WEBVTT - Talking Vision 764 Week Beginning 20th of January 2025 0:00:13.320 --> 0:00:18.920 From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's 0:00:18.919 --> 0:00:20.960 your host Sam Colley. 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:26.560 Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:29.560 for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:37.200 and low vision. Hello and welcome to this special Midsummer 0:00:37.199 --> 0:00:42.800 Carnival edition of Talking Vision. Today we feature a couple 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:49.080 of interviews from a range of presenters and guests on 0:00:49.239 --> 0:00:55.060 the Midsummer Carnival Outside broadcast, which took place on the 0:00:55.060 --> 0:01:00.760 19th of January. Starting off today, we feature a conversation 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:06.280 with myself and Cara Negroni, with the director of a 0:01:06.320 --> 0:01:12.000 show coming to Chapel Off Chapel later this month. Into 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:17.399 early February as part of midsummer. So, without further ado, 0:01:17.720 --> 0:01:22.600 here's our conversation with Oliver. Next up we've got. Oliver 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:27.520 is with us. Oliver is a disabled chance theatre maker, actor, 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:31.959 writer and director living and working between Naarm and Eora. 0:01:32.399 --> 0:01:37.440 Graduating with a BFA in Theatre from the VCA in 2021. 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:42.840 He has performed and presented work nationally and internationally. Oliver 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:46.800 joins us now as the director and co-writer of monster, 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:50.480 the Demon Twink of Smith Street, showing at Chapel off 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:54.600 chapel from January 20th 9th to February the 2nd as 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:58.760 part of Midsummer Festival 2025. Oliver, welcome. 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.480 Hello. Thank you so much for having me. It's such 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:03.240 a pleasure to pleasure to come on down. What a 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:04.000 beautiful day. 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:07.080 I'm so glad you're here, Oliver. Because, um, part of 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:10.720 the mid midsummer community ambassador role, I was always asked, 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:12.320 you know, I get asked, what are the events you 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:15.240 want to go for? And I'm browsing through the program 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:18.240 and I see this event called The Demon Twink of 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:20.880 Smith Street. And I was like, okay, I have to 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:23.680 go here. So first things first. How on earth do 0:02:23.680 --> 0:02:25.440 you come up with a name like that? I love it. 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:28.000 Oh my goodness. I think it's just natural if you 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:30.400 know Florian at all, which hopefully you can come to 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:33.320 the show and get an idea for who they are. 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:36.880 It's pretty. Yeah, it's just naming exactly what is in 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:41.120 the tin with Florian Wilde. Very much demon twink energy. 0:02:41.520 --> 0:02:44.040 Please tell me more because my brain goes everywhere when 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:47.080 I think of demon twink. Like, just tell us more. 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:48.240 Tell our listeners more about it. 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:51.040 Oh goodness me. So the story of Florian Wilde is 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:53.560 that it's a persona, but it's also a true story 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:57.280 about Louis, who is Florian and how he is a 0:02:57.280 --> 0:03:01.080 transgender man. He is a drag queen. He's also a 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:05.639 high school teacher, so he kind of encompasses the intersection between, like, 0:03:05.640 --> 0:03:10.200 these three really controversial identity points and kind of coalesces 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:12.040 in the middle of all of that. So it's a 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:18.080 really campy, fun, cabaret entertaining look at some actually quite serious, 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:22.000 like intense trans issues to navigate in the world. And 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:24.920 his role as a teacher and also as a performer. 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:27.280 I look, I love that personally as well because as 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.360 a person with a disability, I feel like disability can 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:32.480 be quite a heavy and dark subject for some. So 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:34.400 trying to lighten it up as much as I can, 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:36.240 you know, add a lot of humor. So I totally 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:40.040 get what you're saying about having a meaningful message there, 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:41.880 but making it fun at the same time. 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.440 It just needs to be. You have to laugh. 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:46.520 Yeah, you have to laugh. It's so funny because I 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:50.040 feel like the people that get offended by disability and 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:52.360 queer jokes are the ones that are not queer and 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:54.920 not disabled because we love laughing, right? 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:57.440 We love laughing at ourselves. Yes, it's how we cope. 0:03:57.480 --> 0:03:59.320 So how did you get you get into writing something 0:03:59.320 --> 0:03:59.840 like this? 0:03:59.960 --> 0:04:02.680 Oh well, it was funny. I actually started off this collaboration. 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.720 I work as a theatre maker and an actor director, writer. 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:08.760 I've done so many different roles throughout my career as 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:11.480 a performer and as a maker. But I came onto 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:17.440 this project because Florian was looking for a trans queer pianist. Wow. 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:20.320 So I played the piano. I'm self-taught and I'm not 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:22.920 very good. And so it was just kind of like. 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:23.840 Still better than me. 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:28.640 I'm like, I'm okay. I can learn things, but it takes. 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:30.920 That's what they all say. Sam I'm sure he's amazing. 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:34.680 Probably a lot better than me these days. So I 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:37.720 can totally. Um, no. I think you'd do a wonderful job. 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:40.760 Oh, look. Well, so I started off coming on board 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:43.800 as a pianist, helping with the arrangement, and then I 0:04:43.840 --> 0:04:46.600 kind of just got chatting with Florian more about the 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:49.960 script and about the story. The, you know, we wanted 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.320 to tell here. And we're both transgender men. We have 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:55.800 a lot in common. We're around the same age and 0:04:55.840 --> 0:04:59.130 things got flowing. And then in the initial season that 0:04:59.130 --> 0:05:01.529 was in, oh geez, 2023. 0:05:02.050 --> 0:05:03.450 You make it sound like it was ten years ago. 0:05:03.490 --> 0:05:04.490 That was ten years ago. 0:05:05.490 --> 0:05:07.250 It feels like it was ten years ago. We were 0:05:07.250 --> 0:05:09.930 talking about it at rehearsal yesterday. It's just like, oh geez, 0:05:09.930 --> 0:05:12.130 how long have we been working together? It's been about 0:05:12.130 --> 0:05:15.450 two years now. And we ended up kind of coming 0:05:15.450 --> 0:05:19.530 into a space where we reworked the scripts together to 0:05:19.570 --> 0:05:22.490 just kind of elevate things and get things into a 0:05:22.490 --> 0:05:27.450 more personal place with keeping the entertainment factor alive. So 0:05:27.490 --> 0:05:30.850 our collaboration has evolved so much. And this is the 0:05:30.850 --> 0:05:33.570 third time we're putting it on. So the first time, 0:05:33.690 --> 0:05:36.050 it was very much like, I'm coming in, I'm trying 0:05:36.050 --> 0:05:38.810 to play the piano. It's just the two of us 0:05:38.850 --> 0:05:42.330 pretty much working together. And then in the second time 0:05:42.330 --> 0:05:46.530 we took it to Adelaide Fringe last year, and that 0:05:46.530 --> 0:05:49.570 was with a reworked script that was really met. The 0:05:49.570 --> 0:05:52.730 reception was incredible. It went to places that the first 0:05:52.730 --> 0:05:55.090 one was a little bit scared to go to and 0:05:55.090 --> 0:05:57.890 we're just stepping it up again. Love that one, which 0:05:57.890 --> 0:05:58.450 is great. 0:05:58.650 --> 0:06:00.850 Is it a kid friendly show or is it. 0:06:00.890 --> 0:06:04.010 Absolutely not. Absolutely not. 18 plus. 0:06:04.050 --> 0:06:05.530 I'm glad I asked. I'm not going to take my 0:06:05.530 --> 0:06:06.410 friendship with me. 0:06:06.690 --> 0:06:08.410 Yeah. 0:06:08.410 --> 0:06:11.530 Well. Yes. No, it's, um. It definitely is. It's a 0:06:11.530 --> 0:06:14.490 bit of a sexy show. Ah. Um. It's like, I 0:06:14.490 --> 0:06:17.410 don't know, it spans. It's very difficult to describe. And 0:06:17.410 --> 0:06:19.330 I'm still working on my elevator pitch for it. 0:06:19.370 --> 0:06:21.890 I get it, I get what are the key? I 0:06:21.890 --> 0:06:24.370 know there's some deep messages there, and we want to 0:06:24.370 --> 0:06:25.890 do it in a nice and fun way, which is 0:06:25.890 --> 0:06:29.090 always amazing. But what are the key messages people will 0:06:29.090 --> 0:06:31.130 walk away with after watching? 0:06:31.290 --> 0:06:35.650 I think it's just that trans people are deeply human. 0:06:35.650 --> 0:06:37.650 I think that is one of the key messages which 0:06:37.650 --> 0:06:41.890 I think cannot be overstated. Yes, I think it's something 0:06:41.890 --> 0:06:44.970 that we sometimes in the community will take for granted. 0:06:44.970 --> 0:06:46.730 It's just like, oh yeah, we're all on board with 0:06:46.730 --> 0:06:49.529 this concept. And it's, you know, the same principles can 0:06:49.530 --> 0:06:52.690 so easily be applied to disability. But it's like we 0:06:52.810 --> 0:06:56.089 want to bring this show to audiences who might not 0:06:56.090 --> 0:06:59.970 be familiar with trans identities at all. And, you know, 0:07:00.010 --> 0:07:03.170 have a fun, quirky way of talking about how, like, yeah, 0:07:03.170 --> 0:07:07.089 we are like parts of your community. Yeah, we are like, 0:07:07.290 --> 0:07:09.130 these are people who are drag queens and they're teaching 0:07:09.130 --> 0:07:12.410 in your schools and they're educating your children, and they're 0:07:12.410 --> 0:07:16.050 a safe person. Yes. For the next generation, which is 0:07:16.050 --> 0:07:20.090 a super controversial, like, hot topic. So it's very timely. Yeah, 0:07:20.130 --> 0:07:23.090 I think that we're talking about these things and it's 0:07:23.090 --> 0:07:26.210 still sexy. It's still fun. It's still cabaret. 0:07:26.490 --> 0:07:29.250 I love that you said the message is that trans 0:07:29.250 --> 0:07:32.330 people are deeply human. Yeah, because I feel like it's 0:07:32.330 --> 0:07:35.290 the people that don't think other human beings are human. 0:07:35.290 --> 0:07:36.130 They're the monsters. 0:07:36.290 --> 0:07:39.570 Yeah, 100%. And it's this idea of monstrosity. Exactly that 0:07:39.570 --> 0:07:42.170 we're exploring, which makes it sound very highbrow, but. 0:07:42.170 --> 0:07:44.410 I promise it's it's it's. 0:07:44.690 --> 0:07:46.370 It's a it's a romp. It's a very fun show. 0:07:46.410 --> 0:07:48.210 Nothing next to me is highbrow, let me tell you. 0:07:49.770 --> 0:07:50.370 Sam may be. 0:07:50.450 --> 0:07:50.810 Yes. 0:07:51.130 --> 0:07:53.370 No, no, no, I'm not high brow. Trust me. 0:07:53.370 --> 0:07:53.810 No, no. 0:07:54.210 --> 0:07:57.610 But, um, we've talked a little bit about a range 0:07:57.610 --> 0:08:00.290 of things you've been doing over the years. You've written, 0:08:00.290 --> 0:08:04.370 you've directed, you've performed, you've done the whole shebang. So 0:08:04.410 --> 0:08:07.090 what's your greatest passion? What do you wake up and 0:08:07.090 --> 0:08:09.370 be like? Oh my God, I'm doing this today. 0:08:09.490 --> 0:08:11.530 Oh my God, I was so scared of this question. 0:08:11.650 --> 0:08:12.330 I know right? 0:08:12.370 --> 0:08:14.210 I asked the hard questions. That's my job. 0:08:14.210 --> 0:08:16.650 Unfortunately, you're not shy about it. I love that about you. 0:08:16.650 --> 0:08:19.730 But it's just like, I just. I feel like my 0:08:19.850 --> 0:08:23.330 greatest strength is being able to look at a project 0:08:23.330 --> 0:08:25.890 no matter what role I have in it, and go, okay, 0:08:25.890 --> 0:08:28.490 how can we make this more true? How can we 0:08:28.490 --> 0:08:31.130 bring truth to it and vulnerability to it? And that's 0:08:31.130 --> 0:08:34.209 the same as a director, as a writer, as an actor, 0:08:34.210 --> 0:08:36.650 and as a theater maker. And I feel like because 0:08:36.650 --> 0:08:40.370 of my background, not only as in my study of 0:08:40.370 --> 0:08:43.009 theater making, but also just in my experience of being 0:08:43.010 --> 0:08:46.010 a maker, you learn to look at all of the 0:08:46.010 --> 0:08:48.850 parts of something as opposed to opposed to dividing it 0:08:48.849 --> 0:08:51.569 up into, okay, you're the producer, so you can't have 0:08:51.569 --> 0:08:53.569 an opinion and you're the actor. So you just read 0:08:53.569 --> 0:08:56.530 the lines. It's like, I love working in a very 0:08:56.530 --> 0:09:01.650 non-hierarchical kind of space where everybody can feed into the thing. Yeah, 0:09:01.650 --> 0:09:02.010 they all. 0:09:02.050 --> 0:09:02.690 Blur and. 0:09:02.689 --> 0:09:03.809 It's just like. 0:09:03.849 --> 0:09:06.530 You know, people cross over. If people have an opinion, 0:09:06.530 --> 0:09:10.250 they're like, hey, blah, blah, blah. And, you know, people 0:09:10.250 --> 0:09:13.490 are receptive to that, I love that. So what sort 0:09:13.490 --> 0:09:17.170 of perspectives do you offer in your work that are 0:09:17.209 --> 0:09:20.809 perhaps unique to you? You know, things that are unmatched 0:09:20.809 --> 0:09:24.170 by other writer directors? The second hard question. 0:09:24.170 --> 0:09:24.770 In a row. 0:09:25.050 --> 0:09:27.770 I'm very hesitant to say that I'm unmatched in any regard. 0:09:27.770 --> 0:09:28.689 But if I. 0:09:29.089 --> 0:09:29.490 Say it for. 0:09:29.490 --> 0:09:29.610 You. 0:09:29.969 --> 0:09:32.369 Okay, cool. Thank you for the for the permission, I 0:09:32.370 --> 0:09:36.050 appreciate it. I feel like in terms of, yeah, what 0:09:36.050 --> 0:09:38.610 I can bring to a process is living with a disability. 0:09:38.609 --> 0:09:42.650 I live with recurrent chronic illness. I have a hyper 0:09:42.650 --> 0:09:46.650 awareness of accessibility that I bring to all of all 0:09:46.650 --> 0:09:48.929 of the projects that I work on so that it's 0:09:49.050 --> 0:09:53.650 a part of the inception of the making. So it's like, 0:09:53.650 --> 0:09:56.129 I think so much of accessibility and live performance is 0:09:56.130 --> 0:09:59.689 something that is tacked on to the end, whereas in reality, 0:09:59.689 --> 0:10:02.290 to be truly inclusive and accessible, you have to think 0:10:02.290 --> 0:10:05.170 about these things from the outset. You have to think 0:10:05.170 --> 0:10:07.530 about the lighting for the Auslan interpreter. You have to 0:10:07.569 --> 0:10:10.970 think about how accessible it's going to be to people 0:10:11.010 --> 0:10:13.689 who are blind or low vision. And it's just kind 0:10:13.689 --> 0:10:17.050 of like, um, how can we make the sensory aspects 0:10:17.050 --> 0:10:21.689 of this so inclusive for more audiences so more people 0:10:21.689 --> 0:10:24.769 can get the benefit of? I think the best thing 0:10:24.770 --> 0:10:27.130 about this show is that it provides an opportunity to 0:10:27.130 --> 0:10:31.050 be radically seen and reflected for other trans people as well, 0:10:31.050 --> 0:10:34.250 not only to educate cis people, but for other trans people. 0:10:34.250 --> 0:10:36.770 So I think that's the thing that I kind of 0:10:37.050 --> 0:10:38.050 bring to a process. 0:10:38.050 --> 0:10:39.010 Definitely. I mean. 0:10:39.010 --> 0:10:42.329 Since we're in such a deep and meaningful zone and 0:10:42.370 --> 0:10:44.370 like I said, Sam is the one who's asking all 0:10:44.370 --> 0:10:46.770 the heavy questions. But I'll ask you a heavy question. 0:10:46.809 --> 0:10:48.090 Now that's okay. Yeah, please. 0:10:48.209 --> 0:10:49.410 What would your drag name be? 0:10:50.130 --> 0:10:51.170 Oh, that's so heavy. 0:10:51.209 --> 0:10:52.730 What am I going to do with that? 0:10:53.050 --> 0:10:56.650 Okay. So I actually. Okay. All right. Okay. Um, um, 0:10:56.689 --> 0:10:59.329 it was either going to be Ariela Granola. 0:10:59.650 --> 0:11:01.329 Ooh. Or. Tasty. 0:11:01.530 --> 0:11:04.329 Yeah, there was Ariela granola. My friend came up with 0:11:04.329 --> 0:11:07.849 this one, so she owns it. But Shania pain. 0:11:07.890 --> 0:11:09.409 Mhm. Is great. 0:11:09.449 --> 0:11:10.969 But she she totally. That's a. 0:11:10.969 --> 0:11:13.209 Wrestler. Trans wrestler. Oh my God. 0:11:13.290 --> 0:11:16.569 Trans wrestler. Exactly. I'm bringing the Shania pain. 0:11:16.650 --> 0:11:17.610 Oh, God. 0:11:17.650 --> 0:11:20.089 I think, though, I'd probably be something like Boo Boo 0:11:20.130 --> 0:11:22.329 the Fool. Like, I think I'd be a very, like, 0:11:22.329 --> 0:11:24.969 Jimbo clown esque drag queen. 0:11:25.010 --> 0:11:26.610 I love Jimbo. Yeah, I love. 0:11:26.650 --> 0:11:27.929 Throwing the ham. 0:11:27.969 --> 0:11:29.410 Would you get the big boobs as well? 0:11:29.530 --> 0:11:30.850 Absolutely. Wait, am I allowed to say boobs? 0:11:30.890 --> 0:11:32.809 Absolutely. Sure. Okay, look. 0:11:32.849 --> 0:11:33.729 It's my radio show. 0:11:33.729 --> 0:11:35.290 And I was like, yes. Oh, yeah. I was like, 0:11:35.290 --> 0:11:35.490 oh my. 0:11:35.490 --> 0:11:37.009 God, am I going to get canceled? 0:11:37.050 --> 0:11:37.689 That's fine. 0:11:37.969 --> 0:11:41.050 But, um, we've asked this question a few times and 0:11:41.089 --> 0:11:44.449 Ariel Granola is the is the winner. Really so far? 0:11:44.530 --> 0:11:45.929 I think that's the front runner. 0:11:46.010 --> 0:11:46.250 I may. 0:11:46.290 --> 0:11:48.410 Be biased, but I think kiwi fruit cake is the best. 0:11:48.410 --> 0:11:51.650 One. Oh, Kiwi fruit is cute. It's not bad. I 0:11:51.650 --> 0:11:52.969 like that. I'll go with. 0:11:52.969 --> 0:11:56.569 Sam. The rhyming. The rhyming. I'll say Kiwi fruit was 0:11:56.569 --> 0:11:59.089 my boss's choice, so I'm sort of, you know, you. 0:11:59.089 --> 0:11:59.650 Kind of have to. 0:11:59.689 --> 0:12:00.130 Say. 0:12:00.170 --> 0:12:03.209 Well, no, I'm sort of putting my. I'm throwing myself 0:12:03.209 --> 0:12:07.089 in the deep end, but, um. I'm sorry, Conrad, but 0:12:07.130 --> 0:12:08.290 Ariela wins out. 0:12:08.329 --> 0:12:10.770 Yeah, yeah. Who's Conrad? It's kiwi fruit cake. 0:12:10.929 --> 0:12:11.609 Oh. That's true. 0:12:11.650 --> 0:12:15.170 Yeah. That's great. Oh. Thank you. 0:12:15.329 --> 0:12:18.530 Yeah. So how can we all book tickets to the 0:12:18.530 --> 0:12:20.089 show and head along? 0:12:20.130 --> 0:12:23.809 Best way to go is either through the, um, midsummer 0:12:23.929 --> 0:12:27.089 festival page. Just search monster. It'll pop up. You can 0:12:27.089 --> 0:12:29.809 also book tickets through chapel off chapel. It is running 0:12:29.809 --> 0:12:33.329 from the 29th of January until the 2nd of February. 0:12:33.329 --> 0:12:35.929 And on the 29th of January, we're having a community 0:12:35.969 --> 0:12:39.410 night for the gender diverse trans community. So come along. 0:12:39.410 --> 0:12:43.170 We've got cheap tickets for Tickets for 25 bucks. So it's, uh. Yeah, 0:12:43.170 --> 0:12:44.889 we're really hoping to start off with a bang and 0:12:44.890 --> 0:12:48.010 just have a big, lovely group of people to welcome 0:12:48.010 --> 0:12:49.449 monster into the world. 0:12:49.449 --> 0:12:51.050 And can I just say, I was at the chapel 0:12:51.050 --> 0:12:53.489 off chapel for the Dolly Diamond roast last year. Oh, yes. 0:12:53.490 --> 0:12:57.650 And the staff were really helpful. Yes. Blind people. 0:12:57.689 --> 0:12:58.089 Yeah. 0:12:58.329 --> 0:13:00.730 So if you know, to our blind listeners, if you 0:13:00.729 --> 0:13:03.530 want to go, I highly recommend that the staff will 0:13:03.530 --> 0:13:04.650 take good care of you. 0:13:04.689 --> 0:13:06.410 Yeah, absolutely. And I would say that in terms of 0:13:06.410 --> 0:13:11.090 the accessibility rating for blind audiences, it's fairly accessible. Correct. 0:13:11.130 --> 0:13:14.929 And it's like it's a cabaret. It's very, um, auditory. 0:13:15.130 --> 0:13:15.450 Yeah. 0:13:15.449 --> 0:13:18.729 It's like that we do some stuff on stage, but 0:13:18.729 --> 0:13:22.170 like it's very much like, yeah, it's something that you 0:13:22.170 --> 0:13:25.010 would really enjoy. I think listening to and absorbing that way. 0:13:25.010 --> 0:13:27.010 It's a lot of storytelling 100%. 0:13:27.050 --> 0:13:30.010 Well, thank you so much for your time, Oliver. It's 0:13:30.010 --> 0:13:34.290 been an absolute pleasure. Both ways. It's just been wonderful 0:13:34.290 --> 0:13:37.290 to have a chat with you all about your writing, 0:13:37.290 --> 0:13:41.850 performing and directing journey, and all the best for Demon 0:13:41.849 --> 0:13:45.369 Twink of Smith Street and all of your upcoming productions, 0:13:45.370 --> 0:13:47.969 which I'm sure are just as good. Thank you. 0:13:47.969 --> 0:13:49.530 I'll see you at the Demon Twink show. 0:13:49.569 --> 0:13:53.329 Yes. Come and see my front row. 0:13:53.370 --> 0:13:55.050 Absolutely. Come along. 0:13:55.250 --> 0:13:57.330 Thank you so much for your time. Best of luck. 0:13:57.329 --> 0:13:59.290 It's been great to have you. Thank you. 0:13:59.410 --> 0:14:00.729 Thanks, Oliver. Happy midsummer. 0:14:00.809 --> 0:14:01.650 Happy midsummer. 0:14:01.689 --> 0:14:10.329 Happy midsummer. I'm Sam Colley, and you're listening to this 0:14:10.329 --> 0:14:16.289 special midsummer carnival edition of Talking Vision. On Vision Australia Radio, 0:14:16.530 --> 0:14:21.850 associated stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. 0:14:22.090 --> 0:14:26.450 I hope you enjoyed our conversation there with Oliver Ayres. 0:14:26.930 --> 0:14:30.970 Coming up next, it's Conrad and Tess who catch up 0:14:31.050 --> 0:14:36.650 with Anastasia from the Victorian Pride Centre. So let's hear 0:14:36.650 --> 0:14:38.499 from Tess Herbert right now. 0:14:38.820 --> 0:14:42.660 Now we have another wonderful interview and we are very 0:14:42.700 --> 0:14:46.940 happy to. Welcome to the microphone, Anastasia Lee, board member 0:14:46.940 --> 0:14:50.580 at the Victorian Pride Centre. Hello, Anastasia, and welcome. 0:14:51.020 --> 0:14:52.820 Hello. Hello. Thank you for having me. 0:14:53.020 --> 0:14:57.180 Ah, it's a pleasure. Now, firstly, would you mind sharing 0:14:57.180 --> 0:15:00.540 with us your preferred pronouns and vision status with us? 0:15:00.660 --> 0:15:05.180 Um, yeah. So. Anastasia. So pronouns are she her? And, um, 0:15:05.180 --> 0:15:07.220 they do have, like, you know, ten out of ten vision. 0:15:07.700 --> 0:15:09.340 I see. Well, that's that's fantastic. 0:15:09.380 --> 0:15:13.139 One of our sighted friends. Yes. Joining us as well. Anastasia, 0:15:13.140 --> 0:15:16.139 it's wonderful to have you on Vision Australia Radio. I've 0:15:16.140 --> 0:15:18.979 been told to take a deep breath and allow you 0:15:18.979 --> 0:15:22.380 to share with us the various roles you have at 0:15:22.380 --> 0:15:23.820 the Victorian Pride Centre. 0:15:24.060 --> 0:15:27.180 So I am one of the nine board of directors 0:15:27.180 --> 0:15:31.619 at the Pride Centre. My focus. Well, I co-chair the 0:15:31.620 --> 0:15:35.620 community referencing Community Engagement working group with Doctor Judy Tang. 0:15:36.100 --> 0:15:42.100 And then, um, my focus is people and culture, people development. Um, 0:15:42.140 --> 0:15:46.460 as well as, um, sort of stakeholders engagement. So yeah, 0:15:46.460 --> 0:15:48.700 so that's what I do usually and a bit of 0:15:48.740 --> 0:15:52.419 PR and communications. So yeah. So those are my background. 0:15:52.500 --> 0:15:54.220 Keeps you busy I'm sure. Yes. 0:15:54.220 --> 0:15:54.660 Yeah. 0:15:54.660 --> 0:15:55.540 With that scope. 0:15:55.580 --> 0:15:56.900 Yes. Absolutely. 0:15:57.140 --> 0:16:00.580 A woman of many, many and varied talents. Now, for 0:16:00.580 --> 0:16:04.780 anyone who might not know what is the Victorian Pride Centre, 0:16:04.780 --> 0:16:07.140 how did it come about and how long has it 0:16:07.140 --> 0:16:08.140 now been operating? 0:16:08.540 --> 0:16:11.220 Oh, thank you for asking that question. So it was 0:16:11.220 --> 0:16:14.260 quite a journey to get the Civic Pride Center to open. 0:16:14.260 --> 0:16:18.659 So the Vic Pride Center is Australia's first purpose built 0:16:18.660 --> 0:16:23.139 centre for, um, the LGBTQ plus community. After years and 0:16:23.140 --> 0:16:26.700 years of advocacy and hard work from the community. Because 0:16:26.700 --> 0:16:30.660 we are built by the community, for the community. The 0:16:30.660 --> 0:16:34.739 door is open from, I think, July 2021. But then 0:16:34.740 --> 0:16:36.940 a lot of work had been put into that the 0:16:36.979 --> 0:16:40.780 years prior to that. And we are located in Saint Kilda, 0:16:40.940 --> 0:16:43.260 and one of the things that not many people know 0:16:43.260 --> 0:16:45.980 about is the reason why the Price Centre is there, 0:16:45.979 --> 0:16:48.580 because the City of Port Phillip graciously gave us the 0:16:48.580 --> 0:16:51.420 title of the land, right? So it's actually now owned 0:16:51.460 --> 0:16:54.780 truly by the community, and we're not renting that space 0:16:54.780 --> 0:16:58.100 or anything. Amazing. Yeah. And so at the Price Centre, 0:16:58.100 --> 0:17:00.979 we house all kinds of services, all kinds of LGBTQ 0:17:01.140 --> 0:17:06.300 plus also from Australian queer archives to -18 to Thorne 0:17:06.300 --> 0:17:10.619 Harbour Health, Joy media, a whole lot. And, um, it's 0:17:10.619 --> 0:17:13.340 a space that we hope that we can create a 0:17:13.340 --> 0:17:18.340 safe space where community members can connect, collaborate and getting 0:17:18.340 --> 0:17:20.260 access to services. 0:17:20.780 --> 0:17:24.700 It's such an incredible site. And as you said, it's 0:17:24.700 --> 0:17:29.060 full of all of these amazing organizations that contribute so 0:17:29.060 --> 0:17:33.020 much to Victoria's queer community. Can you just let us 0:17:33.020 --> 0:17:37.220 know some of the regular activities that are also hosted there? 0:17:37.780 --> 0:17:42.659 So we do have many arts events. The Pride Center hosted, um, well, 0:17:42.659 --> 0:17:44.699 I mean, it's part of who we are, right? Because 0:17:44.700 --> 0:17:48.499 we are built by a very diverse community. So inclusive 0:17:48.500 --> 0:17:51.460 events have always been at the core of our operation. 0:17:51.740 --> 0:17:54.859 Now we have hosted a few like audio description and 0:17:54.859 --> 0:17:58.380 tactile tours as well. Brilliant. Again, I am saying this 0:17:58.379 --> 0:18:01.419 because we are interviewing you with Vision Australia. So we 0:18:01.419 --> 0:18:03.540 have to share this. Yes. And the thing is like, 0:18:03.540 --> 0:18:06.060 you know, we would love to have vision specific events 0:18:06.060 --> 0:18:08.580 in the future. So hopefully this can open up for 0:18:08.619 --> 0:18:13.300 future collaboration. Amazing. Because, um, we do have a collaboration 0:18:13.300 --> 0:18:18.100 with Dementia and Memory Lane Cafe, and we do gathering 0:18:18.100 --> 0:18:21.060 and social connection for those with dementia as well. So 0:18:21.060 --> 0:18:23.660 now we just have to expand our inclusive spirit to 0:18:23.659 --> 0:18:24.139 this space. 0:18:24.180 --> 0:18:27.260 So well, we have a very good connection with a 0:18:27.260 --> 0:18:30.260 lot of the organizations in there, including Joy is one 0:18:30.260 --> 0:18:32.419 of our community radio siblings. 0:18:32.540 --> 0:18:34.379 Shout out to Joy 94.9. 0:18:34.540 --> 0:18:37.100 So wonderful. We would definitely be keen for one of 0:18:37.100 --> 0:18:38.459 those collaborations. 0:18:38.540 --> 0:18:40.740 Yes. And I mean, as we know, you know, we're 0:18:40.740 --> 0:18:44.900 becoming increasingly aware of the intersectionality between people with disabilities 0:18:44.899 --> 0:18:47.619 and the queer community. So, you know, making the Victorian 0:18:47.619 --> 0:18:50.379 Pride Centre an accessible space for people who are blind 0:18:50.379 --> 0:18:54.139 or have low vision is so important, isn't it? Yes. Now, 0:18:54.260 --> 0:18:57.060 have you ever or do you plan to host events 0:18:57.060 --> 0:18:59.859 that are on this subject that speak to the low 0:18:59.859 --> 0:19:00.940 vision community? 0:19:01.460 --> 0:19:04.340 Yes. I mean, the Pride Centre. From a governance and 0:19:04.340 --> 0:19:07.899 leadership perspective, we plan to maximise all of the features 0:19:07.899 --> 0:19:10.900 we have at the Pride Center. As I said previously, 0:19:11.020 --> 0:19:15.139 we do have some programs that, you know, audio description programs, 0:19:15.139 --> 0:19:17.820 but we would like to expand, to create, to sit 0:19:17.820 --> 0:19:21.180 with you in your community, to then design programs and 0:19:21.180 --> 0:19:24.100 events that cater specifically for those with low vision or 0:19:24.100 --> 0:19:27.580 vision impaired. Now we do in the building because again, 0:19:27.740 --> 0:19:31.300 through lengthy consultation process with different parts of the community, 0:19:31.659 --> 0:19:35.699 the private sector has tactile ground surface indicators. We have 0:19:35.700 --> 0:19:40.340 high contrast signage as well. And all your wayfinding systems. 0:19:40.340 --> 0:19:42.180 So we are looking at ways so that we can 0:19:42.180 --> 0:19:46.139 maximize these sort of features for the community. 0:19:46.220 --> 0:19:49.460 We love hearing that, don't we, Tess? Absolutely. The more 0:19:49.460 --> 0:19:53.939 accessibility and public spaces, the better. Certainly. Anastasia, you've been 0:19:53.940 --> 0:19:57.380 a board member of the Victorian Pride Centre since April 0:19:57.379 --> 0:20:00.500 last year, so almost a year now. What's the experience 0:20:00.500 --> 0:20:03.740 been like for you? Has there been any surprises? 0:20:04.659 --> 0:20:07.300 It's really interesting, right? Because first of all, like how 0:20:07.300 --> 0:20:10.780 often do you see a woman of trans and of 0:20:10.780 --> 0:20:14.780 colour experience and being an asylum seeker and refugee and 0:20:14.780 --> 0:20:18.100 all of the fun things, being trans to be on 0:20:18.100 --> 0:20:21.220 a board, right. It's been a pleasant experience from a 0:20:21.220 --> 0:20:24.700 teamwork kind of perspective. Like my board colleagues, we are 0:20:24.700 --> 0:20:28.420 high functioning. We have a very high functioning board. We 0:20:28.460 --> 0:20:32.619 came from a wide range of life experience, professional background, 0:20:32.619 --> 0:20:36.259 because my background is in social procurement and socio economic development, 0:20:36.300 --> 0:20:38.859 people and culture. Whereas like my other board members, we 0:20:38.859 --> 0:20:42.300 we bring all of these different perspectives. And now we're 0:20:42.300 --> 0:20:45.180 diverse in gender. We diverse in age. And it's been 0:20:45.180 --> 0:20:48.580 quite a pleasant experience working together. There are some challenges 0:20:48.580 --> 0:20:51.700 because you have such a big dynamic team, but we 0:20:51.700 --> 0:20:54.939 managed to really create a safe space for each other. 0:20:54.940 --> 0:20:58.379 The only surprises would be, I think from a governance level, 0:20:58.940 --> 0:21:03.140 it can be this landscape here, the LGBTQ plus landscape 0:21:03.139 --> 0:21:08.740 has been constantly challenged, yes, socially, politically, environmentally. And I 0:21:08.740 --> 0:21:11.739 think that's the challenging part of it, because how are 0:21:11.740 --> 0:21:15.340 we going to navigate this heritage building to make sure 0:21:15.340 --> 0:21:17.820 that we grow? And then we to make sure that 0:21:17.820 --> 0:21:21.340 all parts of Victoria is connected to us and navigating 0:21:21.340 --> 0:21:23.580 through all of these landscapes. So that's a that's the 0:21:23.580 --> 0:21:24.540 surprising part. 0:21:24.780 --> 0:21:28.540 I could imagine. I mean, inclusion and representation is so important, 0:21:28.700 --> 0:21:32.100 and to have your voice in that conversation is obviously 0:21:32.100 --> 0:21:36.340 incredibly wonderful. And at that level, I'm on the board 0:21:36.340 --> 0:21:40.300 of the Pride Center is fantastic. So yeah, it gives us, 0:21:40.340 --> 0:21:43.100 I guess, as the queer community, a lot of faith 0:21:43.100 --> 0:21:45.100 in the fact that it's going to be something that's 0:21:45.100 --> 0:21:47.460 for everyone, which is really exciting. Yeah. 0:21:47.500 --> 0:21:48.220 And that's our goal. 0:21:48.260 --> 0:21:48.899 Yeah, yeah. 0:21:48.940 --> 0:21:51.459 Now let's get on to midsummer. And how the Victorian 0:21:51.460 --> 0:21:54.100 Pride Centre will be involved this year. 0:21:54.580 --> 0:21:57.540 So I think this year we were last night we 0:21:57.540 --> 0:22:01.180 just launched our Victorian Pride Center midsummer program. So that 0:22:01.180 --> 0:22:05.580 would mark our third consecutive collaboration together. And as an 0:22:05.580 --> 0:22:09.619 official hub for the midsummer team. Amazing. So this year 0:22:09.619 --> 0:22:15.220 we host 33 diverse events across January and February. It's 0:22:15.220 --> 0:22:19.460 a hub. We really amplify the queer voices through artistic 0:22:19.460 --> 0:22:24.860 expression and celebrate diversity through all of these exhibitions we have. 0:22:25.100 --> 0:22:27.340 We launched also events and we are also part of 0:22:27.340 --> 0:22:30.700 our midsummer program. This year we have some family gatherings. 0:22:30.700 --> 0:22:34.619 We have some tours, which is again being audio descripted 0:22:34.659 --> 0:22:37.899 again for everybody. Yeah, and some music performance, live music 0:22:37.899 --> 0:22:39.700 performances at the Price Center. 0:22:39.899 --> 0:22:43.380 Fantastic. I know one of my co-hosts on a show 0:22:43.379 --> 0:22:47.540 I do on Joy is having a screening of her 0:22:47.740 --> 0:22:52.580 film and also doing a live music and film event 0:22:52.580 --> 0:22:55.540 for her Love Rewind film, Demetra. 0:22:55.580 --> 0:22:56.180 Yes, of. 0:22:56.180 --> 0:22:57.780 Course we know Demetra. She's everywhere. 0:22:57.859 --> 0:22:58.220 Got to give. 0:22:58.260 --> 0:23:02.580 Demetra a shout out. Um, those events are on sale 0:23:02.700 --> 0:23:04.979 right now. So, as all the great things that are 0:23:04.980 --> 0:23:08.900 on it this summer, head to midsummer to find out more. 0:23:09.260 --> 0:23:12.460 Anastasia bringing you back to your role within the Pride 0:23:12.460 --> 0:23:15.899 Center and as part of the board. How is success 0:23:15.899 --> 0:23:19.859 measured for the Pride Center in terms of has it 0:23:20.060 --> 0:23:23.900 been a good investment for the LGBTQIA+ community? 0:23:24.100 --> 0:23:27.899 Now, yes, we have so much potential. And again, just 0:23:27.899 --> 0:23:30.540 to remind everybody, the Price Centre has just opened its 0:23:30.540 --> 0:23:35.659 doors since July 2021. Yeah. So strategically speaking, the first 0:23:35.659 --> 0:23:39.259 few strategic plans have been just about getting the door open. Yeah. 0:23:39.300 --> 0:23:42.580 So now we really like with our current strategy, we 0:23:42.580 --> 0:23:46.420 really hope to maximise everything. Right. And really bring it 0:23:46.419 --> 0:23:48.499 to make sure that, you know, it's truly built for 0:23:48.500 --> 0:23:53.340 the community. Now we measure our success through social impact, 0:23:53.340 --> 0:23:56.820 through community impacts, how many voices we have uplifted, how 0:23:56.820 --> 0:24:01.060 many people we have sort of connected to different resources, 0:24:01.060 --> 0:24:03.620 and how many sort of connections we have fostered as well. 0:24:03.659 --> 0:24:07.219 Because we are a very diverse community. We are growing, right. 0:24:07.260 --> 0:24:10.659 And so we hope that we can keep serving that purpose. 0:24:11.220 --> 0:24:14.380 So primarily speaking, we have been hosting events, but we 0:24:14.379 --> 0:24:18.149 have a few plans in place. So then really making 0:24:18.149 --> 0:24:22.350 sure our people are being looked after. Our culture shifted 0:24:22.350 --> 0:24:25.550 accordingly to the very challenging landscapes ahead. 0:24:25.990 --> 0:24:29.389 Yeah, yeah, that's so exciting. It is such a wonderful space, 0:24:29.470 --> 0:24:32.269 and I really hope, Tess, you get to visit it 0:24:32.270 --> 0:24:35.109 and give it your stamp of approval. It's got this 0:24:35.109 --> 0:24:38.629 incredible staircase that goes right through the middle of the foyer, 0:24:38.909 --> 0:24:41.470 which is, um, even for someone like me who prefers 0:24:41.470 --> 0:24:44.149 to take a lift, I can't help but run up 0:24:44.149 --> 0:24:47.590 that staircase because it's just. It's kind of fun. 0:24:48.149 --> 0:24:50.590 I wear heels all the time, and I. When I 0:24:50.590 --> 0:24:52.990 get there, I still want to walk that staircase. 0:24:53.070 --> 0:24:53.790 Yes, the. 0:24:53.790 --> 0:24:56.389 Staircase is a feature. I think it's a very queer 0:24:56.389 --> 0:24:59.189 feature as well. Very much going coming down it, I 0:24:59.190 --> 0:25:00.470 think would be a lot of fun. 0:25:02.030 --> 0:25:04.070 Well, I look forward to that, and I sincerely hope 0:25:04.070 --> 0:25:06.470 that I can come and visit you. And that sort 0:25:06.470 --> 0:25:10.350 of brings me to my final question. Where can listeners 0:25:10.350 --> 0:25:13.590 go to learn more about the Victorian Pride Centre and 0:25:13.590 --> 0:25:15.310 your midsummer events for this year? 0:25:15.350 --> 0:25:20.830 First of all, you can go on to precentor.org/midsummer 2025. 0:25:21.270 --> 0:25:23.029 And then you can find all of the events we 0:25:23.030 --> 0:25:26.070 have in there right now. I like to really highlight 0:25:26.190 --> 0:25:29.790 one of the key sort of shows to promote at 0:25:29.790 --> 0:25:33.350 the center is called Telling It with Pride Speakers program. 0:25:33.869 --> 0:25:37.550 It's free so the participants there can share their personal stories, 0:25:37.550 --> 0:25:44.869 showcasing the public speaking skill and also storytelling through different formats. Um, 0:25:44.869 --> 0:25:47.830 and you know, hopefully that, you know, through the price Center, 0:25:47.830 --> 0:25:49.989 we can elevate the voice. So then. Yeah. 0:25:50.389 --> 0:25:54.629 Wonderful. We love hearing that. Anything anything that like. Yeah. 0:25:54.669 --> 0:25:57.789 Uplifts and shares our stories is it can only be 0:25:57.790 --> 0:25:58.310 a good thing. 0:25:58.430 --> 0:26:00.830 And I think like through a partnership with Joy as well. 0:26:00.830 --> 0:26:04.990 We have a, um the big camp countdown. Countdown on 0:26:05.310 --> 0:26:09.350 on January 24th. So, um, yeah. So taking you through 0:26:09.350 --> 0:26:12.109 the top five queer anthems of all time and voted 0:26:12.109 --> 0:26:13.630 by our listeners. Amazing. 0:26:13.710 --> 0:26:14.390 Wow. 0:26:14.430 --> 0:26:15.470 Yes. So, please. Yeah. 0:26:15.510 --> 0:26:16.869 Look at something we can get behind. 0:26:16.909 --> 0:26:17.949 Oh, God. Yeah. 0:26:17.990 --> 0:26:19.830 I vote go west by Pet Shop Boys. 0:26:20.030 --> 0:26:21.630 That's my favorite. Nice. Aw. 0:26:21.710 --> 0:26:25.550 Everything possible. Sung by Judy small. That's pretty good, too. Uh, now, 0:26:25.550 --> 0:26:29.190 we've been speaking with, uh, Anastasia Lee, board member at 0:26:29.190 --> 0:26:33.830 Victorian Pride Centre. Uh, Anastasia, we just can't thank you enough. 0:26:33.830 --> 0:26:36.270 Thank you for joining us. It's been a fabulous chat. 0:26:36.430 --> 0:26:38.269 Thank you for having me. Thank you everybody. 0:26:44.310 --> 0:26:49.110 That was Conrad Brown and Tess Herbert there with Anastasia 0:26:49.149 --> 0:26:53.750 Lee from the Victorian Pride Centre. And that's all the 0:26:53.750 --> 0:26:59.190 time we have for this week's special edition of Talking Vision, 0:26:59.190 --> 0:27:05.470 covering a couple of interviews from the Midsummer Carnival Outside broadcast, 0:27:05.470 --> 0:27:09.510 which took place on the 19th of January at the 0:27:09.510 --> 0:27:15.510 Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne. Talking vision is a Vision Australia 0:27:15.510 --> 0:27:21.350 radio production. Thank you to everybody responsible for putting both 0:27:21.389 --> 0:27:27.149 talking vision and the Midsummer Carnival broadcast together. If you'd 0:27:27.149 --> 0:27:30.109 love to get in touch with Talking Vision, you can 0:27:30.149 --> 0:27:35.389 absolutely do that on Talking Vision at Vision Australia. That's 0:27:35.389 --> 0:27:40.750 talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. But until 0:27:40.750 --> 0:27:44.350 next week it's Sam Corley saying bye for now. 0:27:47.990 --> 0:27:51.950 You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during 0:27:51.950 --> 0:28:00.950 business hours on one 384 746. That's one 384 7486 0:28:00.950 --> 0:28:10.110 or by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia. Org.