Creative Industries, Media, and Performance

• Performer, RaGTaG Revue Brisbane (March 2009)
  The RaGTaG Revue, organised by Brisbane burlesque veteran Lena Marlene , brings together established and emerging burlesque stars together for two nights of themed cabaret. Students of the Scoundrelles are invited to perform a group number.
  Us Scoundrelles-in-training performed a trio piece to Jill Tracy’s Evil Night Together, a sexy number that included pulling up an audience member for a sorta-lapdance. It was ultimately funny and cheeky, and fitted well with the theme “Myths, Fantasies, and Fairytales”. Other performers on the night (aside from the Scoundrelles teachers) included Miss Mindi, Miss Ink, Miss Peppa Minx, Miss Bertie Page, the Well-Strung Trio, Bell a Donna, Jordin Steele, Red Devotchkin, Rita Fontaine, Tony Campbell, and possibly some others as well!
• Merch Girl, Burlesque Ball Brisbane (March 2009)
  The Burlesque Ball, organised by Jac Bowie , is an annual night of glamour, glitz, and Australia’s best burlesque. This year the show includes international headliner Amber Ray from New York.
  I worked at the merchandise counter, selling programs and Amber Ray’s flower fascinators. I also helped patrons with directions, cloak checks, and keeping them calm when they were frustrated. This inspired me to create The Merch Girl , my burlesque character that works backstage and front-of-house with a performance twist.
• Performer, V-Day Brisbane (January-February 2009)
  V-Day is a global movement for women’s rights that involve international performances of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues fundraising for women’s shelters and organisations within the community.
  I performed the piece The Woman who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy, about a sex worker that works exclusively with women and explores psychology through pleasure. Both shows were sold out (or close to) and it was a massive success! Everyone’s performances were well-received, and I’m still being recognised by people months after!
• Assistant Stage Manager (Street Theater), Woodford Folk Festival (December 2008)
  The Woodford Folk Festival brings art, music, stage performance, circus, folk medicine and culture, environmental awareness, and so on to the Queensland Bush for a one-week gathering of creativity, folklore, and culture.
  I roved with puppet performance group Bottled Theatre during their daily runs at the Festival. This mainly involved shielding the performers from hecklers and obstacles, while promoting their act and encouraging audience participation. While there I also met with other street groups, such as SWANK, Electric Dollhouse, and Big Rory, and learnt more about their art and creative process.
• Secondment, Zen Zen Zo (September-October 2008)
  Zen Zen Zo produces physical theatre based on Butoh and Suzuki traditions, and is also well-known for their schools and intensive training sessions.
  I mainly assisted with administrative and arts management tasks, specifically around policy and procedure. I brought their policy and procedures documents up-to-date through careful editing and analysis, and prepared draft policies and employee handbooks. I also wrote risk management strategies, researched grants, prepared financial documents, and assisted with other general tasks such as inventory and mailouts while learning about the administrative side of arts organisations.
• Work Experience, Transit Lounge Brisbane (August-October 2008)
  Transit Lounge Brisbane, an initiative of Youth Arts Queensland, provides support for young artists and creatives through workshops, one-on-one consultations, and various special events.
  I co-wrote and developed a project plan for a proposed Cultural Diversity Strategy, involving research on current policies on cultural diversity in the arts, analysis of Transit Lounge’s current work with culturally diverse communities, and the creation of a network of organisations working with young people, the arts, and/or multiculturalism in Queensland. I also assisted with the delivery and management of arts business training program Navigation, taking care of catering, feedback, data entry, and other administrative tasks.
• Alto, Queensland University Music Society (August-October 2008)
  QUMS is one of Brisbane’s long-standing non-audition choirs, based in University of Queensland.
  Our Semester 2 performance this year included Haydn’s Te Deum and St Nicholas Mass, and featured Benjamin Britten’s St Nicholas, performed in conjunction with a local boys’ choir and other local musicians. This year’s performance was in St John’s Anglican Cathedral Church in Ann St, Brisbane.
• Volunteer, Brisbane Writers Festival (August-September 2006, 2007, 2008)
  The Brisbane Writers Festival brings in Australian and international writers, academics, media people, and other interesting minds to talk about recent publications, storytelling, and other aspects of writing and publishing.
  2008: I was part of a university project with the Festival, co-developing surveys and collating data for the Schools program.
  2007: I volunteered as part of a university work placement and worked within Sponsorship, mainly in administrative tasks such as collating pamphlets and creating ticket booking lists. I also volunteered at the event at the Information Booth, helping lost patrons and answering queries.
  2006: I volunteered as an usher; an assistant for the Writers’ Green Room, which involved helping the writers with their personal needs and getting them to events; and as a Venue Manager, which involved supervising the ushers and audience, getting the presenters organised, and ensuring the events ran smoothly.
• Volunteer, Straight out of Brisbane (August 2006)
  Straight Out Of Brisbane is a biennial festival that showcases independent art, music, performance, and emerging ideas from the creative minds of Brisbane. I volunteered for two nights as a cashier for events. It was one of my first volunteer gigs in Brisbane and gave me some exposure to the Brisbane creative scene, especially its hub in Fortitude Valley.
• Stage Manager, Walk in Beauty Concert (July 2006)
  The Walk in Beauty Concert at the Gold Coast featured performances of peace and spirituality through indigenous and new age music, as well as a feature appearance by a respected Native American chief.
  This was my first stage management job – quite hectic as we had to work without rehearsals and only got to meet each other on the day of the performance! The coordinator, Jaya Lewis, had arranged anything and my task was to ensure the concert went as scheduled and to liaise with the artists for personal needs. The concert went on well and I even managed to jump on stage for a short time!
• Cast Member, Up with People Premiere (April 2006)
  After a half-year hiatus, Up with People premiered their new show format and reorganised program to alumni, friends, and community supporters.
  I was one of the performers in the Premiere cast (affectionately known as Cast P). Our performance involved singing and dancing to various UWP tracks, singing in Japanese and Spanish, percussion, Stomp-style dance, and contemporary dance. The cast was largely American and Canadian, with a handful of Europeans, a Japanese, one from Togo, and myself (who flew in from Malaysia). We all rehearsed daily on a volunteer basis for two weeks. I also spent a week volunteering at the UWP office, assisting them with office tasks such as photo organising and researching host cities.
• Production Assistant, Channel [V] International (February-April 2006)
  Channel [V] International is one of Asia’s leading music and pop culture entertainment channels, providing not only current pop-chart fodder and mainstream TV shows (such as America’s Next Top Model) but also showcases of local music.
  Channel [V] had known me since the days of my [my demand] fansite in 2001, and when reconnecting with them some years later they welcomed me to work in their Malaysian offices. I mainly wrote scripts for shows such as The Ten, Billboard US Countdown, and Smash Hits, which involved being up-to-date on current pop music and celebrity news. I endeavoured to include social-change-related items in my scripts, staying away from gossip and negativity. I also had a hand in developing the Oscars 2006 Special and Paparazzi, edited some shows, and worked on random tasks such as selecting clips for shows or doing research.
• Crew member, Up with People (known as WorldSmart Leadership Program at the time) (August-December 2005)
  Up with People is a global education non-profit (based in Denver, CO USA) that uses performance, travel, and community service as a means of connecting cultures and promoting world peace.
  My crew, of 54 people from about 20 different people, travelled for 18 weeks around the South-West US, Japan, and Western Europe, spending about a week in each city. In each city we lived with host families, worked on community projects, learned about topics such as conflict resolution and leadership, and produced & performed a show that incorporated our various cultural arts as well as Up with People’s library of music. During the semester we also had the option to work on internships, personal projects, and/or university classes. I did an External Relations internship, which involved presenting Up with People to schools, promoting the weekly shows, and developing a web presence for Up with People. I also worked with the Operations team by coordinating bus trips, hosting Morning Meetings, and assisting with other logistical matters.
  Due to my strong involvement with my crew, I was elected Crew Representative for the Up with People International Alumni Association, and even briefly sat on the UWPIAA board as Era Representative (for all WorldSmart 2004 & 2005 crews).
• Youth journalist, The Star – BRATS (August 2003 – Ongoing (last active in 2004))
  BRATs (Bright Roving Annoying Teenagers) is a youth journalism project by Malaysian English daily The Star, developing young Malaysians not just in print and web media but also in community service. Though theoretically one is “always a BRAT”, members tend to participate for about 2-3 years actively.
  As part of BRATs, I wrote a front-page interview with media personality Asha Gill, and was selected as one of four BRATs to interview Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and then-DAP leader Lim Kit Siang for the Merdeka 2004 special. Among the BRATs community service projects I was involved in include a week-long trip to Mabul Island for marine conservation (constructing “reefballs” or artificial reefs) and performing and producing a theatre piece for World AIDS Day 2004.