“Melody is a rebellious, charismatic, dangerous leader. She unapologetically forms an identity outside of society's expectations through rigorous emotional labour and internal reflection.” - Pantograph Punch
I Wanna Be Mark Wahlberg
I want to be a strong, and unquestioned leader. I want to be the assumed first string of my touch team and while I’m there, I want to ‘one up’ the boys. I want to be uncompromising, but entirely forgiven because of my exuberant charisma. I want to kick around the house in my boxer shorts while I sip on a cup of strooooong dark-roast coffee (and pretend it tastes exactly how I like it). I want to take my whiskey neat and my marriage on the rocks (to justify my affairs). I want to be the hero and feel proud. I want to be the villain and feel proud. I Wanna be Mark Wahlberg.
This solo show seeks to understand the effects of my conservative Christian upbringing, where gender was presented to me as two very distinctly opposing things, and examines how these have carried forward into my experiences of identity now.
“A parody of performing gender while locked in a binary” -The Pantograph Punch
I Wanna Be Mark Wahlberg premiered at the Basement Theatre, as part of Auckland Pride Festival 2021
Created as part of Basement Theatre’s Ideas in Residence 2020 programme.
Created and performed by Melody Rachel
Mentorship by Julia Croft
Lighting Design by Paul Bennett
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