Grab a drink, bring a friend, and let everyone’s favourite Shaz get you back on your feet!
Meet Rianna Hollsten-Provenzano (she/her), a Meanjin (Brisbane) based actor, musician and writer. She graduated from University of Southern Queensland with a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Theatre, Acting) in 2017, and is currently studying a Bachelor of Music at JMC Academy. For the 2021 Anywhere Festival, she’s bringing The Shazza Show to local audiences.
Tell us about the show in 100 words or less
The Shazza Show: So… You’ve Hit Rock Bottom is an outrageously inappropriate, not-so-helpful self help cabaret. Grab a drink, bring a friend, and let everyone’s favourite Shaz get you back on your feet. This one-woman show is written and performed by Rianna Hollsten-Provenzano and directed by Tyler Harlum.
Anywhere Festival takes place anywhere but a theatre. Tell us about your venue. What is it about your space that adds to your audience experience?
If naughty content isn’t your cup of tea… better grab a beer instead. ! Hosted by the fantastic team at The Junk Bar in Ashgrove, drinks will be available to order before, throughout and after the performance. Everyone knows the first step in any self-help seminar is getting a beer in hand… Well, at least that’s what Shazza thinks!
Bonus performance at Method Art Collective. Tattoo studio cross coffee shop - a really cool and upcoming venue! Definitely worth checking out.
What is your creative process like?
I like to focus my writing around the character; tell the story through her eyes. I like to use ‘stream of consciousness’ as an exercise - where I just write non-stop (as the character) without editing or censoring my thoughts. I find this is the best way to be true to a character. Bringing music into my writing is something I’m really passionate about. Music is such an awesome way to tell stories, and people really connect with it.
Tell us your origin story. How did your show start?
Shazza is a clown character that I have been developing over the past five years , through several different shows. In 2019, I experimented with the first solo performance in the Scope Theatre Festival titled The Shazza Show. The show received positive and encouraging feedback that creating a full-length piece was the obvious next move for Shaz and I.
Who is your perfect audience member? Who is going to LOVE this event?
Someone who is looking for a fun night out! This show is all about the laughs and jokes. The perfect show to kick off your weekend evening. If you like comedy and music - this is the show for you.
Is there anything else we simply MUST know about the show?
The Shazza Show: So… You’ve Hit Rock Bottom is an 18+ event. There is a content warning for adult themes, course language and sexual references. Shazza is a character that pushes boundaries and works as a piece of satire to make comments on societal issues. There is no intention to offend anyone directly, so if you are easily offended, this is not the show for you.
‘The Shazza Show: So… You’ve Hit Rock Bottom’ plays the 2021 Anywhere Festival from 14-23 May at The Junk Bar, Ashgrove, with a bonus show at Method Art Collective, Brendale.
