Whiplash!

I had the pleasure to interview with Scott Wings, award-winning physical theatre performer and poet whose solo show, Whiplash! is coming to The Butterfly Club this month. We talked over many subjects worth sinking our teeth into: creativity, doubt, mental health, the paths we take to get bums on seats.

Joana: So what do you tell strangers about your show if you bump into them on the street?

Scott: Oh my god, yeah! I’m doing a show! It’s literally me going inside my body. It’s like a really terrible Magic School Bus Episode, or that Martin Short movie Innerspace where Dennis Quaid shrinks and goes inside his body in a space ship. The genre is tricky, because it’s a one man show; it could be Sci-fi but it’s more like mental health commentary, though I’m not just talking about my mental health – it’s delivered as a metaphor, and there’s lots of funny bits.

Joana: So if you had to put your work into a genre, would you say?

Scott: Well, here’s the thing; you look at the likes of Tim Minchin and Robin Williams – I guess you can say that Tim Minchin is a cabaret comedian, and Robin Williams does comedy and mime.  But to say someone like Robin Williams is a comedian and a physical comedian is crazy because you can’t compare what Robin Williams does to anyone.  I’d say I do spoken word and physical theatre, but spoken word, not the generic idea of– poetry –  ‘stand and deliver’ (which I avoid.)  Then when you think physical theatre, I often think of circus with no rigging. But then I kinda go, what is my stuff? I want it to be seen as proper comedic hyperphysical when the crowd is always included. 

Joana: Well, having seen a developing version of Whiplash I truly think you have a unique style of physical storytelling with so many different conventions and words and get us all involved in this wonderful world.

Scott: Ha, thank you. I mean, how do you define stuff, if you asked me what I was 5 years ago I would say “this” and now something else.

Joana: Do you think that change from 5 years ago has been influenced by moving to Melbourne?

Scott: Yeah, I’m definitely more courageous to do stuff here because I’m not as linked with the spoken word scene as I was in Brisbane. Here I’m just a dude making stuff, which is awesome, but means my community is more sporadic.

That’s kind of where this show came from, it was never meant it exist, it just kinda came out. I kept following my curiosity with it, kept putting this title “Whiplash!” on these amalgamations of stuff I was working with. It came from the sheer loss and despair from the end of 2016. I started thinking about hope and pulling hope apart, looking at this biological evolutionary nerve that we pull on inside and you kinda go “oh f**k.”

Joana: [laughs] Tell us more about how you present modern masculinity in this show?

Scott: I supposedly tick all these boxes of privilege when you look at my skin colour, my sexuality, where I live….but my, and everyone’s individual experiences are vastly different from what that common narrative is. That common thing people like me and unlike me deal with suicide, with loneliness, and in the show I’m trying to deal with that in my own body but then feel conflicted whether I have any right to, and that’s in there too.

Joana: You started this show in Singapore, it’s been at festivals in Queensland and a developing performance in Melbourne; how different are the audiences from place to place?

Scott: Well, it’s been different everywhere. In Brisbane, I don’t really have much of an audience anymore. Singapore audiences are great – Singapore people turn up. They are super curious and have nothing but respect the community there.

Melbourne is just hard. Everyone is an artist so everyone is busy. It’s super tough to get people to come to something without there being some other force. That’s one thing about this season at The Butterfly Club. You need people who love theatre (I know you are out there!) to come even though they maybe haven’t heard of me and see that my work is real, it is art. That’s what makes it hard, everyone has their own thing going on, sometimes I run an art party that fills the room then the one the next month there’s four people. That’s the reality of it. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just a shit artist. [laughs]

Joana: [Laughs] Every artist wonders if they are a shit artist! That’s what makes them good. Where in Melbourne inspires you?

Scott: Yeah, I was in the city today and thinking how awesome the street art is. Brisbane is blank in comparison. I love going to the Arts Centre, the theatres, Arts House, Dance House, that’s really cool.

I go to open mics and workshops to get creative, Small and Loud, Horse Bazzar, jam out then stay back at work and figure stuff out in my body.

Joana: What are some important nuggets of wisdom to share?

Scott: No one will ever tell you how often you don’t get a reply. They say the worst thing they can say is no, but if they say no then at least you’ve got a reply. And following your instinct.

Joana: What do you do when it gets hard?

Scott: I can be cynical, so I drive my art to a place of joy, because when people are laughing and having a good time then I know things will be okay. This is my fun time, with people who have paid to have a good time with me. It’s about survival, you just have to laugh!

Joana: What are the best things about doing what you do?

Scott: I get to create magic from just telling stories. I get to pull people in where everything is just so real. I get to hand people stuff, and have that live reaction. I also love being able to do juicy text, it’s so enjoyable.

You can catch Whiplash! at The Butterfly Club from Wednesday, 14 to Thursday, 22 March and in the meantime, check out his poetry slam nights, Ruckus Slam. 

Whiplash! 
The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, off Little Collins Street
Wednesday, 14, Thursday, 15, Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 March 2018, 8.30pm
thebutterflyclub.com/show/whiplash
Facebook: @scottywings.1