Laughing through sharehouse horrors with Amelia Pawsey | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Trainscendence

Amelia Pawsey has spent years immersed in Melbourne’s performing arts community, thriving in ensemble work and collaborating with a range of directors and artists. Now, she’s stepping out on her own with her first solo production, Love Letter to Heephah, a playful and poignant blend of comedy and songwriting drawn from her experiences in a share house where everyday moments of chaos, absurdity, and everything in between are revealed with humour, honesty, and a bit of mischief.

"I absolutely cherish ensemble work, in particular, within the Melbourne independent theatre scene. I have worked with many talented artists since graduating drama school and have always felt inspired by the work of Aussie creatives! I've had a lingering thought for years to give stand-up a go but I've been too scared to back myself, making excuses why I wouldn't be good at it," she explains. "Then this year I thought, that's not a valid reason to not try something! It was in conversation with my housemates about Heephah the random fox statue in our living room, where I realised I could combine my passion of songwriting with stand-up, that Love Letter To Heephah was born, and I could not be more excited to share this with MICF audiences."

The show features humorous songs like "I Cried to the Exterminator", "One Metre is What Distances Me from the Neighbours", and "Aldi Wine", but beyond the laughs, they explore the real pressures of share house life - housing insecurity, intimacy, boundaries, and survival in close quarters - experiences Pawsey knows well. "I'd say 90% of the stories you'll hear are based on my own real-life events. Unless my family is reading this, in which case, it's about a friend! But for the most part, yes, everything has happened to me!”

"If there’s one rule that should be written into the book of share house living, it’s that the detailed chore chart that you set up when you first move in - you know, the cheap IKEA whiteboard stuck to the fridge - is completely PERFORMATIVE. No one ever follows it, it’s totally useless, but it's a must-have in every house!"

Heephah, the taxidermy fox, looms large in this comedy, coming to represent something deeply personal for Pawsey and also serving as the central inspiration for dedicating an entire performance to its story. "As I mentioned, this started as a few sly comments regarding the absurd fox statue in our living room, and how it appeared that Heephah was constantly watching us that we thought, ‘this would make a great show!’ The songs followed shortly after and had me in stitches as I wrote them," she tells me.

"Heephah is a 60cm tall, mixed medium sculpture purchased from the Art Gallery of Ballarat. He literally is a work of art," Pawsey laughs. "He stands out amongst our other belongings, which are the typical Kmart, op shop, hand me down Feng Shui of a share house. I think he represents the experience of an artist's existence. The eclectic, multifaceted and busy life that we live just to make ends meet. This is the case in my all-girl share house. We are all charting through adulthood whilst also being working actors and performers. We do this under the watchful eye of Heephah whose presence I have lightly poked fun at for years, so it was time this little fox had a show dedicated to him!"

THE MICF QUICKFIRE FIVE

1. The most memorable audience reaction I've ever received is when Tom Hawkins said I was a good singer when his kids visited Santa and I was dressed as an Elf playing Jingle Bells on my ukulele. 
2. A totally absurd award I’d win if it existed is world’s best multi-tasker.
3. The worst thing I have ever eaten is when I was in drama school, I ate a raw clove of garlic to try and cure my cold. It was disgusting. I couldn't eat garlic for months. 
4. One backstage ritual that makes me feel ready to get on stage is having a massive yap with someone else in the cast, not sure what I’ll do with myself in a solo show!
5. If I could swap places with another performer for a day, it would be Tim Minchin, because if I could write lyrics as well as him I’d be stoked!

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Trainscendence, 5-6, 48 Easey St, Collingwood
Season: 7 - 19 April | Thu - Sat 7pm, Sun 6pm
Duration: 55 minutes
Tickets: $28 Full | $24 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival