PURSUING PLEASURE Opens Next Month at The Round

Whitehorse City Council and The Round Midsumma Residency Program present Pursuing Pleasure, starring Piera Dennerstein and Pamela Christie.

Opera singer turned curvaceous cabaret cantatrice Piera Dennerstein (Finucane & Smith, Blue is the Colour Midsumma 2022) shares the intimate truths of her body and mind in this sexy, silly and deeply human world premiere. 

Using the exceptional versatility of her voice in everything from Puccini to Cardi B, Piera tells the story, with humour, sincerity and hope, of her experiences forming her values and beliefs as she recovered from the toxicity of the opera industry and domestic abuse. Extrapolated from a poem she wrote in 2020 entitled, 'This is what my body was built for', this work will explore how leaning into the pleasurable - demonstrated in the operatic and sensual - as long as it causes no harm to others, is a powerful political act. 

‘A large portion of my healing from the challenges I will gently touch on in this work occurred due to strong artists and women showing me what is possible. As Ali McGregor says, cabaret particularly is a place where people can see themselves on stage when they may not otherwise be able. I hope that through presenting a work such as this, where I am publicly vulnerable and share my story, I will in some way show others who have experienced such challenges what is possible, and that they are not alone. As performance art legend Betty Grumble says, it is wonderful to be seen.’ – Piera Dennerstein

With dramaturgy by Melbourne Fringe Living Legend Moira Finucane, direction by cabaret world-maker Olivia Charalambous and with long-time ensemble partner Pamela Christie on piano, this deeply personal work boldly continues Piera’s dramatic aims of blurring the boundary between high and low art and cultivating a shared humanity. In exposing all, Piera hopes to provide those who have survived rejection and oppression an opportunity to feel seen, find hope, and have a much-deserved giggle.

This event was developed through The Round's Midsumma Residency program, aimed to support the development of LGBTQIA+ performing arts projects, assist local LGBTQIA+ artists to develop/maintain their arts practice and advance their creative development.

With a limited run of two shows at the sparkling new The Round Studio, join Piera and Pamela for an experience not to be missed.

Following a decade of operatic training and performance both here and internationally, Piera 'ran away and joined the circus' in 2018 when she commenced her tenure as an artist with premiere cabaret company, Finucane & Smith. From there, Piera’s mastery of the human voice has seen her perform everything from opera, to jazz, to country; everywhere from rural China to Kalgoorlie. Piera is also an award-winning writer and poet and has MCed extensively throughout a variety of performing artforms. For Midsumma 2022 Piera presented Blue is the Colour: a musical and ethnomusicological exploration into jazz and blues and its enormous influence on music today, with associate artist Pamela Christie.

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