smile and Marcel's smile? Not his smile, smile, but his show smile. I know you like his smile as well with the tinkling eyes and stuff. Yeah, I love the show and it's always different every time because there's a lot of audience interaction. Um, but I remember like the first time that I saw the show, I was just.

I was smiling the whole time and I was just on the [00:07:00] edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. And, um, yeah, but I really think he has a real gift for, um, connecting with individuals in the audience. And, um, he's very sensitive, um, with the audience interaction. So he's very good at listening to, to how the person responds and responding, um, back to them.

So I, I think as an artist I'm like very inspired by that. Um, but also it's, yeah, it's very beautiful and it's moving and it's funny and um, yeah, it's a really nice story, but also with so much play and joy in it. Fantastic. Bronwyn, you thinking away there? I've got some other questions, but, um, what are you thinking?

Well, because your story is the story of um, Charlie Chaplin. Do you tell that fully in mind or do you have other media as well, rather back to his life? Yes, because I can imagine it's quite a complex story. There is. And. Well, naturally it's like a, he's, it's based heavily off his autobiography. Mm-hmm. Uh, which is itself about [00:08:00] 600 pages or something.

Mm-hmm. So trying to fit that into an hour with one person on stage, good luck. But so, so there've been lots of executive decisions and, and, and you have to choose which stories to tell and a question of cutting back a lot of stuff. But it's, it is in the story of his, the style of his films. And so. A lot of people don't know, I think, is that Charlie Chaplin actually made talky films as well, so No, I did not know that.

Well, exactly. So everyone, wow. Like, how does Charlie sound? Yeah, exactly. So I'm on the street walking around, and then people sort of start miming at me, and then sometimes I'll mi back, or sometimes I'll, I'll just say, how, how do you do? Or something, and then they're like, oh. Oh, got you. You spoke and then, but it's funny because actually, yeah, Charlie Chaplin, like he made, uh, the great dictator talkie, miss Verdu talkie Limelight, a talkie, a king in New York talkie.

And then he made another film that he wasn't in, but so he made four full length feature film talkies that Yeah, that, that he is not so well known for. Um, everyone remember everyone knows the little slapstick, sort of the little tramp. Uh, but, but yeah, he, he made talkies too. [00:09:00] So when we get to a certain point in the show.

Sound, the, the, the sound is invented, like synchronized sound. And so then, then I can speak in the show. Fantastic. And of course the song Smile as well and you know, but also, uh. The great dictator as well. It wasn't just slapstick, it was very political, obviously, you know about what was happening in Nazi Germany and things like that as well.

So, you know, there's mis misconceptions that it was only, you know, just comedy and didn't have that element, but he had all those whole other elements of his life as well that, but you then you trace it back and you realize that it's there right from the start. Like it's always just the little, the hobo guy kicking the police officer in the pump, like, and if you sort of saw that now, if you saw a hobo on the street kicking a police officer and then running away.

It would have very clear political undertones now, and of course it, I guess did at the time. But, uh, like, and all these films, a lot of it, they're the immigrant, like sort of, it's targeting, it's satire and so I think that. Th his style is sort of inherently political without being heavy handed. It like [00:10:00] it's satire, it's, it's using political context and making jokes out of it.

Fantastic. And I was thinking with the routine as well, that, you know, is there a little bit of political commentary about, you know, an. Office jobs and, uh, you know, the mundane nature of repetitive, you know, going into the office every day and, and longing to, you know, be taken away into a more, uh, you know, back to nature or something like that.

Yeah, yeah. That's definitely the inspiration. Um, trying to. Yeah, find connection, excuse me, through, uh, through nature and, um, and also sort of the social isolation that comes with a lot of, sort of the corporate grind or, um, yeah. That people can kind of get into this isolated state and the character's very isolated and lonely and so finds love throughout the, in, in the portal and the magic of that too.

So fantastic. And you obviously make a great use of. Sound cues and, and music and, and things in, in the show as well. Can you tell us a little bit about how you, uh, use that to help you tell the story as well? [00:11:00] Yeah, I think, um, with mine, because it's so silent, it's nice to have, um, music playing and that can help kind of, uh, with the tone.

Um, there's also some sound effects that, um, kind of give some ideas about the environment as well. Um, so yeah, I, I put together the. Soundtrack just with different music and sound effects that I found. Fantastic. And, and one, one of the elements, uh, with your show that I noticed as well, and is this a mime technique where because you do, without giving too many spoilers away, you do, uh, mannerisms at at one speed and then another speed, and then another speed.

Is that a technique that you do? Uh, in, in the practice of mime to, to speed things up or, or slow things down? Like just, or just more generally. How is Well, it sounds very mechanistic. Well, yeah. How is the, the process of mime, you know, like, because I, I, I'm thinking about this 'cause I saw a show on Friday night called 10,000 Hours about, um, acrobatics and, uh, and circus and how it takes 10,000 hours to master it.

And they go through the, you know, the earliest. Techniques [00:12:00] and then, you know, slowly, um, incrementally increase the complexity. Where do you start with mime? What's the first exercise that you are taught? Or is it the same or did you learn a different one each? Yeah. Well, um, I think with the speeding things up, that's more of a theatrical convention, more than mine specifically.

Um, but I chose to do that just because I wanted to show that. Not just do the routine one time. Mm-hmm. But show that it was a repeated Yeah. Thing. The sort of drudgery of this Yeah. Routine. Um, and I thought the speeding things up would add to the humor of it. Oh, it'll definitely be, yeah. So that it was mostly just for the comedic effect.

Oh, it was very cool. Um, but with learning mime actually, um. I've been doing ballet for a very long time. Actually, Marcel does ballet or he's done a lot of ballet. Um, but my mom is a ballet teacher, so I've taken her classes for many years. Um, and that's definitely influenced my movement skills, um, and.

Then, uh, did some mime classes in the past five years or so. Um, [00:13:00] but most of the training I've done has just been creating the show and, um, problem solving or trying to figure out what's the best way to tell the story through imagery. Uh, but there's some main things. The idea of point fix, um, which is like if you're interacting with an imaginary object, um, if you're, say you're holding it in your hand, that your fingers in your palm would maintain the same shape no matter where you're moving your hand in space, or if you're interacting with an object that's fixed in space, like a table, for example, if you place your hand somewhere.

Um, in space on the table, then even if you move your arms or your torso, your hands have to stay in that exact same spot. So that's one sort of basic technique that applies to pretty much anything that you're miming. Yeah, I was gonna say, but, and then in, uh, we taught a great workshop in Perth. Mm-hmm.

Just yesterday. And, and so what, what would be like the first thing, the first mime exercise? Would you teach the wall? Uh, yeah. Well, one, I mean, it's kind of a classic, but the wall is really a great way to practice point fix. Uh, [00:14:00] just placing your hands on the wall and then removing them. Um, and just kind of having that sort of stiff like engaged, uh, tension in your fingers when you're touching the wall.

And then when you release your hands, having more of a relaxed hand just to show. That you're no longer touching the wall. So that's one tech technique that I sometimes start with. I'm sure it's quite a craft. Oh, it, it, you know, and you know, as I say, I haven't seen smile yet. I'll see that on, on Wednesday night.

But yeah, I was very much blown away by, uh, the routine last year. And then, and you know, as I say, the extent of the storytelling that's possible without. Without words as well. And so people will have the opportunity to go see that for themselves. It kicked off on the 21st of February until the 15th of March is the routine, and that's at, uh, the Goodwood Theater.

And then, uh, smile the story of Charlie Chaplin that kicked off on the, the 19th of February and is running until, uh, the 8th of March, uh, at the, the chapel at the courtyard of curiosity so people can go. Along to the [00:15:00] Fringe website and check that out as well. And where can people, uh, follow you on social media as well if they want to see what you're up to?

Well, for me, if you wanna follow me on Instagram, it's my name, J-O-Y-L-Y-N-S-E-C-U-N-D-A. And, and I've Facebook or Instagram. I've got a, a show page, uh, theater, Marcel. Fantastic. Well, Marcel and uh, Jolyn, thank you very much for coming in and all the best with, uh, the rest of your fringe season. And I know you are, I think you're heading off to the list party tonight as well, so enjoy that.

It's the night off for fringe artists on, on Monday night, and so, uh, yes. Unless, unless you're performing. Yeah. Excellent. Well, uh. Thank you for coming in and, uh, yeah, we'll hope to have you back here, uh, again, uh, next year as well, but all the best for the rest of the season. Yeah. Fantastic. Thanks so much.

See you later. Thank you.

You are tuned. Two the Arts Garden with uh, James and with Bronwyn. Bronwyn. No, I know your name, Bronwyn. I'm just multitasking. Oh, [00:16:00] I'm so relieved to hear that. Um, it's a bit like that this week. Ah, yeah. Who am I co-presenting with again? Well, on the. Yeah, on Saturday night, I was actually at a show that, um, we're gonna hear an interview from in a second called Earnest.

And, uh, I was with my friend there and I was a bit, a bit flat, and they said, are you tired? And I was like, yes, yes, I am very tired because I, I think it was. Show number 11 or something like that. By that point, it's a bit much. It is, it, it is. You learn, you've promised yourself itchy. I'm not gonna do this again.

But then the opportunities come, I know, be too good. And it's like, oh, running around, getting the ball. I know. So, um, I make the same as, but I, this year I've taken my day job off work, um, for four weeks. And so that has made it a lot better. I just very sensible. Rotted in bed all day, as they say. Mm-hmm. Um, and so this is what this, well, I didn't know I was madly getting these wbos together to play.

Oh, well we talk about w this injury with earnest. Um, yeah. But, uh. Earnest is a fantastic show as I [00:17:00] speak with, um, Josh and Reese about, it's a, um, it's a version of the importance of being earnest, but only for the first two minutes or so. And then the audience take over. Uh, so it's gonna be running at the peacock at Gluttony from the 19th of February.

So it's already kicked off until the 22nd of March. It's the whole fringe and. Uh, yeah, I had a very, very fun time. It's definitely the the funniest thing I've seen so far. I've seen some. Uh, incredible, uh, emotional works, uh, as well. Uh, eat the Rich at Holden Street is quite funny as well, but it's not only funny, um, but earnest is definitely a lot of fun and it's good to take a whole group of mates to after if I don't drink.

But if they've had a few drinks, it's gonna be a, a late night sensation, I think. So here's the chat with, uh. Reese and also with Josh from, uh, the production company is called Say it again. Uh, sorry. It's been a hit in Edinburgh and it's been touring all around the world, and it's, uh, here for [00:18:00] the first time now.

So here's, uh, the chat. . Uh, what, what night did you guys start in, in gluttony? That is a very good question. Thursday. Thursday. Yeah. Thursday. We had to take a minute there. Yeah, we've just about recovered from our jet lag.

So Thursday. It's all been a bit of a blur and I saw you, I think you did, uh, multiple performances 'cause I saw you perform at the gala just like a, a tiny tidbit of the opening of the show. And I knew I had tickets for the Saturday and I was like. Excited for the, the few days after that because it's such, it's the fun, definitely the funniest thing I've seen so far at the Fringe.

Can you tell us a little bit about the concept of the show? Tell our listeners about the concept. Sure. Yeah. Uh, so the concept of the show is we're doing a production of the importance of being earnest, the Oscar Wild Play for about two minutes before the lead actor doesn't turn up. And then we. Well, my character, the director gets up on stage, uh, stools for time a bit, and then comes clean that he's not there.

And [00:19:00] so we have to then find someone in the audience to stand in and play that lead role. So, uh, that's the main premise. There are other moments in the show where other actors sort of fall victim to other things going wrong and they need replacing. So we call on the audience throughout the show to help out, and by the end of the show, actually, there's no professional actors left.

It's all being done by the audience members. Fantastic. And you know, I was thinking when preparing for this interview, I've gotta be really careful not to give away too many spoilers because, you know, you've given enough of the concept, but there's, there's so many surprises. It's not just, and you know, I wrote a review of it as well.

It's not just one gag. There's so many you kept on the, the edge of your seat about what's gonna be happening next, how are they gonna be involved next? And so many different ways of, you know, so much care of, you know, how the actors, you know, from the audience are guided through the process. Can you tell us a bit about the creation process of this?

Yeah, so we sort of, uh, devised the whole thing, uh, about five years ago, just in London, in a small, in a small room above a [00:20:00] cafe. And initially we created it actually, uh, to go to sort of fe on the festival scene, um, in music festivals and things like that, which we started out in, um, before taking it together a fringe.

And yeah, the whole sort of idea was we wanted to try to make. Uh, we wanted to answer the question of if we can make an audience. Uh, perform a show that they haven't rehearsed. And then that's kind of how the, the seed of the idea began. And then we sort of thought about, well, hey, it's gotta be something everyone knows.

Like what's a famous, a famous piece of piece of writing that everyone knows? And we ca we came across, you know, obviously Oscar Wilde then, and we were like, great. Perfect. That's, that's great. Important to being earnest. It's got loads of iconic lines like handbag and all this sort of stuff. People that know enough about the play that they can kind of get involved.

But yeah. And then. Um, yeah. Yeah. So during the creation process, I think it was all about, like Reese was saying, how do we, how do we make the audience members the hero of this piece? And so that's quite tricky to rehearse because we don't have an audience in rehearsals, right? So we would do open rehearsals and we'd bring people [00:21:00] in and open up the rehearsal room and try various different bits of the scenes and.

Yeah, what you touched on is really important. The care that we take is the most important thing. I think Interactive theater, that phrase has some bad connotations around it and people get nervous about it, but actually we were like, no, this is for people that want to get involved as much or as little as they want.

And if they are getting involved, we're looking after them and they're always the star. The joke's on us as the professional actors, you know. Yeah, no, and I was gonna say, 'cause I was sitting front row and I didn't get selected, which I, you know, I was very, I was partly thankful for, but, but at the same time, you went through such a careful process of, you know, it's not just the first person that puts their hand up and it's not just, oh, who looks uncomfortable.

It's really like. You know, you're ascertaining who's gonna have some fun with this and who's gonna enjoy it and, and really step into it. And, and so is that your intention or was I just guessing that No, that's absolutely spot on. And that's, you know, that's the joy of the show. It's taken a [00:22:00] while to refine that, that pick at the beginning.

And yeah, I sort of interview people a little bit and you get a vibe for someone and you, um, yeah. So you're sitting in the front row and thinking, oh gosh, I hope I'm not gonna be picked. Uh. Like that is something I'll feel and I'll get that. And we might have a moment where we share some eye contact. And if you are giving me the vibe of, Hey, move on someone else, I will, you know, I will.

I'll just go to the next person. It's really interesting, that whole thing, we've come across it on tour in the UK where sometimes. The right person doesn't know that they're the right person to come up and give this a go. And they do just need a little bit of gentle encouragement. And so treads a very fine line between going, look, I, I think you should just jump off the cliff and go for it and see what happens.

We've got you, we'll look after you. And that's the moment that I do allow my character to soften because he's this, you know, crazed director that's trying to put the play on and his lead actor hasn't turned up. But in that moment, you've gotta have a very human connection and go look. I think you'd be great if you fancy it.

Let's do it. That being said, if someone turns around at that point and goes, no, that's absolutely fine. We [00:23:00] move on. We find the next person. Fantastic. And you talked about, uh, the audience being the heroes of the show, and again, not giving any spoilers, particularly, you know, the climaxes of the show, but you do really feel.

By the end of it, behind the audience. Some, you know, I found it quite interesting that sometimes some audience members I'm thinking, oh, you're, you're hamming this up. Well, you're not going with the, you know that you're not playing along with the cast. You're making it harder for everyone. But overall you really are.

You know, if anyone were to come along and, uh, you know, put the audience down, for example, that are doing, you know, their best, you do feel, uh, like you need to defend them because they are doing their best. Yeah. Well, exactly. These people are coming up here and they're helping us perform an impossible task, really.

You know, like they're, they have no idea that they were gonna walk into a, into a theater and be the star of a show. Like what a, what a mad thing to, to, to, to comprehend. Um, so yeah, and I really do think like. The audience, obviously they go on that journey with the audience member who's up on stage with us, and they're almost like an avatar for the rest of [00:24:00] the crowd there.

Um, so I think that's kind of, yeah, they follow that hero's journey all the way through to the end. And actually, yeah, the audience, the audience watching the show, they do get very sort of like protective of the people we have on stage, you know, and, and they are so supportive and it's always just lovely to see.

Yeah, sorry, just to add to that point. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think you go through, I mean, you'll be able to tell us if you had this feeling, but you go through the show watching this audience member, uh, navigate the scenes and work out how they're going to get through each part. And there's a series of different games we play with them, you know, that have different outcomes dependent on that person.

But what's really special is. You're sitting there watching it, and that's the only time you'll ever watch that happen, right? So that moment is there. We will share in that moment whether you're on stage or whether you are watching, uh, but it won't happen like that tomorrow. It won't ever happen like that again.

So it's a truly unique sort of experience that we're all bonded together in that tent for that night. Definitely. And. I was talking about in, in the review, I know how popular something like, um, shit, shit face, Shakespeare is and very similar. You know, you [00:25:00] dunno what cast member's gonna be the drunk one and you can just go every year you take a different group of friends.

Obviously the more you go, the more familiar with the play you'll be. And so if you get called up, uh, it'll be a different experience. You'll know, uh, what you meant to say. But, uh, at the same time, uh, I could imagine. You know, some people going along and really, really, really wanting to be picked, you know?

Um, and then, you know, if they don't get picked up, oh, I'm gonna go again next time. But until they finally get the opportunity, because it is so much fun on there as well. That's it. Yeah. And, uh, I mean, you know, from a ticket sales perspective, fantastic. I know. I was thinking, you know, like, it's like, great, please do, do that.

But, um, yeah, I think it's also that feeling of. I think the people that come and see the show, and we've got some amazing fans that do come and see the show time and time again. And I think, yeah, when you do come time and time again, I think you come in with a maybe a preconceived idea of what you'd do up there.

Mm-hmm. And we have had people that. Have [00:26:00] ended up coming up that we haven't known, have seen it before, but then that's our job to then shift and we change things. So actually they still get this one-off experience and they're like, oh, I wasn't expecting it to be like that. And you go, well, we got you. So yeah, that's the improvisation element of the thing.

We can shift if we need to. And there's also that element of, uh, you think you know what you're gonna be like under pressure, but then when you're on, uh, under the spotlight, then uh, everything can go out the window. And particularly if you start changing things on them as well. Absolutely. Yeah. The lights do funny things to people.

We say they're often really good things. But also I saw that with, you know, the delicate way where, you know, sometimes some actors, uh, uh, some of the, the people from the crowd were like trying to commandeer it and you did a really good, you know, you are like the headmaster kind of thing, and you, you had like, you know, it's like dealing with the heckler, but the hecklers on stage and you kind of, you know, no, we're not, we're not gonna have any of that.

And then they respond quite quickly to that as well. Yeah, yeah. Again, that's that thing of I am representing the audience really, and you can feel it when the audience, if someone. [00:27:00] Is playing a part on stage that we've brought up. We can't expect anything of them, right? They don't know what they're doing.

So if they choose to make a, a mad choice on stage, but it's something that pushes the audience in a different direction, the audience go, oh, don't do that. That's then my job to go, Hey, and steer them back. And then I've got the guys up on stage playing the parts with them. Like Reese, who actually sort of, between Reese and I, we really are the ones that control the audience.

He's one of the actors that. Is allowed to, within his parameters, move the audience members physically around the stage to the right place and things like that. I mean, you have that fantastic bit with Ernest when they first come out and they really are sort of deer in the headlights at that point. Um, I dunno if you've got anything to add about the sort of journey that they go on.

Yeah, I guess my role at that point is I am, I'm just, their support, I'm sort of their pillar in, in the beginning, like scenes of the play. Um, obviously. Externally, I'm showing that I'm. Having a bad time in the play, but what I'm actually doing as well is I'm trying to give them subtle little clues of you're doing a great job, like keep [00:28:00] doing what you're doing.

Everything you're doing is great. Um, which is a, it is a really fun and like line to toe as well with that. Um, but yeah, so it's just guiding them through and yeah, just checking in and like having moments with them and just seeing if they're comfortable and seeing if they're having fun, which they, you know, usually they're having the best time ever, but yeah.

Yeah. And part of me wants to be a fly on the wall backstage as well and see what's going on there as well. But, you know, no, no revealing the mysteries of what goes on be behind the curtain. There's a whole different show going on backstage actually. If, actually we always say that the, the, the, the audience members that come and join us, they are, they are sort of like the VIP ticket holders.

'cause they see all this other mad stuff that no one else will ever see really? Mm. Um, yeah, so it is, it truly is the best ticket you can get. Fantastic. And you were talking about, uh, the selection of the, the play and it being selected partly because of how well known it is, but also I was thinking the themes, whether it be a mistaken identity, but also, you know, the role of.

Um, you know, [00:29:00] public performance and things like that and, um, you know, being an actor or, or, you know, kind of having an external representation of yourself, you know, is very much a, a theme that's relevant as well when people are coming up and taking on different roles to what they normally do as well. Is that something that you thought about when selecting it, or is that something that you've seen since selecting it?

I think that did come into the original selection of the idea. Uh, but it's definitely, yeah, like you say that. Was convenient for us, I think at the time, and we were like, oh, well the play is about mistaken identity. But then, yeah, over the years of doing the show, you do realize that from a social commentary perspective, what we are doing is probably exactly what Oscar Wild was doing, when at the time that he was writing the play and how people were representing themselves, and how that version of themselves in society had to be something.

Is still something that we very much have in our psyche. I mean, we are very lucky we get to visit places like Adelaide Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Festival where it's full of artists and pretty freethinking people and, and it's a gorgeous bunch of [00:30:00] people to play with. But when we do this, uh, on tour to regional venues, you know, I think some people who come up on that stage, number one, have never, ever pictured themselves up on stage number two, might have a really serious job, and suddenly we're asking 'em to be very silly and sort of very.

Unselfconscious. And by the end of it you do see the change in people and people walk out with like their shoulders dropped. They might come into that experience really tense, but actually, and then the stories we have afterwards where people go, oh, well actually I was really silly, so I've decided to join my local amateur dramatics society, and I'm doing that now and it's amazing.

We've got hundreds of emails like that. Fantastic. And just finally, you know, one of the, uh, the final things I thought, you know, because I've seen about 12 different shows so far during Fringe, and you sat next to everyone in the audience, but you know nothing about them. You might hear a little bit of dialogue before or after, or you know, or something like that.

But one of the beauties of it, you know, is it. It's just a reminder of, you know, the lives of the people that you're sitting next to and the hidden talents they [00:31:00] have and all the different, you know, experiences and, and you know, getting to know your audiences and you know, who's going along to shows with you is a beautiful part of it as well.

Totally. I mean, we tear down the fourth wall and it becomes like, the stage is also where the audience and members are and you know, some of our action happens out with the audience. And so the whole thing is just a mix match. But I think it is, yeah, getting to know your audience, it's, it's very strange now when we have time.

Well, we haven't had too much time off this show in the last few years. We've been pretty constant with it. But when we go and do other acting jobs, 'cause we're all sort of jobbing actors as well as people running this company, um. It's funny to go into a play and not meet the people you're with and you know, not be amongst them and not get chatting to them afterwards on the way out.

But I think, yeah, that's, that's what we've stumbled across with. This is a closer connection than you get with any other sort of form of theater. Really. Fantastic. And how about you race? Um. Yeah. Sorry. No, in your audience. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry. Web like that. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's, it is, like you said, it's like we go [00:32:00] off and do, we do other acting jobs and stuff and like.

I've got to the point now where I, yeah, I find it really hard to do a normal play without expecting there to be some element of it that's going to go wrong, and then I have to fix it, you know? Now, or like, yeah, there is a, a thing of like, oh, when does the audience member come enjoy us on stage, you know?

So yeah. I would say like in some ways this, uh. This job, doing this job and working on this job for so long, it's kind of like, almost in a way ruined, ruined theater for me. 'cause it's, I, I don't think I can ever find anything that's like, more fun than this job and like, gives me such a thrill that this job gives.

And also like the, the thing we are doing for other people who come on stage with us is just really wonderful. And like seeing how we actually do change people's lives sometimes. It's, it's crazy, you know? And yeah, I honestly just don't think there's anything like it. No. Well I, you know, I was gonna say that it potentially would have some benefits as well, because if, you know, [00:33:00] things do go wrong on stage sometimes as well, and, you know, so the, the, you know, whether it be improv or just a show like this, the ability to respond to anything that happens and, and just keep your cool, you know, you'd have that totally under control now no matter what.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Pretty much. Yeah. We, um, we often get, uh, likened to the play that goes wrong and mischief theater company, uh, I know they've been over here and had very great success, uh, just as they have in the uk. They're someone we look up to, however. In our show, things can't really go wrong. In fact, ours a show, ours is a show that has to go right.

You know, that's why the whole premise is there. An actor's not turned up. So instead of stopping it, which would be a show going wrong, we go, oh, we'll carry on regardless. And so whatever, whatever does go wrong is right. In that moment, if that makes sense. Mm. Fantastic. Well, people have a chance to see what goes right for the rest of the fringe and uh, I'm expecting, I'm putting, uh, money on it being not just this fringe, but next fringe as well.

So, uh, I encourage everyone to go along once or twice or, you know. [00:34:00] As often as it takes to get picked. And, uh, yeah. So, uh, uh, both of you, uh, what, uh, thank you for very, very much for coming in and, uh, all the best for the rest of the season and many more seasons to come. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Oh, nice. Yes. Would you like us to And just there we heard with my chat with, uh, Josh and Reese from Earnest, which you can see at the Peacock until the end of the fringe. It now. We're gonna continue the chat, uh, with the fringe shortly.

We're gonna talk to Amy Rayman, uh, who is presenting. Please don't catch me when I fall at the Goodwood Theater and Studios. Uh, and, uh, it's doing work very well. We're gonna talk about how you can get a ticket because they're on the cusp of selling out, so stay tuned to that. Uh, before that Bromwyn, you've been out to see some shows you've been to see Slingsby with Andy Packer that, um, we had, uh, Andy Packer in to the studio, um, a little earlier in the year, [00:35:00] and so Oh yes.

Contemporary fairy tales with nature themes in the botanic gardens. I'm so. Yeah. Um, this is part of the festival. Yeah. And we've got some other vox pops that we're gonna play as well. What else are we gonna expect to hear in these vox pops? Well, the first, there's just the festival ones, and then I come back and we, we can launch into the.

Into the festival ones after that, or if we're tight for time, let's just keep rolling. Yeah, I thought we play, I've got the highlights from the gala as well as Lady Boys of Bangkok and, um, Sini, um, Wrighton Granger's new, um, offering in relation to, um, this one's about the moon goddess. And a female, um, journey of becoming, and of course, celestial Gardens at Kalu.

Fantastic. Well, we'll play all of those. We, we've got about nine minutes of that, and then we're gonna come back and talk to Amy Rman. Uh, so, uh, yeah, and I, I should just give a shout out I, I, or getting my words outta my mouth. It's a fringe week. I've already seen and mentioned Eat [00:36:00] the Rich at Holden Street Theaters.

You should also see. Bob Marley, how Reggae changed the world. It's a, a brilliant storytelling, uh, show there. And I also saw the soaking of Vera Shrimp, which was probably, uh, my pick of the fringe so far. So, um, go along to Holden Street to see those. But here's, uh, some other audience reactions. Don't just take out words for it.

And we'll be back with Amy in a little bit.

Slingsby Theater Company, a shadow puppetry and immersive theater company is currently in residence at the Botanic Gardens as part of 2026 Adelaide Festival. The company announced this past week that it had lost its funding, which is strange and sad as you'll see if you venture along to enjoy these exquisite final performances.

Inspired by the company's uncomfortable realization that touring different players and sets around the world as they had been, had an unmanaged environmental impact. So their latest offering, an entitled, A Concise [00:37:00] Compendium of Wonder, which is a triptych of contemporary fairytales, is all designed around a single flexible set that can be reused in each of the three plays, and the same set of actors are playing in each one.

Each play has a nature theme, and it's a contemporary fairytale for eight years plus. The childhood of the world, which is the first of the triptych, is inspired by the brothers Grims, Hansel, and Gretel. I thought it was atmospheric. It took you to the forest. I was just, I just said to our friends, we're going to walk out into the botanic garden, so we're suddenly gonna be kind of in the forest.

That's, it's almost like an immersive experience all around when you're in there and when you come out. But it was great. I'd recommend it. The Giant's Garden features charming shadow puppetry, and that's inspired by Oscar Wads, the selfish giant. It's magical, it's whimsical, it's beautiful. It's so thoughtful, it's so poignant.

It's everything. Everybody from eight to 80 should see it. [00:38:00] And the final play in the Triptych, the Futuristic Tree of Life is inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Match Girl. Yes, I'm very happy to say. I think the whole, the three of them were absolutely wonderful and everybody should go and see it.

It's got depth to it. Beautiful music from Quincy and it's far, you know. Highly recommend. It was extraordinary. We've just seen the, the trip take, um, all three parts were magical and really moving and beautiful. Yeah, it was amazing. Um, I saw all three shows that are part of the trilogy and they were all completely different, all brilliantly executed, and, um, the stage craft and the clever use of the venue and the stories and the acting.

Yeah, it was all superb.

It's time to get on your feet and join in because you're at the biggest party in town. Yeah, it's happening again. Gluttony at the fringe in Rimel Park took off with the All Star Gluttony gala preview show. We just wanted to kind of [00:39:00] create a bunch of different ways that people can engage with fringe.

You can come in, you can soak up a whole lot of the atmosphere. And you can do that without spending a dime. Or you can come in and make the most of some of the more premium experiences. Launching a Swag Avenue initiatives ranging from a new all free sculpture trail around the park to premium private booths on the island, and of course all the ax.

It was amazing. There was some. Circus stuff where someone was connected by the hair to the ceiling. That was insane. That was wild. There is gonna be some crazy shows here. They look amazing. Thought it was awesome to see the variety of acts there were. So it's definitely inspired me to book some tickets for the next few weeks.

What a great start to the fringe. Can't wait for the rest of the season. Absolutely love it. By the way, the extraordinary performer who does appear to be hanging from their hair from the ceiling is called Gacha. One of many standouts, including the Soweto Gospel Choir and the cast from 2016.

In overt the [00:40:00] Garden of Unearthly Delights. Who knew the fringe would be introducing you to Sumo Wrestling this year? The Sumo Show teaches people about sport. And give p punters the chance to challenge pro wrestlers. The Sumo show Hiza is performing outside Japan for the first time ever this year, and it's only in South Australia.

I've never seen a sumo wrestling. No, no. It's uh, yeah, first time for me too. It is good to watch. It's great. I didn't know. Learned. Learned something too, which is great. Cool. So yeah, that made it, you know, more fun to watch. Yeah, it was fun. It was fun. I'm glad it was 45 minutes. It was really enjoyable getting the, uh, the background to knowing how Sumo is run and yeah, all the rules.

They explained that, the different techniques. It was really good. Yeah, good. Uh, explainer on how Sumo actually works. Um, it was really wonderful sort of, uh. Characteristic guys, so you are really cheering for 'em.

Fresh from cruise ships all over the world where they have [00:41:00] been honing their sharpest, sharp act. The 64 hit the ultimate nostalgia note with living in the seventies.

It was brilliant. It was the seventies. Such a young group coming from a school in sa. How brilliant is that? No, very proud of them. They're all gorgeous. I thought it was very good. No, I really enjoyed it. No, the whole atmosphere, the energy they put into it, the stage production, the stage performance, I really enjoyed it.

Speaking of all favorites, the courtyard of. Curiosities is still for me, the perfect place to chill and catch spoken word. Theater fabulous performances. Sini a beautifully woven hail of self-discovery, a goddess and the moon told by Megan Drewry. Is another Writing, Granger Creation. They're the same team that created Orpheus and Ty.

As well as The Gods. The Gods. You may have heard of them, brought to the Fringe by Joanne Heart Stone production. Yeah, it was. It was very touching, surprisingly touching. It was like an emotional rollercoaster for me. Gorgeous. Oh, I [00:42:00] thought it was great. Yeah, fantastic. I've seen that other shows and yeah, it's nice to see the continuation of the Greek myths retold.

I loved it. I didn't expect that when I was a reader. I would be reading quite as much as I was, but I think it's just. Incredibly creative with the use of the space, the use of the material, and it draws you in. Alright, thank you. Very moving. It was beautiful. Meg is a great actor. I enjoyed all the howling.

I like to howl. Woo. If you would like a souvenir photo with a fabulous lady, boys of Bangkok, please now make your way to the stage. I have distinct memories of a serious interview. Last time we were lucky enough to enjoy the company of a few members of the Lady Boys of Bangkok in our studio. So I have to, I was amused when I finally got to see their spectacular show.

To discover that quite apart from the fact that it's a stunning costume display, their show is also rib risky, and more than a few times ruffled in all sorts of unexpected and hilarious ways. I thought it was [00:43:00] absolutely brilliant, to be honest. Yeah, I didn't know what to expect, but it was pretty exceeded.

Expectations. Fantastic. Spectacle. Very, very enjoyable. The best we had. So much fun. Interesting. That's all I've got. What do you think? What was interesting about it? Uh, just not what I expected, but, uh, no, it was very good. What did you expect? Yeah, not that.

You may have seen celestial gardens before. Gorgeous plants and plant music and plant song. Very inspiring. But each time there's something new. Have you seen Celestial Gardens at Carku? It's been a fantastic night. Alright. It's amazing. I really like it. All the music has been amazing. The plant music has been.

Spectacular. The Tea Party's really cute party. All the art is amazing. The Geodome is fantastic. Yeah, just the whole vibe of the night and how there's so many different little things you can go to. I really enjoy that. I would also say definitely have to get a tea leaf reading. Amazing and very eye-opening as well.

It's also just a really good place to come and [00:44:00] relax and feel good vibrations. I think we loved the reading. We had a great tea leaf reading, very entertaining and very insightful and. Uncannily accurate as well. The tea leaf readings were the highlight. They were absolutely amazing. The plants were beautiful, the way they sang, the way they made us feel.

The whole place was beautiful. Cel Steels is more, cosmos. The connection, the nature, and relaxing, I think we need the most. You know, it's very beautiful and all organized very, very nicely.

Oh my God. Thank you to all of our artists who performed you today, and I wish you all a wonderful festive fringe. Have fun.

You're in the Arts Garden with Bronwyn and James, and yeah, plenty of recommendations there of things to go see. I should say the Shamrocks, I saw that on Saturday night and very much loved that as well. But you know, we're continuing with the recommendations with, please Don't Catch Me When I fall, presented by [00:45:00] Amy Rayman and.

With Coex, uh, the, uh, with Coexist Collective. Welcome, Amy, into the studio. Hi. Thanks for having me. Oh, and congratulations. 'cause I, Amy was just telling us before this interview that, and this is two weeks before you even open. Two shows are sold out already. And you guys haven't even been in Adelaide before.

This is like your first time here. Indeed. Yeah. We're super excited. So that's huge achievement. Yay. No. Well, and uh, we were talking about how, um, what a great community, the Adelaide. Dance community is and, and how they support other dancers and spread the world word. But you do have some connection with the Adelaide dance community as well, uh, because we are the home of Australian dance theater.

And your debut, double Bill Deified, uh, was co-produced and choreographed with Patrick from Australian Dance Theater. How has that experience. That was one of the, um, best experiences of my life, I have to say. Pat and I went to uni together at VCA and in our third year of studying we decided that we were also [00:46:00] alongside studying full-time, gonna put on a fringe show as well.

Um, and so we did a double bill for Melbourne Fringe, um, pat k choreographed to work called Imbued, and I choreographed to work called omi. And um, yeah, it was just one of the most amazing experiences. We learned so much about producing and choreographing and making work. And then it's kind of come full circle because now Pat is in this show that I'm doing now at Adelaide Fringe because he's been living in Adelaide for the last three years working with Australian Dance Theater.

So it's been a really beautiful full circle moment for us working together again. Fantastic. And uh, so while he's been here, you've been, uh. Uh, touring not only, uh, across Australia, but internationally in both theaters and galleries. Can you tell us, fill in the audience with some of the shows that you've been touring around and the places you've been touring around?

Um, yeah, so I studied overseas in, um, Israel Palestine in 2019. Um, and I got to perform in galleries there doing interactive performance, um, free jazz performance. We did a lot at festivals around the country as well. Um, [00:47:00] and then also in Egypt. I spent some time with a filmmaker there and we created a work, um, a film work over in Egypt, which was an amazing experience and such a different cultural experience for me as well.

Fantastic. And, uh, in, in the work that you present as well, uh, your, you talk about in the, the, the show description about how, uh, your, uh, nana doesn't really get contemporary dance and, uh, and, and so you are wanting to make work that is creatively accessible for the audience and. I imagine for your nana as well.

Uh, how do you go about doing that? Um, yeah, my nana bless her. She comes to all of my shows and often she'll come out saying, can you explain to me what that was about? Um, and I think that's often something that I keep in the back of my mind when trying to create work. Because I think in contemporary dance, we sometimes get so caught up in.

Our bubble and our echo chamber of, um, other artists and ideas and stuff. But the reason that we make work, I think, is to share it with the community and people outside of our [00:48:00] bubble. And so I really think about different access points and one of those is using audience participation. So maybe if they don't always understand what's going on in the work, there's always an element of how can we bring people in?

What are they contributing? Is there a sense of connection or community? That's being facilitated through the work. Um, and I've done this as well with like installation performances and performance art that I've done where, um, there's one-on-one interaction with audience members and people passing through the gallery, and I think that is a really nice entry point as well.

If you don't really get. Dance. Well, I can think that's, I imagine that's quite a balancing act, like compared to this latest trend that you're talking about with the earnest crowd, where basically, you know, audiences are being asked to do a lot more. I can imagine that would be quite difficult with contemporary dance.

How, how do you decide, you know, I guess a wave, an audience wave or something like that? Yeah, yeah. It's definitely, um. Tricky to find where the audience can jump in there, but a lot of my work as well [00:49:00] uses quite pedestrian movement. Um, and, you know, everyone has a way of being in the world and every movement that we do, whether we're sitting, walking, moving, swimming, however we move through the world.

Um, that's a choreography in itself and you know, even watching the way that people move around the shopping center or move around the streets, I see as a certain type of choreography. And so I'm really interested in the way that, you know, we exist in a theater space, in a performance space. The relationship between the audience and the performer, and then breaking that down and seeing how we can further play with that.

Yeah, definitely. Because, you know, one of the things we were talking about, uh. With the, the actors from Earnest is how, you know, there is this desire within audiences and within all of us, I think, to perform more and, uh, you know, to let our tensions go and, you know, not be so, you know. Wound up and you know, I dunno whether, I spoke to a choreographer from Singapore last year during Aus Asia Festival who presented a show called [00:50:00] Searching Blue.

Have you heard of that? Where, so they, the audience followed the dancers from the courtyard of the festival theater all across, uh. Kind of, uh, the riverbanks of Adelaide and were invited to dance along, and they'd take your hand and they'd guide you through the experience. And it was, you know, such a beautiful immersive experience where the audience and.

The dancers merged with each other, and I think everyone did feel a bit freer and more willing to take those steps in their daily lives afterwards. Is that something that you can relate to and you know, you've heard from audiences as well? Yeah, I think people often surprise themselves that what they either are capable of or what they think they might wanna do before versus after a performance.

Um, and I don't think that an audience member. That I've met who's ever participated in a show has ever left, wishing that they didn't. Often it's the opposite. Someone might be sitting there and being like, oh, I wish that I, you know, jumped up. But, um, another thing that I'm conscious of [00:51:00] is being, making sure that it's approached sensitively and with consent, so you're never forcing someone to participate or get up on stage.

There's always ways to approach it throughout the performance that are inviting the audience in making them feel safe and comfortable and supported to try something that might be out of their comfort zone rather than pushing them. To do it. Fantastic. But you know, while we're talking about audience, me members and their comfort zones, you know, one of the other things that we should know about you is your ex-boyfriend said you probably take too many risks and there might, there might be a trampoline involved in your show.

So you are not one of those kind of audience members that won't get up and just jump right in. You are, you are the opposite. Yes. Um, I think, yeah, as performers, that's our job to take risks as creatives, as artists. Um, I think, you know, even putting on a fringe show feels like a risk. Every, every creative choice often feels like a risk when you dunno how it's gonna be received or.

You know, live performance in itself is a risk. You never know [00:52:00] what's gonna happen on stage. Um, I work a lot with improvisation and that's also feels like it can be risky because, um, yeah, you hand it over to the dancers and whatever happens in the moment is what the work is gonna be. And I really love.

That excitement of never knowing exactly what's gonna happen on stage. Fantastic. And another theme being explored in the show is, uh, it's two dancers, three decades apart in age. And you know, again, during Oz Asia, I was talking last year to another dancer who was presenting the works that he'd produced in his career.

As a trilogy, including the ones that he'd, uh, choreographed many years ago, and then the ones that he'd just choreographed. And, you know, noticing the differences in a dancer's body as they age and you know, the limitations that come along and all of those things. 'cause it's such a demanding thing on, on the, on the body as well.

Uh, how is that? Explored in, in the show. Um, it's been a really interesting process for us. So Pat obviously is in his twenties and then [00:53:00] CIA is 51. Um, and she's so amazing and Pat's keeping up with her very well. Um, but yeah, over the process we have discovered so many things and I think something that CIA has spoken about a lot is not only, um, seeing what physically her body's capable of, but also.

Having that representation on stage of seeing someone of that age performing alongside a young person, which is so rare these days. Um, and, you know, even some of her peers that we've spoken to have said, wow, it's so, so amazing to see her on stage like that. Um, and she's a beautiful dancer and seeing them move together, I think, um, audiences will be quite surprised at how coherent the work is with the two dancers that you wouldn't often see put together.

Um. But yeah, I think also it breaks down maybe the stereotypes that we have around age and the stigma of what we might think that relationship looks like between two people of a different age. Um, I. And I also think about, you know, ageism within the context of performance and, um, generally in [00:54:00] society as well.

Yeah, definitely. And you know, the disparity not only between male and female, but between art forms as well, where there are some art forms where, you know, you could be a standup comedian or an act. A male actor, and you could still be working in your eighties or whatever. And then if you're a dancer, oh no, you're 30 or you're 40, you can't dance anymore.

And you know, really shining a spotlight on that and that, that just being a, uh. A, you know, a cultural trend or norm that can be broken rather than a, a hard and fast rule. Hmm. And I think I've also had the, like, immense privilege of working with someone who's so much older and more experienced than I am.

Um, she brings all of her lived experiences to the process, but also all of her creative experiences. You know, she's worked with some of the founders of contact improvisation who kind of inspired this piece, um, in its original development. To have that perspective in the room has been just one of the most amazing privileges.

Sounds really special. Yeah. And, uh, there's also, uh, a q and A available on [00:55:00] the 12th of March. And, uh, additional sessions available on request. For example, um, uh, school program coordinators can contact, uh, about it as well. So you can tell us a little bit about that. Yeah. The, the q and A session is actually sold out.

Oh, I'm sorry. Um, but yeah, if there's interest, we can look at doing another q and a for sure. But yeah, the school show is sold out. Unfortunately, no, well, not unfortunately, because it's a, it's a very good, it's good advertising because, you know, it's showing that it's in demand and so, you know, people want to.

You know, if something's rare, then people are more likely to want to go along and see what all the fuss is about. And so you've got performances spread across. There's 4:00 PM performances, but also 6:00 PM and uh, 1:00 PM as well. Uh. Duration of 45 minutes, and that's at, uh, Goodwood Theater, uh, until the 15th of March.

And so starting on the seventh, but being mindful that some of those are sold out. So yeah. Thank you, uh, Amy for coming in. Good luck and uh, please don't catch me when I fall is the show that we were just talking [00:56:00] about there. So. Please don't miss out on tickets, uh, before they sell out is what we Fabulous fringe show.

 Finally on the show tonight, we're going to hear from Chrissy Miller, Brit Ferry and Ellen Wilshire, uh, the cast and crew from Open Room Theater, which is presenting a production of, uh, ripe at the mill from the 25th of February until the 8th of March.

. So with open room theater, how did you all meet and how did you all come together? We came together, um, so I'm the director of rap and Brit and Chris are performing in it. Brit and I know each other from way back. We both went to, um, we both went to uni together in Sydney and we were making a lot of theater and films together at that time.

And so we've, we've known each other for a hot minute. And then Chrissy and I, uh, connected in 2024 for a show in Adelaide Fringe that year called Daddy Algorithm. And so we worked together then, and then we were looking to put, uh, a two-hander on, and it was kind of just a bit of a meeting [00:57:00] of. Uh, serendipity that there was this script which premiered back in 2017, and it's been floating around for a very long time, and it has quite an endearing nature.

Like it just won't, it just won't leave the script. And it was kind of like a, let's work on something together. Brit, Chrissy, let's join. Let's see if there's something here. And there was, mm. And so we took the show to Edinburgh Fringe and funnily enough, we kind of closed that chapter. And then it was Brit and Chrissy again who said, we still.

We're, we're not done. We're not done with it. Let's keep going. Ready to go again? Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic. So we're back. Yeah, no, what I was reading and I found out about the, um, I saw about the initial production in 2017, and it's by a Sydney playwright that's written some young adult fiction novels I think as well.

Um, how did you come across it? You see the 2017 production or, yeah. Yeah. No. Well, I directed the 2017 production. Ah, so Nicole. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So Nicole and I worked different cast, different cast, different cast, [00:58:00] uh, with the fantastic actors, Rachel and Riley. And so that was, uh, yeah, we put that one on for Sydney Fringe and then took it to Melbourne as well.

And there was something about the audiences who met the show then who just said, I haven't. Felt so seen by a show before. It was a lot of, um, kind of our networks who came to the show and so young people, and that was nearly 10 years ago in a way now. And so, uh, I was a lot younger of course, and closer to the age of the characters.

So it's interesting. We've been reflecting actually on the nature of the show. Uh, these two characters are 18 and they're experiencing things kind of for the first time. They're not processing, they're purely experiencing it. And it's interesting to work on a show with a little bit more time. Mm. Uh, about and, and maybe like quote unquote experience behind you.

Mm mm And so you have a different sort of idea of the characters. But something that we're very keen to do is to position the perspective of young women in particular [00:59:00] as a important perspective. That you don't need to, you don't need to know better, you don't need to not be less naive in the world actually what you think and how you act.

There is agency and power, and you are complicit in the, in the situations you find yourself in. So it's this space that we're kind of quite interested in looking at and giving. Definitely. And you know, as you say, like the, the play has stayed with you, but the, the themes are, they were just as important in 2017 and just as, uh, timely then as now, you know, I think that was.

Slightly before me too. But, you know, like, uh, power dynamics in relationships and domestic, uh, you know, in South Australia we had a, uh, royal commission into family and domestic and sexual violence that only just, um, concluded last year and things like that as well. So all those themes are very much, you know, still, you know, so important to be talking about.

A hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. A hundred [01:00:00] percent. Um. No, completely. And it's a, it's, I mean, it's kind of boring to like, it's kind of boring, but it's, it's like, why don't, why don't we change? But change takes, change takes time, and change takes attention as well. And, um, uh, yeah, there's a, there's also, there's a little, there's something thematic in the story as well about, um, animals, young women, and also animals.

The way that we treat and, uh, respond to, um, how to, how to phrase this. Um, yeah, there's these animals that we feel ref. We've got the two animals in it. There's a greyhound and a kitten, and then we've got the two girls. And the play kind of talks a lot about. Beings that we observe of as having less power or having less autonomy.

Mm-hmm. And yeah, like, like beings that can't necessarily fight for themselves yet. Mm-hmm. So we've got these animals that seem, [01:01:00] you know, completely powerless and, and don't have a voice and are unable to stand up for themselves. And then we've got these two really young girls who, you know, on the outset kind of.

You know, come off the same way. And then the play kind of about their journey and finding their voice and finding their autonomy and finding the strength to stand up to these men that have overwhelming amounts of power over 'em. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah, it's very interesting the, the animal's involvement. And as well, it's been something really interesting to explore.

For sure. Yeah, definitely. And you know, with that, the animal theme, uh, animals are stronger in t kind of thing. And so they're kind of, you know, two 18 year olds sort are meeting each other and you know, they don't Yeah. Know necessarily that their experience is wrong until they encounter each other. And then that, you know, there's strength in the numbers of the two of them.

Exactly. T become a pack. Yeah. Yeah. Become a pack. And then even like in terms of becoming a pack, like what's the responsibility that [01:02:00] society has over. Over these people and these animals in our worlds, like what responsibility do we take collectively mm-hmm. In how that we, how easy it is to treat in a certain kind of way.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And, and, and kind of what, what we as a society feel comfortable in ignoring or, or feel comfortable in and going, that's not my problem, that's not my battle to fight. Or belittling. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. I think the idea of ownership. Also kind of comes out throughout the play, like there's the, like the ownership of the Greyhound and the way that, um, sense of kind of entitlement or control over some something that is perceived to have less power.

Can people that have bad intentions can kind of. Feel that they can kind of do whatever they want. And I think there's a bit of a draw that, like a bit of a, a line drawn between the animals and the girls in that way. Um, and their connection to this men, these men in their life who these men [01:03:00] operate with a sense of ownership over the girls.

And so throughout the piece we see them understanding that they are, they, they actually own themselves and they own their choices and their power. And like the, there's, you know, there's. They, they can step away and, and like, that's not, um, yeah. Like they, they can't just be chained up somewhere and told, stay, you know, they are a human being with kind of free will, I suppose.

Um, so that's a cool thing that they kind of set out to discover kind of unknowingly throughout the play. Yeah. Fantastic. And this is all happening on the day that we woke up and saw Prince Andrew, uh, being, uh, arrested and, and, and, you know, yeah. The look on his face as he's, um, uh, being, uh, driven out of the, uh, uh, police station and things.

So, you know, tide is turning maybe. Yeah, exactly right. Yeah. Like we were, yeah, we were talking about this. Um, yeah, we said it's a really interesting piece to. Be putting on right now when, you know everything that's happening in the [01:04:00] world with the Epstein files is, is so prominent and so much of it is about the powerful men who, who did these awful things.

And you know, we've, we've seen time and time again in this particular scenario and in all of the scenarios that have come before it, that the, the, the women and the, the girls on the other side of that. Often we don't get their story. You know, we kind of, that's lost in the, the sea of kind of drama and kind of the, the, these powerful men falling from their status, you know?

So it's, it's cool to be doing a show where you get to see, you get to see the other side a little bit more, and, and, and the girls get to be at the forefront of that, um, experience. Mm, mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Definitely. And the, you know. There's also the theme in it, of it being New Year's Eve as well. What do you think, uh, the, the relevance of it being New Year's Eve is, is, you know, like a new, new beginning or something like that?

Or change? New change. [01:05:00] Yes. Newness. Newness. Resolutions. Resolutions, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. The freedom to kind of be rebirthed in a way, or, yeah. Or, yeah. Take ownership over what direction you want your life to go in and Yeah. Who you want to be around and who you want to become. Mm-hmm. I also think like that kind of feverish feeling that so many people get on New Year's Eve, where it's like, it has to be the biggest night of my life.

Yeah. You know, and, and so often that kind of unravels, or it falls short. Flops in front of your eyes and you're like, well that wasn't, you know, we had so many plans. Yeah. We had so many plans. Or this, you know, like last year was meant to be the, the best new year of my life and now I've gotta top that.

And it is like, there's, there is a point at which it kind of just is a day, you know? But yeah, it has that, it's always colored with that sense of like rebirth, like yeah. These girls as well, they, they have a very crazy wild night that just. [01:06:00] Kind of, um, uh, tumbles it tumbles and tumbles and it doesn't end and it gets more and more bizarre.

And yeah, they meet different people. They're in different spaces. Like the world is kind of open on New Year's Eve if everyone's celebrating. Yeah. Yeah. The world is open for, um, uh, the partying and at parties sometimes when people lose their inhibitions a little. Mm. And maybe, maybe one's desires are more at the forefront.

So they find themselves in these situations, they find places of refuge in the city of Sydney. Mm. But they also find themselves in quite maybe sparkly or glamorous places that have a real edge of danger. Mm. So New Year's Eve where everybody is out partying and they are really young girls. Mm. Who are also the world is their oyster.

They are also out to enjoy the world. But then how do they have to navigate that? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Fantastic. And just finally, uh, you're performing at the mill and, uh, it's, it's such a great, uh, space with, uh, so many artists collected there and then also the performance space and things. How much are you enjoying, uh, performing there?[01:07:00] 

Oh, fantastic. We are just, we were hoping and praying that we would be able to present at the mill because, uh, we did a work in progress for this show, uh, before we went to Edinburgh at the mill. And we had a wonderful reception with audiences, the team at the mill. We're just wonderful to us. And that space, uh, it's such a fantastic sort of space.

The, the stage is elevated, the sight lines are great. Mm. It's intimate, but it's, I don't know, it's kind of, it's intimate. You feel really there with the audience. They're right there with you. Mm. It's all. It's a nice little space to be in at the performer. Yeah. Yeah. Psyched. Psyched. Yeah. And our first week, uh, we, we opened on the 25th of February and we're, we're performing at 9:00 PM so it's nice to do like a late night kind of show for this, for this play.

Yeah. And then in our second week, we finished the run on the 8th of March, and our second week we're performing at 6:00 PM so kind of two different, slightly different slots, the mill. But we, we think that we'll meet [01:08:00] audiences in a really, uh, electric way. Hmm. Fantastic. Well, um, I hope, uh, the run goes well and, uh, yeah.

Um, with those time slots, I might be able to, uh, come along because, you know, they, I can come along before or after things as well, which is good. That's a good thing about six and 9:00 PM uh, shows. So true. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Have dinner and then have your mind blown. Fantastic. Well, um, yeah, thank you for, uh, talking and, uh, I think you're rehearsing today, so I'll let you get back to that and, um, yeah, see you when you're in Adelaide.

Yeah,

thanks for the time. It's so busy. Pleasure. I, I'm just like, I'm, I'm lying in, in, uh, lying down and, uh, recharging for another night at it. So. Happy fringe season tv. James. Thank you. Thank you. I'll be in touch. Yeah. Thank you, matey. Talk to you soon. Bye. Cia.

James, thank you for another fabulous fringe show. Oh yeah, well, that's all right. Uh, it's, uh, it's been a busy [01:09:00] time and so, uh, next week we'll also be busy. We're gonna have another massive lineup of, uh, fringe guests, and so make sure you go out and, and see things. . So anything you, you like the Sumo Wrestling Show Brolin? I liked. I actually was. I did. I found it really fascinating and I loved howling at the moon in Celine. No.

Excellent. What El I saw the debate with Martha Lot and her daughter, which was very good as well. That might be almost finished. Uh, what have you seen, Amy? I can see you wanna say? I would love to recommend Anusha by Beth Patterson. Excellent. Well, um, check that one out as well. So thank you for joining us