Isabella Valette Brings MEDIA RELEASE to Melbourne This Month
Do you hate reality television? Perhaps it's your guilty pleasure? Do you know why you watch it? After a sell out debut season at Melbourne Fringe, Isabella Valette is back in a reworked one-woman version of 'Media Release' to probe the relentless rise of instant celebrity culture, its stars, the entertainment industry, social media and the effect that all this has on our psyches.
Fresh back from her seasons at Melbourne's own The Butterfly Club and Adelaide Fringe, Valette is ready to take on Melbourne International Comedy Festival this March with her hit show "Media Release".
The show features reworked pop songs arranged by Isaac Hayward, 2014 winner of Rob Guest Musician Award. "We met through Impromptunes, the improvised musical comedy troupe we both work for, and I told him about my idea. I changed the lyrics to the songs, and we collaborated on one brand new pop song, which is meant to completely parody the female pop industry - all about "my sexay boday" and "power in da club"'
She created April, a young aspiring actress who realises one morning that all her dreams could be fulfilled via the launchpad of reality TV. Between interviews with her super-casual yet cutthroat agent, parasitic journalists and ruthless audition panels, April is forced to delve deeper into what an audience really wants to see.
"I wanted April's journey to raise questions about the portrayal of women in the media, and how their worst qualities are exploited in the name of entertainment." Valette states. "We also touch on morality, ambition, narcissism, and a dash of Melbourne cafe culture."
After completing her Musical Theatre degree at the prestigious Arts Educational Schools London, Presided over by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Isabella was cast in a show which toured around Camden Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe. "I caught the fringe bug. The creativity was contagious. In drama school you spend so much time worrying if you're right for the industry, trying to be perfect. It was like a lightbulb went off over my head - that all this could be about making something beautiful, or cool."
Outside of the festival circut, Valette works as a Clown at children's parties, where she twists balloons, performs magic tricks and paints faces. "I am extremely goofy as a person."
With a gripping storyline, concise comic timing and cleverly reworked pop songs, 'Media Release' is both humorous and thought-provoking.
DETAILS:
Isabella Valette in "MEDIA RELEASE"
At the Adelaide Fringe 2015
Venue: Pleasance Comedy Theatre, 178 Collins St, Melbourne (next to Athenaeum Theatre)
Dates: Wed 25th March - Sun 5th April
Tickets: $21 Full, $16 Conc/Cheap Tuesday, $10 Preview.
Bookings: comedyfestival.com.au OR www.trybooking.com/114052
|
Tim Credible's Family Magic Show Arrow on Swanston (6/30-7/11) |
|
A Taste of Ireland - The Irish Music and Dance Sensation West Gippsland Arts Centre (9/16-9/16) |
|
Magic School with Tim Credible Arrow on Swanston (5/30-7/05) |
|
Erica Vanlee Magic Cardini Cabaret (6/30-7/04) |
|
Sheltering Arts Centre Melbourne (6/18-6/27) |
|
Steel Magnolias The Athenaeum (7/23-8/09) |
|
A Taste of Ireland - The Irish Music and Dance Sensation Ulumbarra Theatre (9/19-9/19) |
|
In Shadows (Dalam Bayang-Bayang) Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre (6/24-6/28) |
|
Play In A Day: Volpone, Or, The Fox The University of Melbourne (11/18-11/18) |
|
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience Oaks Melbourne on Market Hotel (3/06-12/12) |