Who is Simon Morrison-Baldwin?
That’s a good question! Mild-mannered law student by day, drag chanteuse by night.
What would you do differently to what you do now?
As I’m currently doing a one-man show, I’d like to collaborate more often; to share the create load (so to speak). There’s a certain alchemy that can only come from a group of creative people.
Who inspires you and why?
Paul Capsis. Not only is he amazingly talented (and humble) but he’s not afraid to challenge gender roles and has successfully built a career where he gets to do just that.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I think (in my own tiny way) performers make a difference through the power of storytelling. If I can get an audience member to feel something, or to go home thinking, then I’ve changed them, in however small a way. That change can cause little ripples that may one day make a real difference.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
I love the cold, so I would have to say Iceland! Such a strangely beautiful place with such diverse geology – glaciers, geysers, hotsprings, tectonic plates drifting apart! And Vikings! Who doesn’t like Vikings?
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
It’s a little cliché, but Melbourne has a wealth of amazing bars, and that hidden laneway quality that makes discovering them half the fun. I think a mulled wine overlooking the city from the top of Curtin House followed by the special Cocktail of the Month at the Butterfly Club!
What are you currently reading?
I’m still voraciously researching the life of Le Chevalier d’Eon for my show, so I’m reading Monsieur d’Eon is a Woman by Gary Kates, an American professor of history. Before that it was David Marr’s Panic – just a little light reading!
What are you currently listening to?
As I’m typing this I’m actually listening to Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro as I’m singing an aria from it in the show.
Happiness is?
A basket of kittens!
What does the future hold for you?
Goodness! Well, I can only hope that the immediate future brings a successful fringe show 😉 Oh, and kittens. There should always be kittens.
Simon Morrison-Baldwin is a VCA graduate most recently seen during the Melbourne International Comedy Fest as the Narrator of the live superhero radio play Bullet.
He continues to carve out a niche as a drag performer, from an impressively bustled Lady Bracknell (Rough & Tumble – Adelaide Fringe), to Berkoff’s downtrodden Mum (East – Seymour Centre) to a 7″ Mother of three fighting the H factor (The Joy Before Thinking – Theatreworks).
Particularly unforgettable was his portrayal of the sadistic lesbian prison Matron of Cellblock Booty (Sixxters Grimm). Simon returns to the Melbourne stage in corps(e) at The Butterfly Club in October.
For more information, visit: www.ladydiamond.com.au for details.
Image: Simon Morrison-Baldwin
