Have you ever been involved in anything like this before?
Nothing quite like this, but from 10 years old I’ve been part of a theatre company which toured nationally and have been trained since that age as a musical theatre performer. When I turned 18, I wanted to try something different, so I since began writing and creating my own stuff and created a bit of a solo career from there.
How long has it been since your last Musical?
It has literally been about six years since my last musical of this size. I’m excited to get back into it, as I read the script and thought it was one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever read, and fell in love with the character of Mitzi, and realised that I was her, and I just had to get back into musicals for Mitzi.
What do you love about Butch Masters and how does it Parallel to your own life?
I love that Butch Masters champions so many minorities and shows that they don’t have to be minorities anymore. My character being a highly sexual female, would normally be a side character, yet is revered in that world and is a celebrity in the town. To be able to say that Mitzi draws a parallel to my life is that her values and the way that she is valued in her society is something that I dream for all females. I only wish I could be as fabulous as Mitzi is in the show in real life, which is why I wanted to be part of the production, as it celebrates a woman so freely for who she is and what she does, which really spoke to me.
Since leaving musical theatre and as a young woman trying to find her feet in life, the biggest thing that stood out to me was the inequality that I felt within my personal life and within the music industry, and just how many men are involved in music, particularly production which I got into later. Trying to establish myself past the fact that I’m female has been where Mitzi has connected to me the most. On stage, I basically wear underwear and do my dances and get pretty crazy, which has been for no reason besides that’s a part of my expression, which I feel comes back to the character of Mitzi herself.
Do you think that the way societal roles are challenged in the musical is a reflection on Melbourne society or society as a whole?
I think that it’s definitely a reflection of the whole world. Jamie is from New Zealand but is now a Melbourne resident, so his influences would are international. The messages of the show are definitely world wide, as they comment on society and high society as a whole. Not everywhere in the whole world is understanding and accepting of gay marriage or equality to an extent, so it’s definitely a whole world comment, shown through an extremely satirical, dark comedy.
Do you think that the musical will reverberate well within the gay community and empower others to create work like this?
I think that the musical is definitely education through satire, and that the overall message is quite serious in that it shows the serious nature of inequality and the effects it has. Suicide is definitely an issue that I think is based around inequality, and through this musical, so many openly gay performers that exist in Melbourne have had the opportunity to play an unashamedly gay role.
So many gay performers are forced into heterosexual roles as there aren’t any glorified gay roles in the theatre, or female roles. As gay as theatre is – you’d be surprised to find how heterosexual the shows are, so it’s great for very feminine gay males and masculine gay women to have the opportunity to play themselves and be celebrated for it.
Being an Asian dominatrix, do you think that this musical sheds light on another minority in the theatre?
If you look at all the musicals that exist for Asians that play Asians, there’s probably only 3 musicals that they can be eligible for, and there’s so many stereotypical Asian characters. I’m half Asian myself, and I’ve found a gap in the market to play not only an Asian, but a strong Asian character, as they are normally quite submissive, which Mitzi really challenges because she’s the complete opposite.
For anyone wanting to see a show with a difference and to see Mitzi in action, check out Butch Masters as part of this year’s Midsumma Festival!
Butch Masters
