Meet our new Associate Artist
A head and shoulders headshot of Annabel smiling against a white wall. She is wearing a bright pink collared shirt with a pride flag pin, a gold septum ring, gold hoop and chain earrings and some gold necklaces.
We are so excited to introduce our new Associate Artist Annabel Matheson!
Annabel will be looking after our queer community and programs and we can’t wait for you to meet her! In the meantime, we sat her down and asked her some questions about herself, her love of performing and her work with us. Read on!
What are three things we should know about you?
I am a huge lifelong fan of The Simpsons, and I am always rewatching it — I am currently on season 23.
I love fashion and putting together a look — I think what we choose to wear helps us to connect to our identity. I take a lot of inspiration from Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Moschino.
I grew up between the city with my mum, and country with my dad — during my time off, you’ll find me in the riverland reading a book on the pontoon or helping my dad with various projects at his place at New Residence.
You have a long history in the performing arts space. What has been your favourite project so far?
This is an impossible question to answer — every project I’ve worked on has been extremely influential, so I think I’ll speak to why working in theatre is my favourite. I’ve performed on stages across the country, worked with a myriad of incredible and unique creatives, developed and told stories about humans and dogs, about families, love, tragedies, and growing up. Every single project I’ve been a part of has shaped me as an artist and as a person, and many of the people I have worked with have become part of my everyday life. Theatre creates a space for both creatives and audiences to connect, grow, and explore. It's also really fun to get to play with both new and familiar people all the time.
What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
See as much theatre as you can, learn to understand how theatre functions and the things you like, but also try to understand what works well in everything you watch, even in things you don’t enjoy. Get together with other people who love theatre and read plays out loud together: the page is very different to the stage. Be curious about life and take yourself out of your comfort zone. Get whatever training you can access, preferably full time study if you can — acting school is bootcamp in learning about yourself, discipline, and how to collaborate.
What are you looking forward to the most about working with us?
I am so grateful to be back at ActNow taking care of the queer programs, artists, and participants. I love that collaboration, accessibility, and intersectionality are the focuses of the work that the company does. I am so excited to assist in providing the opportunity for LGBTQIA+ voices to be developed and celebrated, to facilitate a place for new ideas and stories to be championed, and also working with the incredible staff, artists, and participants who make ActNow their home.
If you could bring only 3 things with you to a deserted island, what would you choose?
A sturdy pair of shoes, something to listen to music with, and a taller friend…