An ending and a begining

After a number of years blogging on this lovely little space I have decided to make the jump to website. There will still be posts (which is more than there has been here for for a few months!), but also gallery, tour dates, latest news and more!

Come say hello at www.tesswaters.com and thanks for sharing this with me x

New Show New Poster

a little bit of inspiration

Well I have been abysmal at the blogging this year haven't I, too busy with the real life doing. Before I give the 2011 wrap up (which will take a while as it's been one action packed year) I wanted to share some of the images that are inspiring my new solo show...

'a little bit of standing up and a little bit of falling down'

a show about contentment

enjoy xx

(tickets for the Adelaide Fringe season are available here)

Girls Night Tour

I'm jetting off to sunny Bryon Bay tomorrow for a 3 night tour of Byron, Lismore and Currumbin with Cath Styles and 'Girls Night'. Killer line up of Lady funnies! booking details below.

Booking details for Girls Nights Qld Tour: 8pm Monday 7th Byron Services Club Booking: 07 6683 4334, 8pm Tuesday 8th Tatts Hotel Lismore 07 6621 4729 and 7.30pm Wednesday 9th Currumbin RSL bookings 07 5534 7999

Tail of Love - 2005

Rented Space gets into ITV Fest LA

If the 'Young Ones' and 'Red Dwarf' had made sweet love and then gave birth that child would be 'Rented Space'; a comedy sci fi television series about a bunch of guys who rent a share-houseboat in space in the not so distant future.

I Produced and performed in the pilot episode for Rented Space, which has just been accepted into the International Television Festival in LA and the writer/director Kai Smythe (of Sextyime!) are flying over to pitch up a storm to the US market.

We leave next week and we are in a flurry of fundraising, packing, arranging 'lunches' (that's actually what happens, 'let's do lunch'...I feel like a pro) and trying to find the perfect outfit for the red carpet!

We are holding a fundraiser for the trip in Melbourne, this Wednesday the 27th of July. There will be holding 3 screenings of the pilot and we will be selling original artwork from the production for the Send Rented Space to LA Fundraiser at Loop Bar, Meyers Place.

Get you tickets here

If you're keen to support the project but can't make it to the screening you can buy a DONATE ticket and leave your contact details and we will send you a signed copy of the poster!

You can also pledge a tax deductible donation through the AbaF Cultural Fund here

(and thus ends the almighty 3month drought of blogging...wow that's the longest I've ever gone! I will be back shortly with the full update on what's been happening, but it may take some time to write it all down ;)

Sexytime! Preview

Rip It Up Review

Halfway through Tessa Waters’ latest offering Sexytime!, I thought I was going to be sick. Two glasses of savy blanc, combined with 30 minutes of non-stop laughter, left my head feeling lighter than a helium balloon (which, incidentally, will be extinct in 40 years when all the Earth’s helium is used up).

Relief was far from sight; from the curious opening flourishes of the Adam and Eve interpretive dance, to the smouldering gazes of the closing ‘morning after’ scenario, Tessa Waters (as Woman) and Kai Smythe (as Man) owned the petite Town Hall stage.

Everyone is sure to find some echo of their own ‘sexytimes’ in this extremely physical comedy, whether it be the jaunty goodbye scene following a one-night stand or the hip-bumping mating dance to Mr President’s Coco Jambo that preceeded it. My advice? Go easy on the pre-drinks; and don’t sit in the front row if men fondling their belly buttons turns you off.

Final word: Salacious

Date: Sat 26th Feb 2011

Source: Reviewed by Jacquie Lee for Rip It Up Mag

Fringe Benefits Review

Alicia: You know what Emmica, I never thought I’d be able to say that I indulged in 45 minutes of great Sexytime at the Adelaide Town Hall – but now I can well and truly tick it off my bucket list!

Emmica: Agreed Alicia! You could say it was one of my more spontaneous nights but hey – you only live once!

A: Amen to that sister. Can’t say it’s every night that I find myself grinding against some sweaty guy wearing a tastefully tacky 70s shirt, bad 90s music pumping away. No – that’s just my weekends! Well hey, my weekend came early when ‘Man’ (Kai Smythe) grabbed me from the audience…it was a dream – as if all my Saturday nights had come at once – and that ain’t sarcasm babe!

E: It must have been very difficult for you not to get too excited over Man’s sweaty chest and impressive mo. Although you’ve just got to watch that sexy, vixen ‘Woman’ as she would be sure to start a cat fight…or perhaps invite you home…

A: Indeed she was fierce…in the fabulous ‘I am woman- hear me roar’ style. But hun, once Man saw me I am sure there was no argument in his mind – pity she had so much power over him, just a movement of her eyebrow and he was putty in her hands. Shame, I would have loved to get to ‘mo’ Man a bit better…get it…mo?!… Okay so that was a bad joke…

E: So on that exceptional dad joke, perhaps we should introduce the readers to the show properly? There’s only so much cheesiness one can take.

A: Cheesy? Us? Never! Well…probably…but I’m guessing our readers want to know what the heck is going on, so without further ado it’s probably time that we explained…

Sexytime is a brilliant Fringe show created and performed by the hilarious Tessa Waters, who plays Woman, and co-starring the alluring (a term used loosely) Kai Smythe as her counterpart, Man.

As the name implies this show is all about sex, sexy times and times of sex. It is most definitely not one for young kiddies but that is the only exclusion and restriction for this wonderfully open performance which celebrates a subject which is often still seen as taboo. There is dancing, miming, Tessa Waters’ fabulously indulgent acting and laughter around every corner. You will giggle like a school girl every time the word “sexytime” (or anything relating to sex) escapes Waters’ mouth – it’s all in the way that she says it.

Sexytime is a grand affair of comedic brilliance. The players’ interaction with the audience is seemingly improvised and the show includes anything but stereotypical “sex jokes”. It is completely unique and the characters portrayed are extremely original.

A: Emmica and I adored the show, but personally my only piece of criticism; I wanted longer lasting sexytime! Either that or we will just have to go again!

Date: Monday 7th March 2011

Source: By Alicia Norton and Emmica Schlobohm for Fringe Benefits http://www.fringebenefits.com.au/fb-review-sexytime

Sexytime! Chortle Review

Tessa Waters and Kai Smythe are very brave. Not only because they are performing a comedy show with barely any words, but because they begin it with barely anything on. Where else to begin an exploration of sex, but with Genesis? In little more than flesh coloured underwear and leaves, they give us an amusing take on Adam & Eve. The leaves drop and reveal naughty bits drawn on with texta. It's sort of extreme version of the nude suits that Judith Lucy, Denise Scott and Linda Gibson used to wear, and it can be a bit confronting in the front row.

Tessa and Kai obviously have a very close relationship off stage, for they often get quite intimate. Between sketches their on-stage interaction reminds me of Die Roten Punkte, with Tessa's Germanic accent sealing this impression. Kai does not speak at all but still manages to create a fabulous sleazy persona. Their flirting with the audience has a consequence that surprises everyone when a girl's dad kisses Kai on the cheek. He reacts perfectly by going all coy, yet strangely delighted.

The show itself is a neat 50 minutes of silent skits set to music, all about sex. They tend to involve a lot of mime and interpretive dance, so if these aren't your thing, you might want to find some stand-up. Still if you stayed you might be pleasantly surprised. Tessa and Kai are hilarious at what they do. I enjoyed the armed combat with cardboard ‘penis and boob’ shield vs cardboard ‘cross with Bible’ shield, played out to the overdramatic strains of O Fortuna from Carmina Burana. Appropriate music if you know it is a celebration of sex, gambling and drinking written by some very naughty monks.

Their final and longest sketch presented all the awkward horrors and delights of a first date that lasts 'til morning. Stripped back down to their undies, the sweet ending mirrors the opening sketch but with an appropriately happier, healthier outcome. Not all the sketches are as brilliant, but their kooky characters are able to pull it all off – so to speak – and keep the audience in fits.

Date of live review: Saturday 26th Feb, '11

Review by Lisa Clark for Chortle.com

Sexytime in Adelaide

Tickets are now on sale for the Adelaide Fringe season of Sexytime! at the Adelaide Town Hall, Feb 18th to March 12th. So I thought it was about time we shared the spiffy artwork that Kai came up with for the flyers and posters (ooooh spiffy). He's doing some freelance design stuff this year, so if you're in need of posters, flyers, CD covers etc drop me a line and I'll hook you up.

Also the Holden Street Theatre crew, our hosts at this year, have just updated their website for the 2011 Fringe Season check it out here

2011 - New Ideas for a New Decade

Sexytime!
Premiering at the 2011 Adelaide Fringe at Adelaide Town Hall (Prince Alfred Room), Kai Smythe and I will be playing a full season of physical comedy fun times, cannot wait. We follow this by a two week season at the Tuxedo Cat for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. And then we send out the touring pitches to see who else is interested in it.

OS trip Lady tour
Contemplating a New York and Europe visit for 'How to be Lady' in late 2011. I'd like to rework and tighten a few bits and get the set properly designed to be tour ready. I'm still loving performing the show, I really didn't think I would still love it so much after all this time, but I find new things and love when the good bits work every time. You become so familiar with the material and it is such a pleasure to hit the jokes perfectly and see the reaction. It makes you wonder about the laws of comedy, somethings are just universally funny as in they get laughter every time, and some things really depend on the crowd.

Rented Space
2011 sees Rented Space the sci fi comedy television series I am producing with writer/director Kai Smythe go into the next stage of development. Now we have the pilot finished, we need to pull together the 'Bible' which is a document that outlines the entire universe of the series; the characters, the series outline, the story structure, the 'world' in which the characters exists and how they interact with it. Then we need to inspire an experienced producer who really connects with the story, the concept and us and who will be willing to work to get it pitch ready for the networks. This stage requires, patience and planning and a lot more hard work...bring it!

Children's book
Something that's been sitting in the back of my head for a while is turning my 2006 clown ensemble show 'Baggage' into a children's book. I'd like to spend some time re-visiting this show, as I love the characters and the exploration of the concept of our emotional baggage and how we all need to let go to move forward. I also have a little idea called 'And then I met Lucy' which examines the concepts of growing up in a culture of fear. I'm really inspired by the books of Shaun Tan, Where the Wild Things Are, The Little Prince, and the beautiful work of Ghost Patrol..hmmm I would like a little hut by the beach to ponder on these for a while :)

The Great Depression Orchestra
Picture stumbling across a shanty town under a train bridge in the back streets of beyond. A small fire is burning weakly and the smell of a watery cabbage stew fills the air, a spider web of clothes lines, hanging sad old rags who have seen better days, is the background to a ramshackle junk band of hobos and tramps singing moving songs of longing, love, sorrow and escape from the 1930's depression era. The Great Depression Orchestra....coming soon.

The Trampettes

I want to re-discover my voice this year. I have great memories of singing with other girls all the old Andrew Sisters classics and I plan to re-visit this in 2011. Sharp sassy outfits, quick comic quips and smooth three part harmonies...well at least that's the plan. A bit of fun with some fellow talented performers :)

Gimme the cash!
Grants, donations, sponsorships, partnerships, lobbying, budgeting and yes even tax. In 2011 I am going to invest a significant time of each week to learning how to make and create the funds to do what inspires me. I am done with the day job, it's time to figure out how to create a balance with my work and creative life that sustains and feeds itself and grows and expands in line with what I have available to me and not from working myself into the ground and burning out every year.

Directing
I've been approached by a few fellow fringe artists to Direct shows in 2011, I'm excited by this idea and am really looking forward to hopefully bringing some inspiration to the collaborative experience.

On a personal level I will; create a home in which I love to be in every corner, cook delicious meals to nourish my body and spirit, host dinner parties, get fit and feel healthy, sing and perform with my voice, spend more time with those that I love, travel overseas and experience another culture, calm my mind and be happy...oh and dance lots...Whooo Happy New Year!!

More Sexytime! pics

Here are more from the fun shoot we did with Rebekah Halls and Sorjeri Tane for Sexytime!

Hand Dance - We No Speak Americano (Panamericano) - Cleary and Harding

2010 Looking back

Well I feel like I've spun out of the end of this year from a relentless spin cycle of creative projects, adrenaline and work. I was remembering this time last year and how fresh and excited I was feeling about my goals of this year and when I look back on what they were I see I did them all (and some). So before I dive headlong onto a new decade and new set of projects and ideas I think it's important to look back on they little year that could, what I've learnt, what inspired me, what challenged me and then of course a few musing on what is to come.

January- Revolt Artspace

This hot summer month in Melbourne was spent hunkering down with the crew from Revolt Productions. Painting, grinding, cleaning, business planning in support of their epic vision of the space. These guys have had a huge year; nearly wiped out by the March flood they rose to the challenge and have created an ambitious arts venue in Kensington which was finally launched in early November. Do yourself a favour and check it out if your in melbs.

Feb-March RAdelaide Fringe

Feb march saw me and the minstrel boys heading to SA, first lesson learned was always pre-pay for excess baggage, which we didn't and had to undertake a stealthy cabin luggage fiasco and posted all our clothes to our hostel...planning planning planning people!

Arriving a week before to set up the venue with the ever lovely support of Carin from the fringe team, we built the stage, rigged the lights and set up our sparkly sign all in time for the big opening night. Spending a month in Adelaide was such a blast. Positives: our groovy hosts at the hostel, winding down each night at the atmospheric artist bar, playing to sell out crowds, the minstrels being nominated for Best Cabaret, our brilliant venue team, Murray, Jason and the crew at the Austral (favorite memory was dancing up a storm with them all on the our final night after the luke warm awards night), meeting other rad and inspiring artists and general fun of life on the road, oh and the mega amazingly tasty late night Mexican place across the road.. Negatives; eating enough hungry jacks for a lifetime, the late night antics of the local trashbags, suburban audiences and their prudishness (surprising and luckily not all inclusive), Calipsal (shudder). I had such a brilliant time in Adelaide, actually my favorite festival experience to date, I look forward to heading back there in 2011.

March-April Melbourne International Comedy Festival

With only 4 days off between the Melbourne International Comedy Festival was upon us and homeless and couch surfing as I was I played an epic four week season at the Forum Theatre....in the broom cupboard ;) I loved this venue, it was tiny (30 seats with a stage the size of a desk), but it created a really different intimacy with the audience that hadn't existed in Adelaide. Best memories of this season was when an 80 year lady came and sat in the middle of the front row one night, she hadn't been back to Melbourne since she met her husband there in the 40's and she had an absolute blast! what a legend, hope I'm like that when I'm 80. The other highlight was seeing a whole family come and enjoy the show sitting up the back, the youngest boy was probably 12 and his two older brothers where killing themself with laughter as was the dad...the mum on the other hand was swinging between hysterics and horror at what her young son was seeing. And then the coolest thing was Birdman coming along, I saw Birdy in Brisbane 7 o 8 years ago at the Judith Wright Centre in this gorgeous little clown show along with Neridah Waters and Johnathan (lastname??) which my friend Ramona and I was so inspired by that we wrote our first theatre/clown show Small Dreams, it was a very special experience performing for such an great performer.

The other highlight of this festival was the riding of live camels down Swanston Street for a promo event for The Minstrels of The Revolution 'In Search of Atlantis', I love these moments when you do something so bizarre and you get to say yep....this is what I do for a living. The boys played a short season at The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne, which was a bit of a struggle as venues outside of the CBD have a really hard time, this was made up for the fact that David and the Gang at the club are total legends.

May-July Rented Space, Kwikfix and At the Formal

Man I'm exhausted from writing already, no wonder I am exhausted and burnt out by the end of this year! So after a few sweet weeks off after the end of the Comedy Festival we geared up for the Rented Space Shoot. For full details of this project check out my fellow blogger Kai Smythe at The Rented Space Diaries. In a nutshell this was blutty epic, an three month mammoth of no sleep and hard work to pull off the 6 day shoot. The film has only recently been finished and premiered at The Australian Centre for the Moving Image as part of the VCA Film and Television Graduate showcase. Over 40 crew, 50 cast members and a whooooole lotta catering. Had an absolute blast and looking forward to the next stage of development, to bring this kick ass series to your screens.

Kwikfix was a short film by Kelly Hucker which I script assisted and 1st AD on, this was a great little film starring Neil Triffet and Kate McLennan which won Best Comedy at the VCA Grad awards.

At the Formal was a work of art written and directed by Andrew Kavanagh and Produced by my very good friend Ramona Telecican. It is a truly beautiful film that swept the awards at the VCA Grad showings including, Best of Year, Best Overall, Most innovative and Best Cinematography (for Kai Smythe). I'm sure this will go onto other festivals so do yourself a favour and check it out.

August-October Melbourne Fringe Festival

As writer/director Kai Smythe continue the work on the pilot I turned by head to producing Tim Mager's directorial debut 'The Omega Quest' the epic space puppet opera that premiered at the Melbourne Fringe Festival starring Francis McMahon and Miyuki Watanabe. This was a really ambitious project that thankfully paid off and taught me a lot of lessons and reminded me of a few that I thought had sussed (he he never get to ahead of yourself, always keep your feet on the ground). The season was a huge hit with rave reviews and some really memorable moments.

One of my very favorite moments of the fringe was participating in 'Shut Up and Dance' a on mass clown dance with The Town Bikes. I loved the fact that dance become such a key part of the programming at this year's fringe, and spent many really excellent nights dancing away at the club.

I also took part in the two day Masterclass with Cal McCrystal the brilliant physical comedy director who co-created the Mighty Boosch and is currently the physical comedy director with Cirque du Soleil, met some brilliant performers and was so inspired that I'm trying to raise funds to bring him back for a two week creative development in mid 2011.

Because I wasn't performing this year at Fringe I really enjoyed the privilege of seeing lots of other shows, the highlight of which was definietly the 'Hermitude of Angus' from the kids at SlowClap Productions. Such a gorgeous physical comedy show that was at once, touching, heartfelt, intellegent, evil, ridiculous and fucking hilarious!!! Vachael and Steph are doing a big tour for the show in early 2011 so check it out if you can; Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane Comedy, Auckland Fringe and Melbourne Comedy Festival.

November - Training and Planning

As November clicked around I started a new day job as Program Coordinator at Creative Spaces at the Melbourne City Council a great program that links artist with spaces to exhibit, work, rehearse and perform. On pretty much the same day I was offered a place at the Witness Relocation Master class in Sydney with the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association, so off I went for two weeks of sweating, wrestling, tumbling and all round awesomeness, (see the post on Reptilian for more details). This month i also sent off a few grant applications for projects next year and me and Kai Smythe were shortlisted for the Moosehead Award for Sexytime!

December - Winding down and looking forward

As the year came winding down I enjoyed a great and short little season at Melbourne's heart of Cabaret The Butterfly Club with the 'How to be a Lady Christmas Special'. It was such a beautiful moment performing the show on that stage, six years prior I had come to Melbourne and experienced my first ever Melbourne Fringe Festival and was completely blown away at 'The Beautiful Losers', I dreamed of one day doing the same thing with my work, so there I was making people giggle and it was just lovely. I also got a great video recording of the show which will really help with the pitch pack for sending out for Grants and touring option in 2011.

Looking towards the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne Comedy Festival the plans were put in place to bring Sexytime! to the stage, and we were very luck that the talented and lovely Michael Davoren has agreed to lend his voice to the narration of the show.

Now sitting in QLD for the annual northern pilgrimage for Christmas, I've eaten and drunk far too much and am spending the days snoozing, watching dvd's, reading and dreaming of what the next decade might hold in store for this little lass. xx

Some research...

More pics from the Sexytime! shoot

Photos by Rebekah Halls
Costume/Wig/Makeup by Sorjeri Tane

La la la Sexytime!

Rented Space Melbourne Screenings

Screening as part of the VCA Graduate Showcase at The Australian Centre of the Moving Image, Flinders Street, Melbourne on;

Thurs 9th Dec @ 9.15pm
Fri 17th @ 5.15pm
Sat 18th @ 5.15pm

Bookings through ACMI Box Office 03 8663 2583 or www.acmi.net.au
Tickets $12 Full or $9 Conc, (18+ only I'm afraid)

Lady Tess at Flash Point Forum

video by Kaz Phillips Safer (NY)