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Meet the Orpheus cast: Michael Yore

Photo Sasha Cohen

Photo Sasha Cohen

What drew you to this project?

I've been following Michael's projects for a while, and they have always interested me. When the offer came to join the project I jumped at it! A lot of previous projects I've worked on have been traditional theatre involving set in stone scripts, person A stands on point X, exit. Working on a project like this, devising the whole project with a group and the potential to do anything was very appealing. 

What has been your favourite moment in rehearsals?

Any time that we would do a viewpoints exercise. It's the kind of exercise that would encourage you to follow what ever your body and mind is telling you to do. The feeling of doing silly and strange things and having a group of people not only accept that, but then join you and build a little story out of it is amazing. 

When is the last time you wailed?

Last week I had that sleep paralysis thing? That scared the shit out of me and I had a good wail from not knowing what had happened to my body. 

You're lost in the bush. Which cast or crew member would you choose to have with you? 

An Ondes Martenot.

An Ondes Martenot.

Liam, our lighting designer. Being a techy, I have a feeling he would be amazingly resourceful at constructing tools and shelter. Also his ability to always have a large supply of gaffe tape. 

What musical instrument (that you don't currently play) do you wish you were amazing at playing? 

There is this obscure synthesizer caller a Ondes Martenot that I wish I had/could play. It's like a keyboard with a suspended metal ring above the keys, and you can slide the note up and down. It creates something that sounds like a synthetic cello that is being played by Dracula. 

Tell us about a time you laughed inappropriately

Mostly all the time. I have a great talent for the worst/best timing of a laugh. Usually it's a nervous reaction, so anytime I shouldn't laugh is when I do. It's great how that happens. 

SEE MICHAEL IN ORPHEUS AT BLOOD MOON THEATRE TONIGHT. GET YOUR TICKETS AT THE DOOR FROM 7:15PM. DONATE TO THE PROJECT HERE.

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Meet the Orpheus cast: Lana Kershaw

What is the craziest idea you've heard with that might actually be in the show?

I think it’s pretty fabulous that someone’s suggestion of ‘What if I just did a wee in my cup?’ was followed by ‘Well…what if you all did wees in your cups?’

What's been your experience of being an outsider?

When I was 11 years old, my teacher got us all to trace our hands onto pieces of paper and pass them around the room. Every member of the class had to write a nice word to describe that person. When mine came back, it was just covered in the word ‘weird’. As I was trying to work out what this meant, I saw one comment down the bottom that provided undeniable clarity: ‘weird, but nice’. Nice was good. But I was weird. But nice. But weird. It was a label that left me painfully self-conscious, particularly because I couldn’t see what it was that made people see me as anything other than normal. 

What would you do for your love?

I’d brush his teeth and clip his nails. And that’s why love is a cancer.

Tell us a secret.

I hate George Clooney. Also, once I slept in a pyjama top, then wore it to work. People kept complimenting me on my top. Genuinely. 

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If you were to enter a talent show what would be your talent?

Awkwardness. I’m great at it.

What musical instrument (that you don't currently play) do you wish you were amazing at playing?

The cello. I read a book called ‘Dina’s Book’ and it was the first properly real female character I ever read. She played the cello, which romanticised it a bit for me. But I’ve always loved the deep soulful music that it makes.

SEE LANA IN ORPHEUS AT BLOOD MOON THEATRE UNTIL 27 AUGUST. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE. DONATE TO THE PROJECT HERE.

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Meet the Orpheus cast: Victoria Greiner

Photo Sasha Cohen

Photo Sasha Cohen

What is the craziest idea you've heard that might actually be in the show?

So we're miming peeing in cups and then we pour it over ourselves while undulating...

Tell us a secret.

I pretend I don't really care about the Olympics, and then when they come along I'm staying up til 4am getting really emotional. I just cried when Mack Horton won his Gold medal for 400m Freestyle.

Have you ever pretended not to know someone?

Yes. Haven't we all? Isn't it sometimes better than embarrassing that person who is also pretending not to know you?! If a tree falls in a forest...

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You're lost in the bush. Which cast or crew member would you choose to have with you?

It's all or nothing - if I can't have the entire cast with me then I'm drinking the Kool-Aid. It's pure magic when we're all together!

What musical instrument (that you don't currently play) do you wish you were amazing at playing?

Drums! They're just so cool and plus I'd also have killer guns 💪🏻.

Tell us about a time you laughed inappropriately.

At the moving pictures when I saw 'Gone Girl'. I found it ridiculously melodramatically macabre and Neil Patrick Harris as the love interest = HILARIOUS! At the end an old lady came up to me and said 'I'd like to thank you for ruining the entire movie for everyone in this cinema!'

SEE Victoria IN ORPHEUS AT BLOOD MOON THEATRE UNTIL 27 AUGUST. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE. DONATE TO THE PROJECT HERE.

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Meet the Orpheus cast: Bodelle de Ronde

Photo Sasha Cohen

Photo Sasha Cohen

How is your definition of "home" complicated?

Where my home is could seem complicated because my Mum is from Thailand, Dad is from Holland and I grew up in NZ, so I feel a deep inherent pride and connection to all those countries. Also for 6 years I called London home and for the last 3 it has been Sydney. But ultimately I think “home” is very simple. It’s where you truly feel you can be yourself and feel loved. Home is a place of honest expression and reflection. A place of happiness.

What drew you to this project?

It was an opportunity to explore my instinctual creativity. My acting training was quite traditional and a strong foundation for me to springboard from. Devising theatre is still relatively new terrain for me but it allows the goofy child in me to come out with abandon. It was an opportunity to work with Michael and to create theatre with the other performers. The bonds of love, place and home are all themes I will always want to investigate.

What is the craziest idea you've come up with that might actually be in the show?

My “clearing cobwebs and kicking tumbleweeds” sequence is messy, silly but fun to do and it’s nice to have my idiosyncrasies embraced by the company and allowed to go on stage.

Photo Sasha Cohen

Photo Sasha Cohen

What has been your favourite moment in rehearsals?

Dragging Michael and Lana around on the floor. It was freeing and playful, as I’ve found the whole process to be. The fact that I can do a funny sound or action and it will be accepted, repeated and embellished by the cast is affirming and joyous!

What's been your experience of being an outsider?

When I was 17 I spent a year in Japan as a high school exchange student. I was in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by rice paddies and it was very isolating. I found that the people around me had an unspoken understanding with each other that I as a foreigner who hadn’t grown up as part of the culture could not penetrate or fully comprehend. I think the experience changed and shaped me into a stronger person, having to deal with misunderstandings that at a young age I couldn’t really get.

SEE Bodelle IN ORPHEUS AT BLOOD MOON THEATRE until 27 AUGUST. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE. DONATE TO THE PROJECT HERE.

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Meet the Orpheus cast: Dymphna Carew

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What's your experience of being an outsider?

When i first moved to Paris to study, I wasn't at all confident with the language. It was an overwhelming, and at times, isolating experience. 

Where do you consider to be home?

This is a question I am currently struggling with. I left Brisbane at 18 and have moved cities and countries. Anywhere can be home, and nowhere is home. I suppose I don't necessarily feel like I have a place I belong, I do however have someone I belong with. That makes me feel at home! 

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When was the last time you wailed?

Ummm last night.

What is the craziest idea you've come up with that might actually be in the show?

Pouring urine all over myself whilst undulating/gyrating. 

You're lost in the bush. Who from the cast would you pick to be with you?

If I was lost in the bush...I would want to be with my fellow Furies. Bodelle and Victoria would keep me laughing and I'm sure they would have some handy survival skills.

SEE DYMPHNA IN ORPHEUS AT BLOOD MOON THEATRE, 16-27 AUGUST. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE. DONATE TO THE PROJECT HERE.

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Meet the Orpheus cast: Daniel Monks

Next, let's talk to Orpheus himself, Daniel Monks.

Photo: Sasha Cohen.

Photo: Sasha Cohen.

What drew you to this project?

Working with Michael Dean and Lies, Lies & Propaganda. I felt like it would be a unique, singular experience that would stretch me as a performer - and it most certainly has.

What is the craziest idea that might actually be in the show?

Eurydice mime-pissing into a cup upon Orpheus' first moment of seeing her. Yep.

What's been your experience of being an outsider?

Growing up, I wasn't an outsider at all and wasn't even aware of my privilege - until age 11, when I acquired a physical disability, and shortly after realised I was gay - and so was suddenly thrust into being an outsider on multiple accounts, especially within a school environment.

When is the last time you wailed?

Last two episodes of Orange is the New Black Season 4. Still recovering.

You're lost in the bush. Who of the cast would you choose to have with you?

Tori & Dymphna, because even if we die out there, at least I'd die laughing.

Photo: Sasha Cohen

Photo: Sasha Cohen

What would you do for your love?

I would do anything for love, except hurt myself or others. Some forms of perceived love can be actually unhealthy & destructive - and I feel like love that demands or begets cruelty isn't love at all.

SEE Daniel IN ORPHEUS AT BLOOD MOON THEATRE, 16-27 AUGUST. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE. Donate to the project here.

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Meet the Orpheus Cast: Curly Fernandez

Photo: Sasha Cohen.

Photo: Sasha Cohen.

With just over a week to go until Orpheus begins, it's time to talk to the incredible cast, whose skills, experience and passion are an essential part of this show. First up is Curly Fernandez.

What has been your favourite moment in rehearsals?

Working with Daniel's crutch.

What's been your experience of being an outsider?

Waiting for a sandwich in sandwich shop where Caucasians were served first.

Where do you consider to be home?

My family, my uke, and the stage

What would you do for your love?

Kill myself.

Don't do that. What musical instrument do you wish you were amazing at playing?

The tin whistle.

Photo: Sasha Cohen.

Photo: Sasha Cohen.

Tell us about a time you laughed inappropriately.

Um...every rehearsal.

See Curly in Orpheus at Blood Moon Theatre, 16-27 August. Get your tickets here.

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Bicycle: Media Roundup

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Roadkill Confidential: Media Roundup

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Roadkill Confidential Cast: Sinead Curry

What role are you playing?

I play Melanie Colander in Roadkill Confidential.

Favourite moment in rehearsals?

I loved the week where we completely abandoned the scripts and instead ran down the rabbit hole to create the crazy, savage world of the play.

What has surprised you most about this process?

Once again, I'm surprised at the way Michael Dean's seemingly insane and fragmentary rehearsal tasks have yet again produced the perfect vibe for a show. He's a smooth facilitator, that magnificent bastard.

What is your favourite part of the script/in the show?

I love the FBI Man trance moments. It's a joy to let the audience in to the inner world of our characters for a brief cyclone.

What do you think of the Kings Cross Theatre?

I love it. It's such a joy to be the very first performance in this amazing traverse space.

What is the craziest art piece you ever saw?

Every time I've seen the Yeah Yeah Yeahs perform it's been a crazy art experience. You can never go wrong with glitter cannons and glow in the dark costumes.

What is something you're obsessive about?

I am obsessive about separating my white washing from my coloured washing. Melanie (and her Preen) would be very proud.

Tell us about a strange ritual you have.

Every morning while I eat breakfast (coffee and cereal, in case you're wondering) I journal, meditate and read a little. That's probably a foreign concept to everyone else who starts their day rushing out the door with their coffee in a travel cup. Being centred is ace.

If you were a serial killer who would you target and how would you dispatch them?

I'd target the bad guys, and I'd make sure to leave a rose at the scene of the crime.

Can art go too far? Have you seen an artwork that went too far?

Nope, and nope. If it's art; it's art. In the words of Nathaniel's character, Randy: "TASTE IT, TASTE IT".

If you had $104.7 million to fund arts, what would you do?

I would establish a new, accessible funding body focused on procuring the donations of private investors who believe in the power and necessity of the Arts and Creativity within our society. Essentially, I would use the money given to create a platform that encourages private philanthropy, and use that fiscal growth to fund artistic companies and individuals in a meaningful, supportive and legitimated way.

What will you do when you are famous?

I'll probably establish the aforementioned funding body to support the growth of the arts in Australia. I will also own a fleet of muscle cars, wear YSL and reach my end goal of becoming Nick Cave. I'll be like a Phoenix rising from the ashes to the tune of 'I Wanna Be Your Dog', smelling like roses, holding a cigarette, burning rubber, throwing cash at the arts, loving all.

What is your moral imperative?

To give them my heart on a plate.

Do you ever want to punish others for things you find horrible in yourself?

As FBI Man says, "All the time".

Only one week left to see Sinead in Roadkill Confidential at the KX Theatre! Get your tickets now.

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Roadkill Confidential Cast: Nathaniel Scotcher

What role are you playing?

Randy, a teenager with bipolar, ADHD and OCD. He also collects forks and has a fondness for being famous.

Favourite moment in rehearsals?

Lollies with wet/moist centres, courtesy of our SM Amy Danger. 

What has surprised you most about this process?

Nothing surprises me when I get to work with Mike D.

What is your favourite part of the show?

Getting to kiss Trevor and running around in my jocks!

What is the craziest art piece you ever saw?

Isn't art everywhere? and not in the slightest bit crazy at all? at all at all at all at all...

What is something you're obsessive about?

My dog, my darling beautiful, amazing, love him more than my partner...dog. god. dog.

Tell us about a strange ritual you have.

I like to chew gum while I masturbate. It's more interactive that way.

If you were a serial killer who would you target and how would you dispatch them?

The rich and i would eat them... totes didn't even need to think about that answer.

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Can art go too far?

No.

If you had $104.7 million to fund arts, what would you do?

Sorry dudes, I'm gonna take the money and run. Probably vietnam. I will deposit 1 million into a cheque account, the worst pitch for a project gets the loot!

What would you name your band?

ryderfacepantaloons

Do you ever want to punish others for things you find horrible in yourself?

No.

See Nate in Roadkill Confidential at the KX Theatre until 28 November. Get your tickets now.

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Roadkill Confidential Crew: Amanda Laing

Next let's talk to Roadkill Confidential's amazing Movement Director, Amanda Laing. 

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What do you love the most about the KXT?

The lifts! Oh the fun you can have with lifts! It’s such a fantastic space with amazing architectural features to play with. What theatre has usable lifts and big windows with a view of city that you can use?!…..but also cover and not use! The versatility is going to make way from some really exciting work.

What is something you're obsessive about?

Soda water. I’m addicted. Seriously. It’s so good. I mean, how awesome does soda water make the act of drinking water?! Pop some lemon and lime in and hello! But seriously, I have a problem. I need a Soda Stream machine. Is that my payment Michael? You’re buying me a Soda Stream with the profits?

Profits? Soda water is bad for you. What would you name your band?

Soda Stream

If you were a serial killer who would you target and how would you dispatch them?

People who put plastic bags in recycling bins. There’s no logic in putting your recycling into plastic bags and into a recycling bin. What’s the deal with that?! I’d give them a life sentence of community service searching through recycling bins for plastic bags!

If you had $104.7 million to fund arts, what would you do?

I'd put it towards supporting gender parity in the performing arts. The statistics are frightening. I’d encourage people to become familiar with a fabulous new lobby group - Women In Theatre & Screen, Australia (WITS). Women have stories to tell and deserve equal representation within the industry. I am proud that this inaugural production at KXT is written by a female playwright, with the production team sitting at 5 females and 3 males with a cast of 2 females and 3 males. This issue is important and the time for change is now. 

See Amanda's work in Roadkill Confidential, 11-28 November at the Kings Cross Theatre. Get your tickets here.

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