Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
Hello! I’m Lucy. I’m from Sydney, I make theatre with music, and I’m a dog mum. I’m bringing my one woman show Party Girl to Summerhall as part of the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
How would you describe your show?
Party Girl is a rock ‘n’ roll monologue about the reality of being a kid’s party fairy. It’s fun, cheeky, unexpected and moving. It’s about magic and faith, unicorns and mental illness, hot dads and glitter.
What is your favourite part of your show?
There’s a part in the show called the ‘unicorn rap’. Based on a real-life unicorn party I had the *joy* of hosting, it sticks a big middle finger up to the upper classes of Sydney. It’s a riot to perform, and the highlight of the show.
If your show had a theme song, what would it be and why?
‘Doll parts’ by Hole. Courtney Love has been a big inspiration for the character of Fairy Sprinkles- her look and sound, her rebellious streak and her pain so close to the surface. I love that song cos it’s sad and angry but beautiful. The idea of being a doll speaks to the idea of being a fairy. I love the line ‘I want to be the girl with the most cake’ and then the refrain ‘Someday you will ache like I ache’. If the show had a theme song… that would be it. Played LOUD.
Are there any particular themes or messages you hope the audience takes away from your performance?
I hope audiences have fun watching the show and then want to go home and hug their mum after. The main message is really: Even though life can be sh*tty at times, don’t lose faith. In yourself, but especially in other people. Cos they’re all we’ve got. They’re the magic.
How has your background, upbringing and education had an impact on your artistic career?
I grew up in Wollongong, a coastal city about an hour and half outside Sydney. My family is middle class and when I was growing up my parents were both teachers at local high schools. I went to a performing arts high school for drama, full of musicals and annual pantomimes. Camp and competitive. I then studied a performance degree at my local university. I only moved to Sydney, the big smoke, once I’d completed my studies.
I was privileged to have the opportunity to go to a selective school and then go to uni, particularly for a creative arts discipline. I had the support of my family on that one – nobody was pressuring me to be a doctor, put it that way! I think my parents had faith that my creativity would pay off somehow, even if it took a while. My mum is a painter and my dad is a poet so creativity was always in our house. The arts were always valued by my family, so I was lucky to never be told to ‘get a real job!’.
I think the impact of not being from Sydney has given me a fire in my belly to prove myself. I’ve had to work hard over time for my work to be recognised. I think my background has instilled in me a good work ethic and my studies gave me the skills to make my own work. My uni course and the key people who taught me encouraged us to be creatively independent- to write, direct, devise; not just be acting focused. It shaped the artist I am today. But ultimately, I couldn’t be an artist without my family and partner, they have supported me through thick and thin and believed in my artistic career when I did not.
You’ve performed Party Girl in Adelaide, what's your favourite thing about performing it for a live audience?
The wonderful ways the live audience responds to the show during (and after). People whoop and cheer, swear, call out, sing, laugh. Cry too. It’s wonderful coming out after the show and meeting people who’ve seen it who aren’t super ‘theatre literate’ but who’ve had a great time. One guy in Adelaide in the front row looked tough as hell, cracking beers throughout the show and talking back to me at times. It was unexpected, but he was engaging with it in his own way. He wanted to have a good time too! After the show, he was there in the foyer with his girlfriend waiting to meet me. She’d even done her makeup like mine on the poster, and her dress had wings on it. We took a picture, and it was the best. He’d loved it, and they walked off into the night still wearing their pink party hats. Performing it live is awesome, you get to interact with fantastic people, and meeting people after the show is starting to feel like half the experience.
What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you while performing?
Not knowing what to do or what to say… on purpose. I was invited to do a show where two unrehearsed adult actors do a show with a 13-year-old who tells them what to do. It was utterly terrifying, like willingly walking into a legit nightmare I’ve had. It was a strange, incredible experience.
Is there a piece of feedback you've received from an audience member or critic after a performance that’s stuck with you?
After a matinee in Adelaide my partner Tim read out loud the first five star review the show ever got. We were sitting in the car and his Dad was in the car too who had just seen the show. He’d had health issues so the fact he saw the show was very special. Tim read aloud the line ‘Lucy Heffernan is sure to be the next Fleabag’ and I just remember crying. I was just so overwhelmed. It was a big honour to be compared to that incredible work. I hope I never forget how proud I felt in that moment, and to share it with family. It was wonderful.
What do you hope to learn or achieve from your first Fringe experience, and how do you plan to apply it to your future work?
I want to enjoy the ride of performing the show and aim to genuinely connect with each different audience every night. I can get so caught up in nerves and putting pressure on myself to be perfect, that it's easy to start talking AT the audience. But you need to talk TO them. The show doesn’t need to be perfect. I don’t need to be perfect. But I need to be present and communicate to whoever’s in the room. That’s what I want to perfect (LOL!)
What would you say has been (potentially) the most useful piece of advice you’ve been given about taking a show to Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s worth the risk.
I was warned you’ll probably lose money, and it’s going to be expensive, and hard, and brutal, BUT there is so much to gain in terms of putting your work before an international audience, meeting people and building your performance muscle over a month of doing shows. The Fringe is an investment in your artistic career. So go for it.
How do you plan to balance performing and exploring the vast array of other shows and events happening at the Fringe?
Study! I’m doing A Bachelor of Creative Arts Honours degree and I have a bloody thesis to write. So when I’m not performing or seeing shows, I’ll be (trying) to write a chapter! I think it will help keep me grounded during this whirlwind time and force me to be read and be quiet sometimes. I’ll try to squeeze in a bit of exercise too, so I don’t lose the plot. I’d love to get a bike to cycle to the shows- that will keep me balanced!
When and where can people see your show?
Summerhall, Cairns Lecture Theatre, 1– 26 Aug 2024 (not 12th & 19th), 21.20 - 22.20
And where can people find you online?
https://www.purpletapeproductions.com
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