On the Couch with Gabrielle Scawthorn

Unlikely-Productions-The-Apologists-Gabrielle-ScawthornWho is Gabrielle Scawthorn?
I am an actor / writer / podcaster / ginger who is passionate about sun safety.

What would you do differently from what you do now?
Sometimes I fantasise about doing a job where success is dependent on the quality of the work and not someone’s subjective opinion of whether you are good or not. Having said that, I have a part time banking job with quantifiable KPI’s and its not nearly as fun.

Who inspires you and why?
Elaine Stritch. I had always loved and respected her as a performer and then I watched her documentary, Shoot Me, and this whole new tidal wave of love and respect flooded me. Her career spanned so many decades and she got to a point where she didn’t know what was going to come out or happen when she was on stage, a terrifying prospect, but she did it anyway because she trusted herself enough to know that she would handle whatever came her way. And look anyone who can school Patti Lupone is a demigod.

What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I would love to dismantle the belief that a women’s value is related to her appearance. The time. the money, the brain real estate that that belief takes up in women’s minds is unfathomable.

Favourite holiday destination and why?
NYC. On any given night you can go and see a piece of art that can change your life. Also… FREE. POUR.

When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
Figure of Eight pools in the Royal National Park. It still boggles my mind that we have that landscape available to us forty minutes from Sydney CBD.

What are you currently reading?
The Apologists Script over and over hoping that it will stick. And also Where the Crawdads Sing.

What are you currently listening to?
Jagged Little Pill cast recording. I love Alanis Morrisette and I love watching my husbands face as we listen to music theatre so it really is a match made in heaven.

Happiness is?
Making someone you love, laugh.

What does the future hold for you?
A Sydney season of The Apologists – a show that me and a team of ridiculously talented people created in England with the generous support of Arts Council England. I will also be starting a new season of my podcast Back From Reality in February and I have been commissioned to write a play based on my podcast interviews.


Gabrielle stars in The Apologists – which is currently playing at Newtown’s Old 505 Theatre until 31 January 2021. For more information, visit: www.old505theatre.com or www.unlikelyproductions.co.uk for details.

Image: Gabrielle Scawthorn (supplied)