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I knew of the show. Um, when I very first started, it used to be called Queen of the whole Pacific. And I remember seeing posters for it. When I first moved to Auckland, I thought that'd be that'd actually be quite fun to see. But I actually saw the posters on it, like on the day and tough like that, was it? So there's only one show That's it. One night and then, um, a couple of years later, I had a friend who was in it, and every now and again, Oh, yeah, I got to go to rehearsal blah, blah, blah. And and I said, Oh, what are you actually rehearsing [00:00:30] for? And it was Queen of the Universe. And then the following year, he was camping with us, where a group of us had all gone up north. And, um, we were sitting around the fire at night and he was talking about the thing. And by the end of the evening, we'd all said, Well, actually, let's let's just do this. We sent Jonathan a text, got our names on the list, and, um, or relatively sober. So did you have to have any kind of prior experience before kind of signing up? No, [00:01:00] no. Um, some people that are involved in the show, some of them are dancers. Some of them aren't. Some can sing most can't, um, some people make their own costumes? Some don't. It's it's It's a completely random level of skill. And in every aspect of the show, you get some people that come through and they have absolutely no experience, no idea about anything at all. And by the end of it, they've probably made their own costume. They've learned a routine they've. If they've struggled, there's always somebody on hand to [00:01:30] give them a hand. And, um, if they know what they're doing, then they're the one that's giving the hand. So had you done any performance work before? Oh, not since Not since high school. Yeah. So several years and in high school, what were you doing? Um, as the usual school productions, like every year, the the senior school would put on a play or show or cabaret of some form. Um, that would go for three or four or five nights. Yeah, and that was that was it? That was the extent of my have you done drag before Ah, randomly [00:02:00] like a costume party, that sort of thing. It literally it was just putting on a dress, slapping on a rough wig and walking in. That was it. So to go from buying a dress at Save Mart. Having a good laugh, um, to shaving your armpits, shaving your face, putting on makeup, false eyelashes, it's a bit of a jump. Yeah, yeah. Can you take me through that process? Because, I mean, even just shopping for a dress. I mean, if you've never done that before, it must be quite. [00:02:30] It's an interesting experience. Um, save Mart is a good example, because there's so much there for so cheap, and it's so full of people whenever you go there. So the first time I went there was for this random party, and we basically walked in. There was a group of three or four of us. Come on straight down to the women's section and we're flicking through because it was for a little black dress. Everyone had to wear a little black dress to get in. So we went to the evening wear and, um, pulling out all these dresses and oh, Well, what's [00:03:00] a 12? What would I be? So you think 0, 18. That always sounds like a big girl. So back that went No, I'm an 18. Our ribs are different. Different rib cages are different. Sizing. Um, so, yeah, you sort of go along, pick up your fun dress for 10 bucks and away you go with the show. We tend to have a theme, like a colour. Um, last time we did the show, it was purple, Um, and so you would make a dress or buy a dress or have somebody make a dress for you. [00:03:30] Um, one lady actually dyed her wedding dress. She died at purple. Um, it looked really cool that I What do I do? The very first year I was on the show. I'll just get a dress like from Save Mart. And I'll just sew stuff onto it because I've got a sewing machine and I know how to sew. So that will be a easy way of getting around making a dress. And it was It was bad. It was really bad. It was embarrassing. But it was all I had time for. And then [00:04:00] the following year, we had arranged for somebody to make. There was my flatmate and mine Arrange for somebody to actually to make dresses for us. So there was nothing. Last minute it was all done. They were going to fit and they were in theory, they were going to look really good. The thing I got handed a couple of days before the show was it was an embarrassment. I was afraid that somebody thought I would have made it so called in sick for work the next day, went down the road, visited the ladies at the patent shop. Oh, what do you need for this? What's how [00:04:30] much fabric and and how much thread and all this sort of thing? Oh, how big is she? And this that the other results for me. And they were They were. They were in their seventies and they were quite for a couple of minutes, and then they were away. They went, they thought it was great. And I got my pattern, put out my fabric all across the kitchen floor and learned how to make a dress. So that was the start. So are there any kind of, uh, like sewing bees where You know, people kind [00:05:00] of pull together to to make things Or is it just very much, you know, um, at the dress is actually, when you start seeing dresses, it pretty much is Yeah. Um, last year I made a big ball gown, like a hoop dress and everything for the last time and an old flatmate of mine who had done the show for a couple of years as well. He came around so we were cutting out our patterns on our our lounge floor because we've got a large floor area. So we had It was purple fabric everywhere, strips of it. We had [00:05:30] to put it all in order of when you'd cut it. So you didn't put it in his pile, and we didn't get them mixed up. We weren't missing pieces. And, yeah, I think it's probably the sewing. Be as it's gotten. What about favourite shops? Do you have favourite shops that you go to? Um, I first year I went to Jeff's emporium six bucks a metre, nice and cheap. Um, that that was really good. And at the time they had some good stuff. Then once it became a definite colour as the previous [00:06:00] time, it was sort of more random. You could have any any colour you chose. Um, everyone was emailing and texting us. Oh, I saw this purple at such and such a place, and they were texting prices and stuff, so we all ended up. Oh, there's probably only about four different fabrics that you saw on stage. They're all very, very similar. Um, and I got mine from I think it's Martha's a new market. Martha's Centre Point Centre Point in New Market. Yeah, they were quite good. They were good with the price. [00:06:30] And then I went through and I thought, Well, all I've got for my sewing gear is what my grandmother left me. So an old sewing machine and some old scissors and some random threads. So I went through and I bought scissors and chalk. And like the tape measure and all the sort of the sewing stuff, I remembered my mom having. So, um, now I'm all kitted out ready for this year. So who taught you how to sew? I learned how to sew at school. Um, back in intermediate. You did Quarter of the year was sewing quarter of their cooking would work in their metal work. So you had your [00:07:00] your four things you did at intermediate, and that's for two years. I think that was every everybody got the same treatment. But then my mother sewed When I was a kid, she made most of her clothes. My grandmother was really, really clever, um, with her sewing, and I think because I was around it and I saw it. I mean, all you do is you put your foot down and push. That's all. Sewing really is. I don't know how people say they can't. So, um, the pattern is even better. You cut out the shape, follow what it says to do, and this address [00:07:30] that was a lot easier than I expected it to be. Is there a difference between looking at a fabric and thinking this will look good on a day to day basis? But you're not doing that. You're thinking this will look good on stage. How do you How do you work out what looks good on stage under the lights. And, um, I like with the purple because I needed a lot of purple for this thing I'd created. I picked it up and I held it up. They had some lights hanging down, so I just wiggled [00:08:00] around under that and thought, Oh, yeah, it's got a bit of shine to it, so that'll do. Um, some people go for, like, the sequin the really, really shiny stuff. Um, I haven't sold that before, so I don't know what that what that will be like, but that's probably what I'm going to go for this year. Um, because I want something being the last show. You want something that's gonna stand out? Um, yeah, yeah, you sort of think how also, How would it look from a distance when you think of we're in a theatre, we're in a large theatre, and the audience is metres away from us, [00:08:30] especially the ones at the top. They they're quite a distance. Um, you think Well, hey, is there a point getting something of a a pattern on it? Nobody's going to see. So then you you get a plane fabric, or you get something that's really bold, and that would actually stand out. Um, like with eyelashes. Um, the first year I did it, I thought, Oh, yeah, OK, let's have a go with false eyelashes. See what these are like. So I bought some that to me looked quite long. And when I went on stage on the night, once everyone had their makeup on, I shouldn't have even bothered. Like you [00:09:00] had these things that, like an inch and a half long And here was my little centimetre long things. And I even had trouble blinking, like looking with them because they they're so foreign. And when they're on you, they look so big until you get used to them. Whereas now I've got the inch and a half ones as well. I think these are great, but you need that because people they really do only see you from a distance. What about shoes? Shoes are a challenge. Um, my very first year. Um, Jonathan, who organises [00:09:30] a show. He's very good at letting, especially new people know things they need to know. Like, where's a good place to get your shoes? Where's a cheap place to get your fabric? Um, all those style of things. Um, I think he'd even said to me because I knew Jonathan beforehand. Um, and I was talking to him one day and he said, Do do your first two or 34 rehearsals just in your normal shoes and then start filtering in your show shoes so you can get used to them because you're not just [00:10:00] walking around in a couple of little pumps or something. These are monstrous bloody things. And my first year again, like the lashes, I thought sensible and I bought a couple of inches of heel and struggled sort of dancing around and moving in those because when you rehearse in shoes, it's all relatively easy because you've got a good, good footing. You stick heels on and then you try and do that same thing that you learned the last week. As soon as the heels go on, everything you learn is out the door because you're so focused on the heels and not tripping over. And then, um, as the years go on, the heels get taller and taller. [00:10:30] So a couple of years ago, I was involved with a, um, an Act two show, which was for Japan, and there were three Japanese girls, and we all had these white knee high PV C boots with like five inch heels on them and I can run on the things like they were amazingly steady. Um, but for the normal part of the show, where I was just in the opening section, I'd gone and bought these big perspex shoes like, Oh, well, these are really cool. And the heel was attached to the front of the shoe by [00:11:00] little perspex bar. So there was no worry about the heel wobbling or falling off, which I'd seen happen to a couple of others. And they were so wobbly, I couldn't dance properly, and then they were actually dangerous. Um, this year I'm involved in in another part of the show as well. So we've all got shoes for that and again, nice and tall, but really, really strong and that you get shoes that buckle up. If it can support more support around the top of your foot, then that's the safer you are. And the less chance you're going to [00:11:30] sort of slip out of them or or fall over because you see a few people do trip, and these are pretty tall shoes. And is the male foot different from the female foot? A little bit wider? Yeah, Yeah, I don't know about toes with or anything like that. But the the the plant of the foot is is wider. Um, there's a shop out in. Yeah, um, Ronnie's it was called. And that was where the first couple of times. And they specialise in shoes for the fuller footed woman. So? So [00:12:00] a lot of the a lot of the the the performers and drag queens and things. They tend to go there because they have these shoes that fit. Um, when we got the PV C boots, we went out out with with ladies to import them, she had all sorts of things. Um, recession hit. She stopped bringing things in. So we had to find a new source. And there was a lady supplies a lot of gear to strippers, and she was out in Mission Bay. So of course, three guys trot along to her house into her stripper room, and there's all these horse shoes, [00:12:30] and we were like, Oh, look at this look. And she's she wants to sail, but she is looking at us sideways, and, um, she had a full catalogue. Whatever you want, you just order it up. She brought it in from the states. So, um, really, really easy. It must be quite fabulous having, um, those familiar shops where the assistants know instantly. Are you coming in for queen of the whole universe or what have you? Yeah, that that is really good. We went to with another friend. I went to number one shoes. Um, there had been something on TV, Possibly he he'd [00:13:00] seen their shoes, but he wanted somebody to come with him while he was trying them on. And so we had the two young shop guys running around trying to find the largest pair of these things that they had. And I think in the end, they had to come in from a different store because they don't make those, like, the style of worn shoes large enough that you're lucky if you can get them in a normal shop. So generally we have to order. Um, I've got some from the states this time around, and there in three days, it was great. The only thing is, you can't try them on first, [00:13:30] so I thought, Oh, I don't want to get these things have them wrong. So I went down to the mall and I marched on into the athlete's foot and I said to the girl, Hi, I've got a bit of a query and you're probably going to laugh at me, but I need to know what my shoe size is as an American woman. Sure enough, she just pulls out the little slidey thing that I used to have put on my feet when I was a kid and measured me up. And she wrote down. I didn't even know there were such varieties of shoe sizes, But you had, um, I think I'm a 42 or 43 [00:14:00] American woman. Then there's a US size Oh no, a British sizing which we run on. And then there was the centimetre sizing as well. So you can now go on to these websites and you know the different things you need to order. So, yeah, I. I might be getting more shoes for the, um, for the finale and the after party as well. Um, seeing as it is, the last show you're going to make make an effort. Are you keeping all your shoes and all your costumes? Um, [00:14:30] the very first dress that that went in the bin that really was too horrific to be seen again. I kept the horror dress that was made for me that's become a bit of a standing joke. Um, I think it was even at one point, I was talking about turning into a flag when I go camping at New Year, Um, and the other dress is, um, very lovingly screwed up into a ball and put into the into the show box. But the the show boxes are now starting to outnumber the Christmas decorations and the Halloween stuff because [00:15:00] there's a box of heads with wigs on them. And then there's a box full of shoes. And then there's the dress and the patterns from all the dresses and the the spare fabric for things and lashes and stockings and all all the different things that you buy nail polish if you rip your stockings. Um, secret socks. Your feet don't hurt so much party feet because your feet will hurt. Just go back on so the nail polish because, um, if you and I remember hearing this years ago, if you ladder [00:15:30] your stockings, especially when it starts with a clear nail polish on the starting point stops that ladder spreading. And it worked. Got a pair of stockings. I spent about 40 or 50 bucks on them thinking, Wow, these are so cool. Very first show sitting on the ground waiting, um, for the warm up, just before we're about to go on and perform, And the first thing I did was snag them on my shoe, But you learn your lessons, so don't sit down. Once you've got your stuff on, have to stand and pace because your feet start to hurt so much [00:16:00] because you've been rehearsing solidly for a week by that stage because it's performance night and when you might have a week between rehearsals, your feet are very forgiving. But when you've been doing it every night and clamping around the way that we do, your feet aren't quite so forgiving. So you're looking forward to anything you can lean against to prop yourself against. Yeah, stockings are a bit of a challenge, but do you access R as well? Are you allowed like, um, bags, handbags or blowers or, um, [00:16:30] I made for there was three of us in the house and one had just gone. Um, and So I made us all handbags for the clutch purse things for for the after parties. So we could put our keys in our cards inside these bags, and we all got fabric that matched our dresses, so they were all all the same. So you had that. I think I borrowed a purse from one of my workers last year, and she brought it in for me and said, Here you go. This will suit your dress. Because, of course, they're turning [00:17:00] up every morning to go to work. And he's a dress dolly in the in the lounge with the bloody ball gown on. So, um, you do that? Um, sometimes people have tiaras. Um, A few years ago, I got I got some rings and things from trade me and necklaces. Um, I had the earrings, but the wigs are so big that you don't see your ears, so earrings are a bit of a waste. Um, And then there's the wigs. Yeah. What? What do you look for in wigs? [00:17:30] Depends on what you're going to be. Uh, it depends on your character and your country. Um, I was Miss Tracy Island. Um, the last show I was Miss Tracy Island. So I was Lady, I sort of modelled myself on Lady Penelope. So of course I had to be blonde. And for the opening routine, I'd made the big, like, sort of bell from Beauty and the Beast, a big purple ball gown. That was my opening dress. And I had a long It was a Pamela Anderson [00:18:00] style wig, and it sort of was slightly raised, a bit like sort of mini mini mini beehive, and then all just came around in layers. And it was actually it was actually pretty cool. If I was a woman, I would want to hear like that. So that was my opening then for Catwalk. I had bought a second wig and the lady from Wix. Um, she styled this wig up for me in a French role because Penelope was always done up and good clothes and good hair. So I thought, I'll get the hair up like that. Look all classy, [00:18:30] like a sophisticated sixties and one made myself a black and white, um, sort of panelled. Um, I think they call it a pencil dress, possibly made one of those that was more challenging than the purple dress because of the shape of the panels you had on it. And, um and so yeah, a different wig again. Um, quite often you buy your wig, and that's your wig for the whole show. Um, but then I was involved in Germany for the Act two number the same year. [00:19:00] So I had my Pamela wig for the opening. I had my French royal wig for the catwalk. Then I had a black, like 19 thirties sort of lies in an early cabaret wig, little Bob thing. Then we had a second wig for the end of the act that we came out like German beer wines. So we had big blonde pig tails. So depending on what you do and how involved it is and how involved you are with it, you could have several costume changes, several [00:19:30] wigs, several pairs of shoes. Um, nothing stays the same. And it's all very quick, literally. We with the Act two number. We were nurses for the start and a little PV C, slutty nurses outfits and, um, which I have to admit I actually wore last night to a party. I could still fit it so that was good. Um, then you basically as you're running from one side of the stage to the other to get a prop, you're also unzipping [00:20:00] your nurses up and ripping that off because you've got another costume squeezed in underneath and then something else happens and you run off, and within 30 seconds you're back on stage again and a different costume, maybe even the different wig, like we had the beer winch, wigs and pom poms. We were cheerleaders at the same time. So yeah, things happen pretty quickly and you've got to keep track of all your stuff and know exactly where it's sitting. Um, so in that aspect, it very much is a stage production. You have to have your thing. You've got your stage hands there. If you need [00:20:30] help, um, everything has to be set up, lined up, practised and rehearsed over and over and over again. So that on the night, in theory, you should do it all without thinking you would need really good coordination. I think I'd just be terrible at that. I am terrible at it. I always feel like I'm I'm the weakest link. Um, you do rehearse over and over and over again. And and when it comes to the Act two stuff, you're not quite so inconspicuous [00:21:00] as you are in the opening. In the opening, you got 40 or 50 people on the stage at once. So if you turn the wrong way, or you put your arm up in the good chance a fair few people didn't actually notice, even though you'll be mortified for the rest of the night because, oh my God, everybody. So they don't going to act, too. It's a competition, and you everybody is being judged on everything in it. There's a little more pressure there, and and a lot of a lot more self consciousness. You just you more you you'll practise 23 times a week. Um, depending [00:21:30] on what people can do, you practise at home. Sometimes people will video and put it on a like a private YouTube thing you have to sign in for. Then you can. You can watch your routine and practise from that because guaranteed, you'll forget that by the next time you will get together, um, two or three shows ago again, when there was several of us living in the same house doing it. We would actually get together an hour before rehearsal on the Sundays and put on a show for our neighbours. We'd be out in the backyard, on the lawn with [00:22:00] the stereo cranked up to all these handbag music. And here we are dancing around. Luckily, we've only got one neighbour in the rest of the street. Behind us is empty sections so but if they ever looked out, they probably what the hell's going on over there, especially once you start putting the dresses on and the shoes. But it helped, Um, especially that that year was the first year for three. There was five of us. Five of us got together that year to practise, and three [00:22:30] of them was the brand new brand new thing. And and and one of them was a little bit hesitant. So he needed those rehearsals to to help him feel more comfortable when he got there. So he wasn't so self-conscious about actually simply just being there and having to dance, feeling uncoordinated. So with those brand new people, what are what are the kind of tips that you give them? Yeah, keep it simple. Don't don't think about things too much. If you stuff up rehearsal, who cares? Nobody sees. Um, at the end of the day, all those rehearsals are simply practised for the night. [00:23:00] So get all the crap out of the way first, and then on the night, everything will just come together. Even when you think it won't, it tends to just fall into place. And before you know it, I mean, the curtain goes up and then the curtains going down, and it's like, Oh, my God, it's like three or four months worth of work and stress and it's all over now be even worse this time because we won't be doing it again. But, um, it it passes passes amazingly quickly. So any other tips? Mostly, Yeah, mostly. It's just keeping things [00:23:30] simple, like the first year. Especially, um, there's so much for them to think about because they've got to learn these routines. They've got to make all the rehearsals because things a routine can change in a rehearsal placings of where you're going to stand. Um, the dresses. They might have an idea on what they want, but it's going to be really constricted, and they're not going to be able to move promptly and and things like that, um, we'll have to have full length dresses as well now, but, um, if you want a big split or something, that's all fine, but no short dresses, So they have to think about [00:24:00] things like that, so sort of show them if you know them. Um Oh, come on. Show the photos from last year. Come, come and watch the DVD. Because we tend to buy the DVD of it as well for for a keepsake. And, um and from that, you can give them pointers as well. Oh, you don't get shoes like that. Those ones break. Don't go here and buy those shoes. Those ones break. Get this sort of shoe. If it's the first time, only go half so high. Don't be. Don't be stupid about it. I know they're going to look really good, but you'll break your ankle, get little short ones, um, wigs. Get some hair clips. You'll [00:24:30] appreciate it later when you're eating it or it's caught in your eyelashes and you're on stage and you can't sit there and keep pulling it out of your face. Because all it wants to do is go into your mouth. No matter what you do or how you move that wig wants to get in your mouth. It's awful because every time you try and get rid of it, you've now got makeup on your face. You don't have makeup usually. So I shut this makeup on my glove because you wear gloves so you don't have to worry about doing nail polish and, um, panny hose so you don't shave your legs most. Most shave their legs. [00:25:00] I, um I, I just really I just can't be bothered. I don't like shaved legs, so I'll put on three or four pairs of thick, thick panty hose and you never know. Um, I shave my eyebrows. The last Yeah, the last show. I shave my eyebrows off for that because that's what the pros do. They shave their eyebrows off and put new ones on, so the eyes become bigger from a distance from stage lighting and everything like that. The eyes become normal, whereas everyone else [00:25:30] that doesn't have big, big eyes, the lighting and the distance shrinks your eyes down to nothing. So I thought, OK, instead of putting all the wax they put wax over your eyebrow, smooth it all down, make it flat, and then they paint the wall paint over the top and, um, the wax is the pain in the arse. It looks funny. Within 10 minutes, it's all flaking, and your eyebrows are starting to lift again and you look like an alien. So let's just shave the things off, and I take it up in a weeks, they'll grow back. Um, and at the time, I was well [00:26:00] overdue for a haircut. Oh, do the whole bloody lot Shave my head as well. I looked like I had cancer. It was it was really bad. I looked so ill and everyone kept staring at me and a flatmate had gone down with me. When I went to get it done, he wouldn't look at me. Every time I turn around in the car, he'd turn away, so I'll stop it. It made him feel sick, so I wouldn't do that again. II I personally, I wouldn't recommend shaving your eyebrows off for an event that goes for three hours. If you're [00:26:30] going to be doing a show that's lasting for a week, yeah, it makes perfect sense. But I like the next morning I had to go and do a quote for a new job. And so I had a hat on to hide my shaved head and she's just staring at me. It's like, Yes, pulled off the hat. I have no eyebrows. I have no hair. No, I don't have cancer And it was like that for two weeks. Then I finally get taking the eyebrows, double finally. But it took about two months for my eyebrows to be normal again. It was. It took a long time [00:27:00] considering how quickly the hair on my head grows. Eyebrows. No, not like that at all. You mentioned just before, um, very briefly about stress, and I'm wondering, do you find the process stressful or it depends on other commitments. Um, I found the first year I did it, Um, I had just started a new job, and so time was a bit different. Time [00:27:30] was a bit strange, um, and so rehearsals were fine. They were in the weekends. I didn't work weekends. But trying to organise stuff and amongst other commitments was a little more challenging than I thought. Next year, came around. Um, hey, fine was back. I was back in the sink of things. That was all good. The year after that, I actually had left my job and started working for myself. So hey, great. I've got all the time in the world and I just arrange my jobs and rehearsals around to suit. By the next year, business [00:28:00] had tripled, so that was actually a big challenge. Even making a rehearsal, um, was not too difficult. But you really had to plan yourself and work hard to make sure that you were done in time. Making the dresses was harder again because I had to make. This was the year I made the ball gown. So I had to make that I had to make the pin dress. Um, and what I found was I'd be up six in the morning, sewing away, go to bed for a couple of hours, get up again at eight. And [00:28:30] off to work because it was like the week of the show. Where's all my time gone? How the hell did this happen again? Um, this year I've had to I've got staff now, and, um, I have to pay an extra person to to work in my place. Um, for the for the weekends. Um, luckily, I don't work on the the Wednesday nights, which are also rehearsal evens. I don't do that anymore. So that was going to be a challenge, too. So the show itself, on top of all your, um, your costuming and your dress [00:29:00] and the wigs and all that sort of stuff. If you don't work a normal 9 to 5 job and you can't just say take time off or nip away for life if you're actually self-employed or or sort of doing the sort of things that I do, This show is actually an incredibly expensive pastime. Um, hundreds of dollars. And that's just in the staffing, let alone the the several $100 you'll spend, um, or possibly spend creating your dresses even more so if you have to pay somebody to make it for you. Um, [00:29:30] if you can't so which many people can't. Um, that's pretty much the only option is to pay somebody to make a dress or buy a dress off, trade me and hope hope that it's going to be OK. So So given all that What keeps you coming back for more. Why do you do it? I'm an idiot. No, I like it. I really enjoy the show. Um, it's a lot of fun. And and in the lead up [00:30:00] and on the stressful days, where where works a problem or I'll be because of a I might have been working till, say, three in the morning and then And it's three. In the morning, and I'm just going home and I'm cursing, like, why am I doing this again? What a stupid thing to do. I knew this would happen. Um, come out of the show. Absolutely love it. And it is all worthwhile. Um, I've after that first show decided, Yeah, I will do this as long as it goes for I will. I'll be involved because I like the show. Um, I like what it stands [00:30:30] for. I like what it supports, and I like the people that I've met through the show. I mean, there's people that I would never ever have crossed paths with, Um, unless it was because of the show. And so some of them you'll actually start to see shows socially after the show. Others you'll only actually ever see a show time during and and you look forward to it. And so the first two or three rehearsals, it's literally a catch up over the past year, like What have you been doing? So it's good. It's in all aspects. It's a really, really good [00:31:00] experience, you know, coming up to the 10th and final performance of Queen of the Whole Universe. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on on that being the final, Um, it's nice to go out with a bang. It It's sort of one of those things. Like it's it's gone from strength to strength every year, like every show has been better than the previous year. And and at the start of it, like Oh, no, last year was nothing. You're going to get better than that. The next year comes along and you said it's better than that. The performances [00:31:30] are better. The routines are better. The costume. Every year, the costumes get better. The head gear. When you do the catwalk gets bigger. Um, so this year it's a build up again on on last year, but also on all the years previous. It's it's a combination of all of it. It is the last show, and it's a showcase for all the shows. Um, when it's over, I can have a lot of boxes full of stuff to store. Um, [00:32:00] it is. It is meant to be the last show. It's not meant to continue again, and I keep hearing the words in its present format. So maybe in the future the show might come about again in a different style or in a different way or with a different purpose. Who knows? It may not come back at all. If it does, I've got my boxes. I'll be pulling them out of storage. But we'll just see. We'll see what happens. Um, it'll it'll be sad to know that we're not [00:32:30] gonna not going to be doing it again, because it is. It is something that you start to look forward to. Um, I've been rehearsing for the Act two show that I'm in now for about. I think we've had about five or six rehearsals over the past couple of months, and so the build up is already there. We haven't even started rehearsing for the show itself, for the for the opening routine. Um, but we're already sort of getting underway for that. That five minute performance at the end. So this time, are you reprising your role of miss? [00:33:00] No, No, that was my very first year. Somebody who has already snapped up your anus so I can't have it back. So I'm actually undecided. I don't I don't know. I've had the idea of Hades for a couple of years, and last year there was a heaven, so I thought that'd be really good. Heaven and hell, that'd be, um, but there's not going to be a heaven this year. And then who's going to know what Hades is? Because when I was Miss Tracy Island, nobody knew what Tracy Island was. So there was only a few [00:33:30] little devout Thunderbirds fans that knew. So when we did the show in Wellington, I was then Miss Thunderbirds so people could understand who I was meant to be. Um I have been God, what else was Venus? I was Venus one year, so I came out. I had a giant clamshell behind me and had a reveal on stage my helper, who guided me down. Um, the lights changed and it went to black light. So my whole clamshell glowed in UV. And then while that was happening, she runs parcels, all dressed up in furs. And then she tore [00:34:00] the furs off me. And I'm just standing there and knickers and things. So, um, because the flesh suit was too expensive, it was about $300 to get a flesh suit made. I thought, I'm wearing on stage for like, 30 seconds. I'm not spending $300. Um, I don't know what I'll be this year. Still, I'm still very under, and it's the same every year, every year. I just cannot decide. And the more and more people that put forward Oh, this is what I am. This is what I'm doing. That's what [00:34:30] I could have been. So that's probably actually the most stressful thing about. It is actually trying to decide on something. So this year I think I want to be a country, an actually known country that has a a theme or something that's well known about it that I can that I can use. But yeah, it's still it's still up in the air. I have to. I have to get a list from Jonathan to find out who's doing what. So then I know what's available.
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