What’s My Scene: Amelia Rooney isn’t scared of her voice anymore
In our regular Q&A column What’s My Scene, InReview speaks to emerging and established local artists to get their take on the South Australian creative scene and their place within it. This week, unmothered composer and Dead Darling Theatre co-founder Amelia Rooney shares her journey to the Adelaide Fringe.
Where was your first gig, and how did it go?
My first proper music gig was probably at my high school’s music night when I was about 13. Up until then I had only really done ballet, which was great, but I definitely wanted to branch out and prove myself in other artistic ways. I had composed my first piece of music for piano with some obscenely niche Italian name (I was in my classical composer era) and asked if it was something I could perform. I was so nervous but was met with so much encouragement and excitement that I got this massive rush and felt so utterly beyond proud of myself that I just had to write more.
What is your artist origin story?
I grew up rural! I come from a family of farmers and fishermen, so it was quite a shock when I announced I wanted to be an artist. It felt like I didn’t have a lot of encouragement from my teachers and family about whether I could make a career out of it, but I was so annoyingly headstrong that I just knew I would prove myself.
It took a few years, a pandemic, and a full-time job to finally get there, writing my debut show BIMBO was what really got the ball rolling! I’m now in my fourth year of a double degree in arts and music and still feel incredibly headstrong about the stories I feel I’m destined to tell.
What was your impression of the Adelaide creative scene when you first started, and how has that changed?
I genuinely had no idea how massive and interwoven it is! Everyone knows everyone, it’s fuelled by insanely passionate artists who want nothing but the best for those around them. Growing up I hadn’t really known much of the arts in Adelaide and thought I had to dream big and leave my small town to achieve my goals, but lo and behold they were right at my fingertips.
I find it to be so comforting knowing there’s so many people in Adelaide who want to make art in this climate, who are just as keen as you and who you know you’re going to work with for a while. I met my best friend (and Dead Darling Theatre business partner) Hannah Smith from doing rural amateur musicals and we’ve been working together for five years now. You just meet people who share the same drive.
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How has your own work evolved since you first started?
I started out so scared of my voice. I was still learning how to transfer my thoughts to a page, so I was extremely terrified when it came to actioning my first show. BIMBO was a massive learning experience for me, mostly about writing a show (my first writing credit!) and how it merges with my music. Now, I can’t imagine anything else! My brain is always thinking about music and words, they’re twins to me, I’ll be writing a scene and will have music stringing together, I’ll be scoring and I can imagine the emotions and phrases an actor might speak.
Finding that out about my writing style has been a miracle. I’ve also realised I have to ruminate on something before I put it to paper. If I play a melody over and over again in my mind and it sticks, it’s most likely going to be memorable for others and the same goes for monologues and scenes. When I first started, I was so preoccupied with making something good that I failed to see that I wasn’t writing what my heart was wanting to write. Massive evolution since.
What is it about your upcoming Adelaide Fringe show, unmothered, that you’re most excited to share with the world?
unmothered is my most personal work yet. I grew up in a semi dysfunctional family where my mum had cut contact with her parents and sister, and I lost half of my family tree as a teenager. I’ve also always questioned the way we’ve viewed the invisible labour of many mothers and wives, mostly due to witnessing it from my own dad and brother. I felt like ‘unmothered’ had been calling out to me for years, an ode to my mum, the many mums and daughters who have been affected by this system surrounding us, that we begin to crack against each other. I’m really interested, in an exciting way, in how audiences will react to it; our cast and crew have been incredible during this process and are strongly emphasising audiences bring tissues! It’s a heavy subject talking about generational trauma, but a much needed one.
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Who are the artists around you that inspire or challenge you?
Shardae Santos, who is the lead actor in our second show B*TCH BOXER, is genuinely such an awestriking and genius person that I actually think she is my muse! Watching her in the rehearsal room inspires me so much, her process is incredible to watch, and she is such a wonderful being to be around. And I would not be here writing music if it weren’t for the great Stephen Sondheim. I will sing ‘Being Alive’ from Company for as long as I live, he has always been such a massive inspiration for me and I think it would be a big bucket list goal of mine if I could ever perform in a Sondheim show.
Favourite venue to play?
Goodwood Theatre and Studios! If you know Simone and Chris, you have truly been blessed by the arts angels.
Dream artist to perform alongside?
What I would give to perform with the artist Searows! His music is so heartbreakingly stunning that I think I would ascend if I got to perform a set with him.
Favourite artist to collaborate with?
Hannah Smith! I have never met someone that shares the same values and visions as I do in the way that Hannah does. We are always talking about our work over a good bottle of Bird in Hand sparkling rosé and it rejuvenates me every time we work together, so to now have a theatre company together is absolutely magical. And she’s just a really cool guy!
Where is your next performance, and how do you hope it will go?
You can catch my theatre company Dead Darling Theatre’s debut shows B*TCH BOXER and ‘unmothered’ at Goodwood Theatre and Studios during the Adelaide Fringe, with a double bill show on March 8 at the Murray Bridge Functions + Arts Centre! I’m filled to the brim with joy for this Fringe season and am so excited for these works to be performed! <3
unmothered is playing at Goodwood Theatre and Studios from March 8 – 14. B*TCH BOXER is playing at Goodwood Theatre and Studios from March 4 – 8.
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