Blow off some steam with The Ironing Maidens, who are taking their domestic bliss from the laundromat into the theatre for their new production ‘A Soap Opera’.
Known for performing original electronic music using primarily the common household iron, The Ironing Maidens present their version of a daytime drama at Adelaide Fringe. “It has been written as a soap opera,” one half of the Maidens, Melania Jack explains.“We worked with an advisor this time and they've worked on ‘Home & Away’ and ‘All Saints’, she's like a totally committed soap opera writer.
“We got to work with her on shaping the narrative element of the show, and as any good daytime drama it has all those elements: amnesia, flashbacks, near-death experiences,” she laughs. “It's very soapy.”
The Ironing Maidens take to Fringe with ‘A Soap Opera’ after a series of successful tours performing in laundromats. “We really did love the laundromat tours,” Melania says.
“We did one in New South Wales and one in Queensland, and it’s such a unique experience as a musician. It’s really on-the-ground, with the community, in the laundromat. . . it's a really real and connected experience with the audience. We really loved them.”
Though not the likeliest place to host an all-night dance party, the humble laundromat provides a common meeting place for a broad section of society sharing a base need, as the Maidens discovered on tour.
“Laundromats are all very unique, and very unique to the laundromat owner as well and how they run them, their particular style and the reason why they're in that business,” Melania explains.
“I remember being younger, spending a lot of times in laundromats, because maybe the washing machine was not working, and so I spent time in laundromats writing songs and I just feel like it’s a really good community space. Everyone has to do their washing at some point, no matter where you come from.”
Last year at Fringe, The Ironing Maidens presented their ‘Electro Housewife’ musical performance, for which they won an Innovation Award that allowed them to further research the work of Daphne Oram, a pioneer of electronic music whose theories and technologies greatly inform the work of The Ironing Maidens.
“We managed to spend some time researching Daphne's archive, that was fascinating being quite close to her work, her music and there was that tangible connection to her,” Melania says.
“We got to do some cool projects connected to her work. From a musician’s perspective, what was really exciting to me was being able to play the Oramics machine that's been built by Tom Richards; he found the design in Daphne's archive and it wasn't realised at the time she was alive.
“It was amazing being able to play that machine, it's such a different interface – the notes are drawn onto the film.”
Considering what The Ironing Maidens have achieved musically, Melania is looking forward to plying her trade on a stage very different to the laundromat. “We love the vibe of Adelaide Fringe,” she says. “It's amazing to be at a festival that's curated by artists; it feels quite empowering.”
