I'm here because The Worst of Scottee had a limited run for Fringe World, Australia's fastest growing arts festival. The show was bought over by Connections - Perth's queer / cabaret theatre / performance bar / club hangout and presented by Scottee inc., Theatre Works (who I owe a lot to, Daniel and his team have really championed my work in Oz) and Global Spin who look after me this side of the equator.
The shows have been really well received with more rave reviews to add to the archive
(http://www.outinperth.com/worst-scottee-best/, http://dailyreview.crikey.com.au/postcard-from-perth-fringe-world-week-two/18710) but by now you know this isn't my favourite piece to perform - the content is heavy and no one needs to pick their scabs in public, repeatedly.
When I made WOS I felt I needed to be honest with you and get some shit off my chest but that was almost two years ago and I feel like a different person now. Before opening night in Perth I felt like I said what I needed to say with this show, watching the reactions of audience members here has hammered home why I need to pick those scabs.
Sometimes I get a bit sulky about having to cry in a photobooth each night, then I realise I'm being a bit of a wanky artist and I'm on the other side of the world having the best time ever.
When I visited Perth in October I wasn't sold on it, I was here for one day and was followed from the river to my hotel by a shifty looking bloke but this trip has definitely cemented my love for Western Australia.
During my first visit to Oz I blogged about finding queer in Sydney - a different type of queer to the version we have in the UK. Queer in London is incredibly individualistic, here it's community minded, Utopian even. Perth has only reaffirmed those feelings and I'm leaving town with a gang of brilliant people I can call friends.
Anyone visiting Perth has to pop into Connections - it might look like a club but its actually a queer community centre. Everyone associated with that building is fucking lovely - especially the drags!
When my tap shoes went walkies BarbieQ took me to the suburbs to get a new pair, when I needed some English-ness Feminem (pictured below) took me for Fish n Chips, when I needed a bit of head space Tim and Ryan took me to their beach house, when I needed a bottle of water Matty delivered a crate, when I needed feeding Rod and Jules ordered everything! The generosity of this place has left me gushy and I can't wait to find excuses to get back here, it's also left me determined to make my gang in the UK more queer - in the Aussie sense of the word.
I know this blog sounds a bit like a wank in the mirror or a teary Oscar acceptance speech but it's easy to knock out a moany blog - sometimes its nice to be nice.
Tonight is closing night and I'm ready to go out with a bang and show Perth my appreciation but before that I'm off to the beach with my new friends!
Next stop: Hong Kong!
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