Highway Superstar x Adelaide Fringe - Interview

Highway Superstar x Adelaide Fringe - Interview

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Posted 2020-01-18 by Temafollow

Fri 14 Feb 2020 - Sun 01 Mar 2020



After a successful run at the Adelaide Fringe festival since 2009 and most recently, with her show Fortified that debuted last year, Amity Dry is back this year with a brand new show - Highway Superstar - which will encompass attractive elements of a musical cabaret. From John Farnham, Madonna, Cindy Lauper, The Bangles, Adele, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Toto and Foreigner (to name a few), audiences will be treated to a 'Carpool Karaoke'-style journey, where they can expect to sing their hearts out to the greatest music hits right from the cringe-worthy yet colourful 80s to the 90s RnB to power pop and movie soundtrack favourites.

In anticipation of her upcoming performance, I was fortunate to do an e-interview with Amity - have a read of our exchange below:

Tema: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself, Amity?
Amity: I've been performing since I was a child and started writing songs in high school. After being on the original series of The Block, I got a record deal with Universal Music and released my debut album 'The Lighthouse', which went to #6 on the Aria chart. Over the years, I've released four albums, written a hit musical 'Mother, Wife and the Complicated Life' that's played in New York, London and Norway, and had a number of sell-out Fringe shows, including '39 Forever' and 'Fortified.'

Tema: What about the performing arts scene attracted you to it?
Amity: I have always loved performing and connecting to people through music. From the moment I wrote my first song at 12 and made people feel something when I played it, I knew that it was what I wanted to do with my life!

Tema: How long have you been in the performing arts scene and what has the experience been like so far?
Amity: I've been performing professionally since I was 15, so a long time! I absolutely love it and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing, but it can be a really hard slog - creating your own work to make a living and not having a steady income. However, I've never had a 'regular' job with a salary, so I don't know any different!

Tema: What inspired you to create your show Highway Superstar?
Amity: My Fringe show last year 'Fortified' was about my divorce and was a really emotional and heavy show. After spending the last year touring it, I wanted to do something light and fun. My favourite part of my previous show '39 Forever' was when audiences sang along to the well-known cover songs, so I wanted to do a whole show of just that - where audiences (and I) could have a really fun time!

Tema: What is the basic premise of Highway Superstar, without giving too much away?
Amity: It's a celebration of songs you sing in the car! So, it has 80's, 90's, RnB, some movie soundtrack numbers... basically, the cheesiest songs on my playlist that I thought people would love and sing along to!

Tema: What can people expect from attending Highway Superstar?
Amity: To have a laugh, hear lots of songs they know and love, sing along, and have a fun night out.

Tema: Who would you say is your target audience?
Amity: My core audience are women in their 30's to 50's, but this show is suitable for all ages. It's even kid-friendly if you wanted to bring your older kids to something (although I can't promise they won't cringe at the daggy songs!)

Tema: How did you get involved with the Adelaide Fringe (AF)?
Amity: I did my first Adelaide Fringe show in 2009 after moving back to Adelaide and this will be my sixth Fringe show and fourth year in a row. It's one of the best things about living in Adelaide and my favourite time of year.

Tema: As a returning Adelaide Fringe performer, what are you hoping to expect from this year's participation in the festival?
Amity: I love that I have a loyal audience, who comes to my shows every year. Lots of women tell me they come with the same group of friends and would never miss it, so that makes me feel awesome! Hopefully, this show attracts some new audiences too, which would be great.

Tema: What do you think makes Highway Superstar a must-watch show?
Amity: It's fun! It's an easy show where you can switch off, sing along, have a laugh and a dance and reminisce about when life was simpler (ie. the 80's and 90's!)) Plus it's on early, so you can come straight from work and go out for dinner and kick on afterwards or be home early. Seeing how a big chunk of my audiences are mums, that's appealing!

Tema: When you're not out singing and performing to an entertained audience, what does a day in the life of Amity typically look like?
Amity: I'm a proud Adelaide local and a single mum, so it mostly revolves around my two beautiful kids. I also travel a lot, with show tours and cruise gigs, so I am always packing or getting organised to go away, so there's a lot of juggling to make all that work. Just like any working mum, except I put on sequins to do my job!

Amity Dry will be performing her show Highway Superstar at Gluttony from February 14 - March 1, 2020, as part of Adelaide Fringe. Book your tix here .



#adelaide_city
#cabaret
#greater_adelaide
#interviews
#music
#shows
#february
!date 14/02/2020 -- 01/03/2020
%wnadelaide
205984 - 2023-06-16 05:46:13

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