stage
I have had a long history with drama, starting with my first school play in grade 2 or 3 where I played the part of Pharoe in some semi biblical extravaganza. I dont remember significant details apart from that I was wearing a fabulous red rayon satin gown my sister had worn in one of her school plays, accessories spray painted gold and rubber snakes attached to the hem with fishing line.
Anyone with any foresight would taken one look at that and out to get me a complete set of Judy Garland albums and a copy of "My First Broadway Musical Songbook".
As a child I was lucky enough to have a very good singing voice, so I got into just about every show that was going. As a result I went on to perform in a number of school productions, (including memorably playing Judas in Godspell, and some school arranged external productions including Carman and Carmina Burana.
I also performed in a number of school and church choirs, one result being that I still have a strange fondness for some pretty obscure christmas caroles, like "Adam Lay y bounden".
Its something of a cliche for a gay man to have performed in a church choir as a boy, but there you have it. All that pomp, circumstance, fabulous music and boys in dresses is just too much to resist I suppose. Fortunately for me, nothing untoward happened. Not to me at least. Apparently the choir master was too busy wrestling with the organists (apparently) enourmous instrument to worry about the "little boys".
In hindsight, they were actually a pretty good role model for me. They were in their 20's and carrying on a reasonably public relationship, and seemed to have their acts together. Even as a 10 year old, you notice these things.
Over the following years I performed in a number of shows and even (briefly) got into the Queensland Conservatorium of Music with what was described as my "large, resonant, dark chocolate instrument".
My voice. I am a bass baritone. What did you think I meant?
While I will freely admit that I love to perform, in fact some would say that its well nigh impossible to stop me, I dont much feel that a life as an actor is for me. Too much living in a fish bowl, and its hard to seperate yourself from your work.
So eventually I turned to directing and producing - but thats another story.
