Interview with City Mag Adelaide

Clich HERE to read the beautiful, detailed interview I did recently with City Mag Adelaide. I share the fateful story behind my full-blown illness journey and how that very story now unfolds on stage live before an audience in Happy-Go-Wrong. This is a nice one.

“Illness has a powerful way of weeding the garden. At its most intense, my illness cleared out relationships, work, my arts practice, all my money, everything… leaving with me with a feeling of having nothing. I thought my life might be over, but it was precisely from this place of nothing that I started to see everything.

There’s a line in my show that continues to resonate: “Once you have the wisdom of death, you can’t go back… and why would you want to?” It’s funny how being thrown upside down can put you the right way up!”

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Feature in Broadway World

Broadway World has written an article on my solo show, Happy-Go-Wrong at Adelaide Fringe 2021.

“After the greatest 'accident' of my life - a tiny tick bite - turned my world upside down, I was surprised to discover that such soaring joy could exist alongside unfathomable struggle, to the point where I began to wonder if this accident was, in fact, no accident. As I continue to fight for my health, and seek out the happy in all the wrong, Happy-Go-Wrong is a lifeline that shines a light on the invisible battles that so many face on a daily basis. It is also my spirited way of saying thanks for still being alive.”

Check out the full article HERE.

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Happy-Go-Wrong

My exciting new solo show Happy-Go-Wrong will have its development season this May as part of La Mama Explorations 2019. This show is not only experimental artistically, but also physically for me with my chronically ill body. It’s my first time back on stage with a new work in years. I’m very proud. It’s a beautiful gem of a show which is driven by my own real-life navigation of struggle and mortality through my illness and the extraordinary resilience which us humans often don’t realise we have in us until we are put to the test. As is my Andi way, the show blends physical theatre with clowning and plunges deep into existentialism, while remaining a comedy with pathos. I promise you’ll have as much fun as you will meaningful reflection with this one! It’s on Fri 17th, Sat 18th & Sun 19th May, 7:30pm at The Burrow, Fitzroy and you can book HERE.

The show must go wr..on..g? (image: Darren Gill)

The show must go wr..on..g? (image: Darren Gill)

The Deep Dive Artists' Lab

Today I was honoured to participate in a compelling Artists' Lab run by Arts Centre Melbourne called The Deep Dive which delved into neurodiversity in art, particularly performance. We learnt and dissected the art, arts practices and creative processes of some of Australia's leading neurodiverse artists and allies. It was wonderfully hands-on and got me challenging the assumptions which conventional artistic expression makes, as well as reflecting on my own work. I connected with some incredible artists and companies who I look forward to collaborating with in the future.

Frantic Assembly Workshop

Today, I participated in an awesome Movement Uncovered workshop, run by Frantic Assembly/Arts Centre Melbourne at Dancehouse. It was really great learning the physical exercises and techniques employed by the Frantic Assembly company. They're out at the moment touring The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, which I loved. I learnt how to fly just like Christopher and really clicked with movement director Delphine Gaborit who gave me a lovely compliment at the end of the workshop on my performance style. This was the first time in a very long time that I moved my body again and it felt so joyous.

Me flying at the Frantic Assembly workshop! (Photo: Joshua Cowie)

Me flying at the Frantic Assembly workshop! (Photo: Joshua Cowie)

Clowning Around

I have recently completed a 6-week clown training course with the Melbourne Community Clown Troupe, headed by the fantastic Liz Skitch at Westside Circus. As a physical performer with loads of comedy experience, I took to this training like a clown to a red nose, literally. I find it so useful as a theatre-maker to experience many different performance styles and clowning is definitely a growing passion of mine. Sometimes, the simple and seemingly silly can reveal humanity on a scale far greater than any complex drama. This is why I find clowning so wonderfully deceiving in its power. 

Here I am in all my idiotic glory! (Image: Nayt Housman)

Here I am in all my idiotic glory! (Image: Nayt Housman)

Déjà Vu critical success

With several sold-out shows and wonderful reviews, I've now completed the Melbourne Fringe season of my latest solo show, Déjà Vu (And Other Forms of Knowing). Below are the reviews:

"Sublime to watch... An eerie and fascinating physical exploration... a truly original and exciting show." - Myf Clark,  Aussie Theatre

"Nightmarishly funny... with a special talent for mischievous humour. Déjà Vu is dreamlike and will leave you mystified." - Cameron Woodhead, The Age

"Truly beautiful... (Snelling) is never less than an engaging presence... It's like something out of Beckett; an Endgame for one." - Tim Byrne, Timeout

"Dance theatre at its best." - Anne-Marie Peard, Sometimes Melbourne

"Snelling is spellbinding... a master chameleon of movement, a physical provocateur,  - Jo Daly, Weekend Notes

"A spectacular performance... her acting talent is phenomenal." - Penny Stephens, Milkbar Mag

"Brilliant... a piece that allows the audience to take away different perspectives." - April Brenner, BCause Arts

"An exciting piece that will have you working from beginning to end." - Amber Bock, The Plus Ones

"Every scene is visually striking... Andi has such incredible control of her body." - Keith Gow

Image by Sarah Walker

Image by Sarah Walker

Déjà Vu (And Other Forms of Knowing) coming to Melbourne Fringe

My hotly anticipated new solo show is tearing up the rehearsal room and almost ready to go! Ticket sales have rocketed away, with Opening Night already 50% sold! After the huge success of #DearDiary - a show which is still on tour as we speak! - I am excited to be returning to my dancing roots and taking my work in a completely different direction. I've thrown out the pages and am diving body-first into my subconscious mind in this dark physical theatre exploration of all those things we only know subliminally. Through warped physical movement, I explore the realm of déjà vu where dreams and intuition collide. From smoke and darkness, a mysterious creature will emerge to draw you away from reality and into the vacuum of déjà vu. 

(Image: Sarah Walker)

#DearDiary at Howard Fine Acting Studio

First stop on the #DearDiary tour was the Howard Fine Acting Studio. I performed the show with a Q&A (which almost went longer than the show itself!) to the Studio's full-time and part-time acting students, as well as members of the public who also turned up for the joyride. Once again, it was a full house and a special night. There was even a man there who had seen the very first preview show at Melbourne Fringe 2015 and had decided to come back to see where the show was at now!

#DearDiary Encore Season success

Once again, #DearDiary has enjoyed sell-out shows and further critical acclaim during its June encore season at The Butterfly Club. The Age's Entertainment Guide even featured the show in its Top 20 Things To Do in Melbourne. Click the links below to read some of the interesting articles and listen to radio interviews of Andi talking about the unique nature of the show and its extraordinary ongoing journey.

Schoolgirl's diary shared on stage via Herald Sun/Whitehorse Leader
#DearDiary in The Shortlist Top 20 via The Age
Five Pearls of Wisdom from Andi Snelling's Teenage Diary via Scenestr
#DearDiary Interview via SYN FM
#DearDiary Interview via WYN FM (click on 19th May)
#DearDiary Interview via The Australia Times
Meet Andi Snelling via Scribble Creative

#DearDiary featured in The Age's Shortlist of Top 20 Things To Do in Melbourne

#DearDiary encore season

Due to popular demand, my one-woman existential joyride, #DearDiary is having an encore season 1st - 5th June, 7pm at The Butterfly Club. I am delighted to have been asked back and can't wait to share the show now that it's even bigger and better, following the sold-out season at Adelaide Fringe. Tickets went on sale 24 hours ago and are already disappearing! Bookings here. 

New Project: That's Not a Daffodil!

I have just completed a week of Creative Development for a cute little show called That's Not a Daffodil! by Jump Leads Productions, directed by Gorkem Acaroglu. It's a stylised, physical show with songs and shadow puppetry, based on the award-winning children's book by Elizabeth Honey. There are plans for this show to go on a large-scale tour next year, so watch this space! Meanwhile, here's me in the lead role of Tom, a young boy who learns an important lesson about growing a plant.

#DearDiary Critical Acclaim

Here is the final rundown of amazing reviews from #DearDiary's Adelaide Fringe 2016 season:

- ★★★★1/2 "Snelling is charming, charismatic and hilarious, pulling off this unique show with a flair that grips the audience...engaging and funny...Snelling’s performance is outstanding." - Glam Adelaide http://www.glamadelaide.com.au/main/fringe-review-deardiary/

- ★★★★ "A compelling show... An entertaining, at times deeply moving, look at the nature of the human condition... inquisitive and insightful." - The Advertiser http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/adelaide-fringe/theatre/adelaide-fringe-review-2016-deardiary/news-story/41618e680b3d6c8fc11db852f059bff5

- ★★★★"A fascinating experience...a talented and warm performer." - The Clothesline http://theclothesline.com.au/dear-diary-adelaide-fringe-review/

- ★★★★ "#DearDiary‬ is self-reflexive, clever and moving." - Rip It Up http://ripitup.com.au/festivals/adelaide-fringe-festival/adelaide-fringe-reviews/deardiary#.VuIbi8d2OYW

- "Human, honest and gritty... superbly nuanced... The audience felt, and truly was, at one with Snelling" - The Barefoot Review http://www.thebarefootreview.com.au/menu/theatre/119-2014-adelaide-reviews/1340-deardiary.html

- "Snelling’s account of the value and the virtue of keeping a diary and her engaging honesty make #DearDiary a charming and illuminating confessional... An unpretentious show told with honesty and charm by a performer who lights up the stage."  - Canberra Critics Circle 
http://ccc-canberracriticscircle.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/deardiary-adelaide-fringe-festival-2016.html?m=1

- "She is a phenomenal actor and singer, captivating the audience during the entire performance." - Fringe Review
http://fringereview.co.uk/review/adelaide-fringe/2016/deardiary/ 


#DearDiary at Adelaide Fringe 2016

Following a hugely successful run at Melbourne Fringe 2015, my one-woman existential joyride, #DearDiary is about to head over to Adelaide. Tickets are already selling faster than I can write in my diary and I am pumped! Full details can be found HERE in the official, hot-off-the-press Adelaide Fringe Guide. Or, if you're more of a Facebook kinda person, the official Event is HERE.