The best art leaves you forever changed. Whether it teaches you something about life or something about yourself, art has the power to inspire and to give a voice to the voiceless.
Ruby Teys is a special comedian – the type who can masterfully weave a tale seemingly one way from the surface, but the underside drips with social commentary and provocative, self-reflective jabs.
Teys’ latest work focuses on the personal experiences of Australia’s backbone – the loveable, working class that keep the country running, affectionately known as 'bogans'. Teys was inspired by her childhood surrounded by characters.
“I grew up in Chippendale, but lots of our friends and family lived in rural Australia, so we used to go on lots of bogan camping trips, and then come back to Chippendale where my parents were blue collar workers. I was always surrounded by the true essence of regional and rural Australia growing up.”
Teys sought out what she defines as 'a normal life', but she was made for comedy through and through, and eventually, comedy got the girl.
“I tried my hardest not to be in comedy and to be very normal, and I absolutely cannot do anything else. I’d either be miserable or in jail if I didn't do comedy. Comedy just comes out of the pores in my skin and it's the absolute, true essence of who I am. I can't hide, I can't run, I can't do anything. I definitely can't do an Excel spreadsheet, that's for sure.”
“I just wanted a normal, non-dramatic life and to do the best by myself. But the best by myself was actually fully leaning in. It is a hard slog, but I have to be a culture and a change maker,” Teys says with an air of jest – but her words ring true. “I'm fully in my lane, living my best life. Every day feels like a little success. I feel very satisfied.”
Teys' show ‘Cherry Vinyl: Coober Pedy's Last Showgirl’ follows young Cherry who escapes from Coober Pedy to the bright lights of Surfers Paradise, where the ungentle men seek out their pound of new flesh.
“It was birthed from an amazing, queer arts grassroots festival called Tropical Fruits in the Northern Rivers. They asked me to host their Next Day Cabaret, and we thought I could do a character that runs through the whole show. It turned into this magical night, and this character came to life, people were loving her. The response and the repertoire was so strong that I followed my instincts and made a full show about Australiana culture and history, and all the camp bits about our culture that are really eccentric and gay.”
Teys forms an intentional narrative for Cherry, but also thrives on the show’s interaction with each audience, as they give and take to one another.
“I listen to the audience and I’m guided by them. Most comedians have this secret in the back of their brain and think you're gonna love it. But with this call and response, I’m testing the waters and getting a good reaction. It has a beautiful narrative that threads all the way through. But I like to have fun with the crowd. It's about striking that balance.”
Discussing the show’s depiction of bogans, Teys reveals the history behind what has devolved to an infamous slur, and what it truly means to wear the name.
“We have to remember that our society is built on the labor of bogans and the culture of bogans. Australia wouldn't be what it is without their bogan culture. The word actually isn't a rural or regional word. It comes from the cities, the factory and the docks, the blue collar jobs from the Depression. They used to bog the heads of rabbits and have them for lunch. That's why we have such a bad rabbit problem in Sydney.”
“Then it became a slur and it changed to rabbitohs, which is why we have the South Sydney Rabbitohs. It's turned into a slur, but I think it's just people who are extremely real with themselves and their situation, down to earth, reasonable, rational people. They get a bad rap and people misinterpret the word for country bumpkin.”
“I can speak for the word bogan, because most of the people in my area were living in public housing, working really hard, raising kids through the public school system, and hoping for the best in an ever-changing world. All I can say is, if you find the bogan, down-to-earth people embarrassing or annoying, or if you use that word as a slur, well – how fun are you to hang out with? Not fun at all.”
Teys channeled the battler bogan spirit into Cherry, intertwining elements of life’s challenges common to all Australian women and poking the underbelly of relationship realities.
“Cherry is a young woman trying to find her place. She's doing all the right things, but she's being led astray by men in her life, and that speaks for a lot of women as they're growing up and finding their footing. She has such a strong character that even though they're telling her to do this, that and the other, she can push through it.”
“Originally, it was a commentary on violence towards women in Australia, but I kept getting too stuck on the meaning, when I still want to make people laugh. So it touches lightly on Australian men and what they expect of Australian women. Even though they try and pull her up, Cherry still has the tenacity and the spirit and the personality to survive and come out victorious.”
Ruby Teys plays Factory Theatre (Sydney Comedy Festival) 7-11 May, The Rechabite (Perth Comedy Festival) 17 May, Brisbane Powerhouse (Brisbane Comedy Festival) 22-25 May.
