Andy Johnston heads to Melbourne and Sydney with his new show, 'Twink Ascending'.
Leaving no stone unturned, Andy's hour length one-man show dives into topics such as masculinity, body image and social media. The premise of the show came as a result of a long-term relationship breakup Andy faced before embarking overseas for nine months.
"When I got back, I was thrown back into the city I used to live in with my partner and the whole other life I lived, but as a single gay man," Andy explains.
As he had been in a relationship for a long time, Andy wasn't sure how to navigate his life and his community while being single.
"I sort of had to relearn how to live. [This] opened up a lot of questions for me about how the gay community communicated with each other, and the way that we put each other in boxes and categories.
"I kept being very curious. The show began to write itself as a result of these curiosities in question."
"It's been an organic process for me observing the world that I live in as an older, more open-minded person. It's an inspiring time because I get to go out into the community and be single, meet people and date, but at the same time, it's really horrible.”
The show dives into the queer male culture, with a surrounding post-apocalyptic vibe, while ultimately aiming to encourage people to look inside themselves and accept who they are.
"I framed the piece in the mind of [dating] being like a war zone. I get inspiration from 'The Hunger Games' and 'Blade Runner 2049'. That post-apocalyptic futuristic war zone.
"That's what I feel like when I wake up. What's my strategy today? What armour am I wearing to get through and navigate life and my relationships? And also there are those bigger questions: Who am I? Where am I going? Where do I belong in the community? How do people see me and how do I see them?"
Andy suggests that an audience of 'Twink Ascending' can expect a lighter, humorous performance with some serious tones and moments.
"I've said to all my creatives and myself that it's very important that we find the humour and light in all of these things. It kind of has a black comedy, satirical and ironic humour to it.
"It's literally like I'm emptying my bag onto the stage and showing everyone my belongings. Everything I have. It's intrinsically me.
"It has song, dance, drag elements, monologues, theatre and spoken word. It's really a mix of all sorts of things.
"The opening sequence is really exciting. I don't want to give too much away, but it does involve the audience participating in dressing me. There are some good songs I'm also excited about.
"I feel like I'm trying to work some levels into there. It still has those deeper and serious moments, but that's contrasted with some really camp humour and a bit of an overt performance. It's going to be really fun."
