Category Archives: Suzy’s 5 Questions

5 Questions with Shauntelle Benjamin

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shauntellebenjaminWhat is your favourite swear word?
That word starting with ‘C’ that most people don’t like. Women need to start reclaiming it.

What are you wearing?
Awkwardly, a uniform that says I work with kids. And a psychology text book casually under one arm.

What is love?
Baby don’t hurt me? Ok, maybe a little.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The Book Of Mormon or Matilda. They both get all my stars. Delightfully written, and fantastically executed pieces of work.

Is your new show going to be any good?
I’m aiming for The Book Of Mormon seriousness with Matilda clarity. It’s going to be wonderful.

Shauntelle Benjamin is appearing in And Now To Bed, from Subtlenuance Theatre.
Show dates: 11 – 22 Mar, 2015
Show venue: Kings Cross Hotel

5 Questions with Moreblessing Maturure

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moreblessingWhat is your favourite swear word?
I would have to say fucking, except it has to be pronounced a certain way. Silent ‘F’ replaced with a soft ‘P’ sound then the rest kinda sounds like ‘uggin’. In summary it’s how you would imagine Alf Stewart saying it.

What are you wearing?
I would like to have you all believe that I’m wearing trackies and a pyjama top because I’m about to sleep but lesbehonest, actually no, we’ll go with that.

What is love?
Ooowwooaaahhhh woo ooohh. Well it’s the decision to always make the effort no matter if it’s reciprocated, noticed or appreciated.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Wow it’s been too long. It would be Missing Pages by Lainey Molloy and Bianca Zouppas shown at ATYP Theatre had me sitting on the edge of my seat hyperventilating as stuttering Lewis Carol was trying to remember why he was at the trial. 6.53 stars easily.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Look. I’ll be honest, it’s not going to be just any good, it’ll be the best goods in town. You’ll have to laugh otherwise you’ll cry. Tickets will sell like whatever came AFTER hotcakes.

Moreblessing Maturure is appearing in Fallout, by Lauren Pearce.
Show dates: 18 – 27 Mar, 2015
Show venue: Exchange Hotel Balmain

5 Questions with Benjamin Brockman

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benjaminbrockmanWhat is your favourite swear word?
It is a mixture of Cum-Dumpster and Bitch-Tits the hyphen makes it dirtier.

What are you wearing?
Emotionally I am currently wearing me heart on my sleeve but physically I am naked wrapped in my leopard spotted sheets, I feel like Cruella de Vil if Cruella de Vil had a sex change and moved to Dulwich Hill.

What is love?
What’s love got to do got to do with it? (Tina, bless) But if you must know Love is Lust over a longer period of time with some glitter thrown on top and baked at 220 for a few months (I am in an on and off relationship with theatre, and let me tell you just between us he is a very ruff top)

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Shit, I haven’t seen other shows in a long time other then my own shows and I don’t mean to be biased but my own work is at least 26 out of 5 pretzels. I just watched The Theory Of Everything, 5 out of 5 pretzels.

Is your new show going to be any good?
I think you meant to ask me where to buy tickets, because this show is going to be the hottest thing you will see this year! Ingredients include: Bubbles, music, lesbians(fem and butch), Cher, Glitter, Skin, more Glitter, High Heels, Sequins, Hairy Cleavage, Spice Girls, Vampires, Non Hairy Cleavage & a 2000 year old Hyman did I mention CHER?! How could the show not be any good?

Benjamin Brockman is designing set and lights for Vampire Lesbians Of Sodom by Charles Busch.
Show dates: 25 Feb – 7 Mar, 2015
Show venue: Kings Cross Hotel

5 Questions with Amelia Jane Hunter

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ameliajanehunterWhat is your favourite swear word?
Shizen.

What are you wearing?
Kaftan I bought in Santorini sans bra and undies, furiously sweating as the weather is a hairdryer on high outside.

What is love?
Acceptance, no underwires and a cold glass of good rosé.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
der Helle Wahnsinn a Berlinesque acrobatic show in Berlin. Based on the true story of flamboyant gay Herbert Maria Freiherr von Heymann who after WW2 is committed for “healing purposes” to a madhouse, where he meets other artists and devises and performs a show for an American TV station. I sat there wondering if it was too late for me to start training to be a contortionist or an acrobat. Stunning, inspiring and upsetting… that it will never be me up there hanging from a swing. Or will it? 5 stars

Is your new show going to be any good?
Inspired by my life in Berlin and all the brilliant, crazy and dangerous people that inhabit it. Yes, it is good and I am equal parts proud and petrified to perform it… in front of my Mum. Let’s just say, things and parts of me have changed!

Amelia Jane Hunter’s Elegant Filth plays in Sydney for one night only.
Show date: 5 Mar, 2015
Show venue: The Comedy Store

5 Questions with Maree Freeman

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mareefreemanWhat is your favourite swear word?
I like old school swear words, I’m very partial to a ‘drat’ or a ‘bother’… they make me think of a Victorian nun dropping her rosary beads and hoping no one notices the mild verbal expletive.

What are you wearing?
I work in the arts so, you know… Gucci.

What is love?
I’m not a romantic so I hesitate to give anyone advice on what love is.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The last show I saw was my niece’s preschool christmas performance – it was fantastic! 5 stars!

Is your new show going to be any good?
You be the judge. Only way to find out is to come and see it! I will say though that the Milk Crate Theatre Ensemble are one of the most interesting and unique groups of artists out there. This House Is Mine is definitely going to be a show like no other this year.

Maree Freeman’s This House Is Mine is a play about homelessness and social marginalisation.
Show dates: 12 – 22 Mar, 2015
Show venue: Eternity Playhouse

5 Questions with Florette Cohen

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florettecohen1What is your favourite swear word?
With two little boys listening I don’t get to swear much these days. Poo-face doesn’t count, does it?

What are you wearing?
My staples – jeans, a t-shirt and the high top green Connies that I’ve had forever. In the future I may be the first granny sporting Connies and a Zimmer frame.

What is love?
Love is wonderfully consuming!

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The Snail And The Whale by Tall Stories at the Sydney Opera House. It’s a gorgeous story and the production was both witty and haunting – from 2 to 36 years old we loved it. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Yeah it is! Who doesn’t love a black comedy? I think the show has something for everyone, there’s even a film component. You’ll be crying one minute and laughing the next.

Florette Cohen stars in My Mother And Other Catastrophes, by Rivka Hartman.
Show dates: Sat 7 and 14 March at Gleebooks, and Sun 8 and 15 March at the Sydney Jewish Museum

5 Questions with Ross Chisari

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rosschisariWhat is your favourite swear word?
Easily, fuck. I say it like people say the word ‘and’ or ‘like’. I think it’s because I’m Italian. It’s basically the first word we learn!

What are you wearing?
Ha, I’m currently wearing Superman boxers from Peter Alexander. If I’m gonna sleep in something, it has to be classy.

What is love?
Love is difficult. It’s difficult to find. It’s difficult to understand. It’s difficult to hold onto. That feeling towards something or someone that makes you defy all logic. It’s what some people dream about, or (like me) it’s what some people spitefully toast to cheap wine and thai take-out!

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The last show I saw was Sweet Charity at the Opera House. It’s a knock-out show. The cast is actually a joke to watch on stage and the music gives you chills. 4.5 stars for sure!!!

Is your new show going to be any good?
Man Of La Mancha is going to be like nothing anyone has ever seen before. It’s got an incredible cast and creative team and the company have the most inspirational, dedicated, hard-working soul as it’s leader (Tony Sheldon) and I have a feeling we’re gonna cause a stir whether people like it or not!!! 😉

Ross Chisari is choreographing and also appearing in Man Of La Mancha, with Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre.
Show dates: 25 Feb – 21 Mar, 2015
Show venue: Seymour Centre

5 Questions with Dorje Swallow

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dorjeswallowWhat is your favourite swear word?
I actually don’t mind the odd egad! And a simple bollocks goes a long way, I find.

What are you wearing?
Right now I’m favouring the blue shorts, white linen shirt, indoor soccer shoes ensemble. I’m trying to make it a thing. I’ve been sporting it for a whole summer now, and I’m still yet to have the satisfaction of seeing a single other person walking the streets with it. Having said that, if it ever did catch on, I’d stop wearing it. I’d hate for it to become like handball and 80’s music and suddenly ironic and cool for the kids. Actually that’s it. I’m done with this whole soccer/prep/Havana Night’s theme. It’s not me anyway – who am I kidding?

What is love?
Love is a wave of euphoric bliss, between two people who brighten and lighten each other’s days, and perhaps even add a little steam to the kitchen of life. Over time, it solidifies into the closest of friendships, and the feelings of joy and support one can appreciate when two people have shared so much together, and still have so much to look forward to. In effect, it moves from the kitchen to the living area. If you ever find yourself in the lavatory, or the rumpus, you’re in trouble. And we all know what happened to the Flowers in the Attic, and Colonel Mustard in the Conservatory with the Lead Piping, so let that be a lesson to you, ye students of love!

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Masterclass. Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies. Old Fitzroy. 4 and a half stars out of 5. It features a brilliant revival of the montage sequence, which I would like to see more of in the theatre, please. A very funny show. Funny ha-ha, AND funny weird, which is, in my mind, the best combination.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Three weeks into rehearsal I can safely say that I think it’s going to be rather good, to say the least. Or, to quote a few people in the rehearsal room yesterday “This isn’t shit at all!” It’s a great play, that Shakespeare chap did seem to have a vague idea what he was doing, and in the hands of my talented cohorts I think we are building quite the theatrical, sumptuous feast! Come grab a seat in a few weeks and chow-down!

Dorje Swallow can be seen in As You Like It, by Bell Shakespeare.
Show dates: 21 Feb – 28 Mar, 2015 (the show then heads to Canberra and Melbourne)
Show venue: Sydney Opera House

5 Questions with Anna Freeland

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annafreelandWhat is your favourite swear word?
Fuck. Especially when said with an English accent. So classy.

What are you wearing?
A grey knit jumper, patterned trackies & socks. Sorry Sydney, what Summer?

What is love?
A hard thing to define without cheapening it. For me it’s a treasured and beauteous thing. It’s also the person who drives me places and looks after me when I’m sick, makes me cups of tea and watches Parks & Rec with me.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Miracle City at The Hayes. It was epic. Blazey Best had me simultaneously in stitches and tears. 4.5 stars.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Any good? Suzy, you’re gonna have the time of your life! Honestly though, it’s a fantastic show to be a part of; the music is provocative, the story is classic and the dancing is dirty, what’s not to love?

Anna Freeland can be seen in Dirty Dancing, the musical.
Show dates: until Feb 22, 2015 in Sydney (the show then heads to Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.)
Show venue: Sydney Lyric Theatre

5 Questions with Anna Colless

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annacollessWhat is your favourite swear word?
I heard a friend say fudgeknuckles the other day and I’ve rather taken to it. Mostly because I can’t figure out what on earth inspired her to come up with it.

What are you wearing?
A luxurious fur, elbow-length gloves and a suave new hat. Oh wait that’s not a mirror, that’s a painting… Nevermind.

What is love?
Love is everything.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
I saw Doorstep Arts’ production of Next To Normal at the Hayes Theatre, and I’d give it a solid 4 stars. Or to put it another way, 1 star for every time I was moved to tears. It was a phenomenal show.

Is your new show going to be any good?
If the little I have seen so far is anything to judge by, it’s going to be a heck of a lot more than good! You really don’t want to miss this chance to see such an incredible show performed by what is truly a stellar cast!

Anna Colless is in A Little Night Music by The Sydney University Musical Theatre Ensemble.
Show dates: 25 -28 Mar, 2015
Show venue: Seymour Centre