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[0:00] Josh Mitchell: Hey Theatre fans, welcome and thanks for tuning in.

[0:03] Josh Mitchell: This is just a quick heads up for everyone with warning uh triggers around this topic.

[0:09] Josh Mitchell: This episode does contain conversations about rape and sexual assault.

[0:12] Josh Mitchell: So please, please, please be careful as you listen through. Enjoy, and we will see you on the other side.

[0:25] Josh Mitchell: Theatre fans one and all, welcome back. It is our final episode on this little run we have here with Jagged Little Pill.

[0:31] Josh Mitchell: And today I'm joined by Aydan, who's playing Phoenix in the Australian cast. How are you going, Aydan?

[0:35] Aydan: Good, Josh, good. How are you?

[0:37] Josh Mitchell: I am so excited to kick into this last episode. Um first of all, what was your journey to here? How did you get into theatre? What was your introduction to the performing arts?

[0:49] Aydan: Um, well, I guess I've always been a singer. Uh I've always been, you know, a singer, dancer. I've always dabbled in a bit of acting lessons here and there. So mostly my my uh experience with music was just kind of singing. I would do gigs, I would play some shows, uh, release music, and then in 2019 I got offered the role of uh a character named Harry in an Australian show called Fangirls, which uh did has done two seasons around Australia so far.

[1:17] Aydan: Uh and I loved that and it was amazing, and I'm the cast was amazing, the the people I met were amazing. Uh and yeah, I just kind of really enjoyed it. And actually, after the after the second round of Fangirls, I said I wasn't gonna do another musical for a while because I wanted to focus on my music, and then um Jagged came up and uh the role of Phoenix was on the table, and I was like, oh, look, like um, like they've asked me to audition, like I, you know, I'll I'll audition, I'll say what it is, but I probably won't take it.

[1:43] Aydan: Like I just auditioned and then ended up getting the part, and I was like, oh, I've uh we should probably take it now. Yeah, I feel like um so yeah, and and then uh here we are on Jagged about to about to go around Australia. Um so yeah, I'm actually really plumbed I'm glad that I uh glad that I did take it because I'm having a ball and I think it was definitely the right definitely the right move.

[2:06] Josh Mitchell: Yeah 100% um with this music what was your kind of exposure to Alanis and her music prior to the show?

[2:06] Aydan: Uh well obviously I knew um it was one of those things where I knew the song but didn't know the artist where so it's like the songs were really familiar to me because I'd heard a lot of the songs when I was growing up like um Ironic and Head of the Feed and You Ought to Know because my mum was a big Alanis fan so I knew of the songs but I didn't know of the artist.

[2:33] Aydan: So when I went back and um listened to the the the whole album I was like oh my god I know this song and then I listened to like oh I don't know this one and then I hear another one be like oh I know this song too what the hell and like have like a faint memory of it from from growing up so that was my kind of I wasn't too too familiar with the with Jagged Little Pill as like a body of work but um then obviously as the role came up I I dove back in and listen to the whole album like top to bottom and um yeah it's just you know there's a reason why it's so big and yeah I was like damn okay like that's why yeah now you get the opportunity to bring that music to musical theater and put it on a stage for a whole range of other people that are probably in the same boat as you and me that know kind of those main songs but don't really know of the entire album.

[3:26] Josh Mitchell: Do you want to do a quick capture of who Phoenix is and Phoenix's place in this whole story?

[3:32] Aydan: Yeah. So basically Phoenix is the new kid in town. The uh the Jagged is set in Connecticut.

[3:38] Aydan: So Phoenix is the new kid at school, uh, doesn't really have too many friends, and then ends up meeting Frankie, who is uh played by Emily, and she's amazing.

[3:48] Aydan: And yeah, Frankie is kind of surprised when she meets Phoenix because they're into all the same things. Like, you know, he's an intellectual and he likes to think, he likes poetry, he's kind, you know, he's um, but he's also a bit of like a bit of a troublemaker, like a bit of a bit cheeky.

[4:03] Aydan: Um, and yeah, um, Frankie and Phoenix just kind of click and connect, and that starts to cause a bit of trouble with um with Frankie and Joe's uh, you know, relationship in the show, and it starts to cause trouble there.

[4:17] Aydan: And then um, so yeah, Phoenix is just uh Phoenix is uh, you know, only lives with his mom and he's got a sister who is um quite ill, quite mentally ill.

[4:26] Aydan: So uh there's lots of pressure there, and Frankie's a bit of a release for that. And then, you know, obviously Frankie's got her struggles at home, and Phoenix is a bit of a release for that.

[4:34] Aydan: So it's very um, yeah, I think Frankie and Phoenix's relationship kind of just throw goes takes me back to high school when like you know, you you're excited to go to class to meet that to see that girl that you really like, and you know, just pass her a note or something.

[4:47] Aydan: Um, so yeah, that's that's the that's you know the kind of effect that I think Phoenix has on the show. It's it's quite light in amongst the heaviness of it all.

[4:55] Aydan: Um Phoenix kind of feels like a bit of a break from that, so it's not just constant, like you know, the important stuff all at once, because that can be a lot to take in.

[5:04] Aydan: So it kind of breaks, yeah, like it breaks it up so it gives you a bit of time to then be like, okay, like into another heavy scene.

[5:10] Aydan: Like I'm ready for it. So yeah, I I really love playing this role because it's not too far from myself. Uh, you know, not like the new kid stuff, but uh just being like a little bit cheeky, but then also like kind of a bit of an intellectual, I suppose.

[5:23] Aydan: I don't know if it's narcissistic of me to call myself, but um, you know, I like to think from time to time.

[5:29] Aydan: So uh yeah, I I really, really love playing Phoenix. I think he's a uh like a really amazing character.

[5:36] Josh Mitchell: Yeah. Going from Fangirls and that show to uh as you said, the the heaviness of Jagged and everything that's presented in this show.

[5:46] Josh Mitchell: Um what was your kind of process? Obviously, um everyone else we've spoken to, this is their first show. This is your second one where you've been able to kind of get that under your belt.

[5:57] Josh Mitchell: What how did you approach did you approach kind of discovering Phoenix a little different to your uh like approaching Fangirls at all? Did you have kind of a way to come into it this time?

[6:10] Aydan: Yeah, definitely. Well, uh, because Fangirls was my first musical, or at least my you know, my my first musical as an adult, I would say.

[6:17] Aydan: Um I uh that's when I kind of did all the discovering where I was with some people that had done lots of musicals before, and they were like teaching me about character backstories and this and that, and like what you can do to really dive into your character.

[6:29] Aydan: So that's the time when I was learning how to do all of those things, like writing down, um, you know, writing down things about my character that I don't want to forget and and writing down from the perspective of my character, like as if I'm you know still acting and and really trying to figure out who my character is.

[6:44] Aydan: So that's where I kind of got those little diamonds from. So bringing that into Jagged was actually really like it was really nice to have that knowledge because um in Fangirls, Harry was like a superstar.

[6:55] Aydan: So Harry didn't have too much depth to him. Harry was very much there for the sake of you know, the other the the story of the other characters.

[7:04] Aydan: I was just there, you know, to be worshipped, I suppose, by the Fangirls.

[7:08] Aydan: Um it wasn't too deep. I didn't have to do too much exploring um to be a pop star.

[7:12] Aydan: You know, it was pretty easy to just play famous but this is different because I get to play a real kid yeah and you know he's got his own problems his own struggles you know like I was saying about his mom and his sister and that um so it's a lot more fun to dive into and to dive into some subtext and different choices I can make because of that it's not just surface level it actually goes a lot deeper which is really nice uh as a you know as like an actor and as a performer to have that to tap into when you want yeah yeah so yeah I I think that having this be my second musical it's definitely helped like approach the character for me.

[7:48] Josh Mitchell: Yeah. Working with everyone going from Zooms to in person, what was that like to kind of go, oh you're actually a real person like yeah cool.

[7:56] Josh Mitchell: We're back to this now after going through another lockdown and everything like that in between um Fangirls and everything.

[8:03] Aydan: Yeah it was so intense um especially because uh when we started rehearsals we didn't have everyone in the room either we had uh lots of the creatives on Zoom so um Matt our um music or I guess the music director from the States um was on Zoom in in hotel quarantine trying to teach us so there was latency when when he was playing the piano and trying to get us to sing with him and and all that fun stuff and we had two of the cast members um Mags um Mags McKenna who plays Joe and then Caleb who's uh part of the ensemble were both on Zoom as well.

[8:41] Aydan: So we were all forming connections and they were on Zoom. So then when they came into the room, it was like meeting everyone all over again.

[8:48] Aydan: And yeah, um, the creatives were kind of dripping in one at a time.

[8:51] Aydan: And um, our choreographer was on Zoom for the first week.

[8:55] Aydan: So we didn't have our choreographer in the room for a week of rehearsals.

[8:59] Aydan: So it's yeah, definitely a new experience for I think most of us in a rehearsal room with creatives on Zoom teaching you.

[9:06] Aydan: Um the amount of times it dropped out and we lost sound and they couldn't see us, and then we would couldn't see them.

[9:14] Aydan: It was a nightmare. It's so nice to be out of to have everyone in.

[9:18] Aydan: No more Zoom.

[9:19] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, no more that.

[9:21] Aydan: So it's yeah, it's very, very nice.

[9:24] Josh Mitchell: Um let's go into your music for a second.

[9:27] Josh Mitchell: We give you a little platform to promote you stuff.

[9:29] Josh Mitchell: You just had your new single drop um and everything like that.

[9:33] Josh Mitchell: So, how what's your process of writing your own music? Is uh is it something like this? Does it span over years, or is it something that comes to you quickly?

[9:43] Aydan: Um, how do you go about creating your own stuff?

[9:46] Aydan: Yeah, uh I guess it varies. Like I've you know, I've written some songs in like half an hour and they've gone on to be like some of my best best songs.

[9:54] Aydan: Um, and then you know, I've written songs in two weeks, and I'll be like, God, that's so bad.

[9:59] Aydan: Like, why did I spend two weeks on that? Like I can't I can't make anything out of it.

[10:03] Aydan: So, like it just kind of varies. I think it's all about headspace.

[10:06] Aydan: Like, I find that um I work best when I say, all right, tomorrow I'm gonna sit down and write a song, as opposed to like there's the off chance where I'll be like, you know what, I'm gonna sit down and see if I can think of something.

[10:18] Aydan: But like um, I you know, just for me for some reason it works when I say, All right, tomorrow I'm gonna block out like four hours in the afternoon and I'm gonna do nothing, I'm gonna put no pressure on myself.

[10:27] Aydan: I'm just gonna sit there and like um not feel guilty if nothing comes out.

[10:32] Aydan: I'm just gonna try. And most times, because I've kind of not put any pressure on myself to have to write something because it's four hours, like you know, I don't want to waste it.

[10:40] Aydan: Yeah, um, most of the time something will end up coming out of that, and and then I can build on that as a whole process.

[10:47] Aydan: So, like the whole song will, you know, usually will take you know a few weeks um to write and then record and then music and all of that stuff.

[10:55] Aydan: Um, but yeah, as a from writing it, it yeah, it just kind of depends, I guess.

[10:59] Aydan: Like sometimes you can write it in the day because you're so motivated and you just ideas keep coming to you.

[11:04] Aydan: Sometimes you can only write like a verse and then you have to come back to it tomorrow to see if you can think of anything else.

[11:08] Aydan: So it's very like very fluid.

[11:11] Aydan: Um I that's my problem is I try to not put too much pressure on myself anymore.

[11:15] Aydan: Like if I sit there for two hours and I get nothing, it's like, well, it's still two hours of songwriting.

[11:19] Aydan: I just there was nothing there.

[11:20] Aydan: Like I can't help it.

[11:22] Aydan: I'll try again tomorrow or the next day.

[11:23] Aydan: So um, yeah, I guess it's very loose, uh, but very, very creative.

[11:30] Aydan: So yeah, I love that.

[11:31] Josh Mitchell: And and does that translate to then where you are now acting and everything like that?

[11:36] Josh Mitchell: Is that the same kind of head space you try to bring to this whole situation?

[11:40] Aydan: Yeah, definitely, definitely.

[11:41] Aydan: I think pressure is just like the enemy of performers and people that are create and like creative, anyone creating anything, like we all put pressure on ourselves, like just human nature.

[11:51] Aydan: Yeah, but pressure just yeah, it just kills the creativity.

[11:56] Aydan: So um, yeah, I try I try to do the same thing where you know, I I don't put any pressure on myself on the stage.

[12:01] Aydan: If I mark up a line, it's like I'm a human, I'll get it right the next time.

[12:05] Aydan: Like, you know, it wasn't it's not like I don't know my words and my lyrics.

[12:08] Aydan: So um I try to not put pressure on myself. I trust that I know the material and that I like I have enough, you know, enough hard work in the tank to be able to play this character and all that. And um, so yeah I I I try and approach it with no pressure mindset.

[12:24] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, I love that. Now, Phoenix is one of the only characters that really doesn't have any ties to the major deep themes of the show to an extent. But you're involved with most of the characters that do. So what's that been like for you to kind of see the major themes of the show come to light and be put into this creative space to go on stage in front of an audience? So what's that like as your character but also just as a creative to be able to present these topics to an audience?

[13:09] Aydan: Yeah well I mean as my character it's um it's really interesting because I yeah like as as you were saying I don't have too many um ties to um a lot of the characters really I guess my my main tie is uh is Frankie because I just kind of become not obsessed but like I just become so wrapped up in in in uh Frankie. And then I guess there's like a minor connection with Joe and um but other than that it's kind of um yeah I I really put all my eggs into into Frankie because she's who I like. So Frankie's got you know Frankie's got the um obviously her own problems going on with uh the obviously the adopted family and um you know all those issues that I'm sure you can imagine rise there. Uh so Frankie really uses Phoenix as kind of a uh as a shoulder and and as someone to talk to that like not understands it from like a personal point but understands it because you know he because he's an intellectual, like he he gets why he would feel like that.

So um yeah, I like to think that Frankie um sees Phoenix as a shoulder and as someone that will listen and and understand and be there for what she needs. So that's a really nice um tie to have to Emily. But yeah, as um when it comes to the other stuff, I you know, obviously as a character, I don't really have too much to do with it. But as a creative, um, I feel like it kind of affects the whole the whole cast and even the creatives, really. Um, like you know, our uh directors and music producers and stuff, everyone feels the heaviness in the room when we're performing a song or when we're listening to a scene. Um so yeah, we've created a really safe space uh for all of us to kind of tap in and tap out with each other so we're like ready to dive in and then like the scene's done, and we kind of you know, you have to pull yourself out of it because you can't you can't sit there because it's not it's not real, like it's a you know, we're acting, we're we're sending a message, and then we can kind of snap out and appreciate that we've done that, but step back into our bodies for you know, just for our our mental safety, like it's kind of very uh very dangerous when you start getting stuck in that and you can't pull yourself out of that feeling of the scene because it's just the scene, like we we're just sending the message so people can see it, and then we have to snap ourselves out of it, yeah.

Um, you know, just as anyone else would. So it's um it's really, really nice to be a part of a show that's um you know, that's diving into these issues and that's finally being told in like a mainstream level.

[15:36] Josh Mitchell: Yeah. Um yeah, it's really nice to be a part of this movement and to uh, you know, I haven't had too much experience with a lot of the issues in the show myself. So I've kind of in a way taken a back seat and just been listening a lot and um, you know, kind of taking in what people have to say and learning a lot um from other people in this cast that have had personal experiences with these issues and it's been really really um educational for me and informative and I'm learning lots so yeah I and it's something that I really really believe in so I love being a part of a part of this show that's just sending such an important message.

[16:12] Aydan: Yeah I love that um being able to sit back and watch so much of the show through rehearsals and everything like that. What's been your favorite moment to kind of just see come together um that people can look forward to from your perspective?

[16:29] Aydan: See come together I personally I like I'm gonna just ignore that come together but I love singing head over feet. I don't know if you've seen um if you've seen the show in any way but head over feet is a really fun number for I guess for Frankie and Phoenix um it's a really fun number to to perform so I love I love when we get to that number and I get to perform that uh it's a bit selfish but that's my favorite me moment but like as a come together I really love um I really love no the song no which is the protest song. Yeah um the energy in that song is just insane like um there's a lot of songs like that on the show but for some reason no just really kind of I really feel it when we're performing it like we're really really in it because we're all that energies are just connecting like it's I can't even explain that like people just have to come like you have to come see it because when you're in the audience it will like it will spread to you you'll feel the the combined energy of that song and like yeah I just I get goosebumps talking about it and like thinking about it. So that's that's one that I loved seeing come together from the rehearsal room and now on the stage it's just a different like it's a different beast. So yeah um I love it.

[17:45] Aydan: Going from rehearsal room to stage and getting into the theater um getting costumes and doing runs and everything now this episode is coming out about two weeks into the run. Where we are now we're in rehearsals guys just so we're flashing back a month. What's kind of been like I guess how what's been the good feelings for you like getting obviously coming out of a lockdown getting back into a theater um getting back just performing in general um being able to be around other creatives in a purpose built creative space.

[18:25] Aydan: It's been really nice. I mean honestly we kind of forgot what it was like to be working with people in the room and not on Zoom or you know not at all. So yeah it's it's really nice and we are now in the theater but we're we're still teching the show in the theater. So um basically we're just stepping through everything really slowly for lighting cues because we've learned the show for us but now we need to give the like the the crew a chance to learn the show like the props um department need to learn their tracks to bring props on and off back backstage and wardrobe need to know um when the quick changes are happening because there's lots of cast members and we all have quick changes. Lighting needs to know where we're going to be standing sound needs to know where we're standing so they can mix the show.

So tech is kind of like rehearsals for the crew. So we're um just stepping through the show really slowly and doing lots of stops um so that you know all of these people can um do their jobs and kind of bring the hot tie the whole show together. So um yeah, if you ask any actor, they'll they'll tell you that they hate tech and that tech is um just so draining because it moves really slowly. Like we've spent the last how many days is it? Is today Tuesday? So six days, six days of work and we got through act one. Yeah. Um, which you know is what maybe like 40 minutes, and we already know it. So we've done like runs of it. Yeah, um, and it took us six days to get through act one. Um because you just like there's lots of stopping and starting because everyone else has got to, you know, gotta do gotta learn their jobs as well.

We had four weeks to learn out now, you know, the the crew have you know have the hard job. So yeah, it's um it's fun, it's slow, but it's it's uh it's a nice break of pace from rehearsals which went like this, yeah. So it's very nice to calm before the storm.

[20:10] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, exactly. This is calm before we had a storm and now we have the calm, and now we're about to have another storm. Amazing. Um, what does it mean for you to be a part of this show?

[20:21] Aydan: Um to be as just a person in this cast being able to present these stories to the audiences that are about to come in, be able to present these themes in a in a raw, real um fashion. Just put it out there for people to consume.

[20:44] Aydan: I am really honored to be a part of this show. I think that it's um I think it's gonna do amazing things. I really do. I think this show's got big potential to to just do some amazing things because the message is told so like I always say that it's really obviously dark and and um a lot of the story is quite um confronting, but it's told in such a beautiful way that you can't help but listen and like take it in. It's not just like you know, um, someone lecturing you about it and you say all right and then forget about it it's the opposite where like you're kind of just you're not being forced to watch it like it's just being presented to you and it's told so beautifully that you can't help but listen and but take it in so I think that a lot of people you know whether they've had experiences with what the show's talking about or not I think a lot of people are going to take a lot away from this show um so yeah I'm honored to be part of the storytelling process uh and yeah I can't wait for people to see it it's yeah we haven't just done the whole show like on stage and with costumes and everything like that yet but I just have I just know I just have a feeling that like it's the energy is just gonna be like un unbelievable unmatched so I wish I could be there for the first night like that first night I'm just I'm buzzing for you guys it's gonna be so insane.

[22:05] Josh Mitchell: Guys that brings us to the end of the episode um that brings us to the end of our run with Jagged here for this little period. Thank you so much Aydan for joining us an absolute pleasure talking to you guys. I can't wait to see everything on stage and running guys make sure if you haven't already there's only like two weeks left in the run. So you've got to get to jagged musical dot com right now for your tickets. If you're missing out you've got to fly to Melbourne and for you Melbourne people it's coming your way so be there ready um but to wrap us up Aydan um what is your favorite moment to be a part of uh on stage as Phoenix getting to tell this story. What's that moment that you just love being on stage to be a part of?

[22:50] Aydan: Uh I guess it's kind of a tie between no, which is the protest song, and then the final song. It's the final song is kind of like we've gone through this whole journey, and then we come out, and it's it's not like ah, everything's better, but it's like everything will get better. And I think it's really nice because most musicals get to the end and it's kind of like ta-da, like we just told this, we just told this super sad story, but now we're all happy. But it's it's not that it's more like it's real. It's you know, we we just told this huge story and we just went through this big journey, but it like it will get better. Like, you know, we're on the way, we're we're we're learning, we're getting there, which I think has something really nice to it because it's really relatable.

Like no one just wakes up morning and is like, oh, perfect. Like it's it's a journey. So yeah, I I really love being a part of those two songs. Um, because they're real, they're they're really, really real.

[23:52] Josh Mitchell: Insane. That is the perfect note to wrap our trip off to Connecticut with. Um, thank you so much, Aydan, uh, for joining us. It's been an absolute pleasure. And guys, we will be back next week with a brand new episode of the We Are Theatre podcast. Goodbye.