Writer and performer Sophie Joske has received critical acclaim when she’s previously appeared at Fringe World. She’s sold out shows and been nominated for prestigious awards.
This time round the Perth-raised, Melbourne based performer has something different, a show that is completely character based. Joske said she was excited about her newest creation.
“Her name is Cassandra Barbitoll and she’s a bit of a demon of rejected actresses almost. She’s a culmination of my deepest inhibitions, and a nightmare of who I might be in thirty years, plus lot of old Hollywood movies. She’s a grand dame of the stage, but perhaps in her mind it’s grander than reality.” Joske told OUTinPerth.
“This show is dark, bizarre, surreal and completely my own. It’s my first solo work in four years, and it’s also my first character piece. For the last few years I’ve been myself onstage and I can’t wait to get back to my theatrical roots and go deep into a fictional character.
“That said, the heroine of Woman of the Hour is still drawn from myself. She may have a much more eccentric and illustrious career, but she’s made from me and my extremes, my best and worst parts.
“It’s very freeing as a comedian to have a character to channel your ideas into. I can’t wait to birth this demented creation into the world.”
To create the character of Cassandra Barbitoll Joske used many different sources of inspiration.
“I started by listening to a podcast called You Must Remember This, which was filed with old stories of Hollywood. I then started listening to two very different series, one was called Dead Blondes which is about actress who were blond and who died an untimely deaths – Marilyn Monroe being the classic. I was very fascinated in the stories of these actresses.
“I got really interested in women whose careers ran longer like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, they were the exception to the rule. Then I watched Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, which has become one of my favourite films of all time. It’s so good! I just loved these two once-famous actresses living in this isolated house, just pickling into resentment and alcoholism. There was a lot of inspiration there.” Joske said.
Over the last few years Joske has gone from being a stand-up comedian doing short sets to creating longer more theatrical work. “I really wanted to draw a line in the sand. I didn’t feel like doing stand up any more than after that.” Joske said.
While the challenge she set herself was to create a show where she played a character, the final result is something more complex.
“I ended up playing over 20 different characters in this show,” Joske said. “So I’ve really pushed myself quite far.
Woman of the Hour is on at Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den for just three performances from 6-8 February. Tickets are available from Fringe World.
Graeme Watson, images: Mark Gambino.
Declaration: Sophie Joske is a former staff member at OUTinPerth.
