On the Couch with Joe Hooligan Lui

Joe Lui oncWho is Joe Hooligan Lui?
Head Idiot of Renegade Productions. Professional charlatan-posing-as-artist. “I want to be everywhere. I want to know everything. I want to fuck everyone in the world, I want to do something that matters”. Writer/Performer of Letters Home. Theatre Writer/Director/Lighting Designer/Sound Designer in Perth.

What would you do differently to what you do now?
I would love to be a physicist, or a paleontologist or any kind of scientist really. My dream in another life is to be a gridiron coach. Ideally NFL. But college will do.

Who inspires you and why?
the father to my style. Iconoclast, not afraid to call out the inadequacies in whatever his own “side” in an argument is. Toussaint L’instigator and leader of the Haitian Revolution. Ultimate badass. A slave until late in life, he combined revolutionary fervor and humanitarian ideals and values and parlayed them into the world’s most successful slave revolt.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali – the courage to stand up to the dogma of the entire culture around you. Margaret Hamilton – computer scientist, developed the on board flight software for the Apollo space program. You still have to have fucking verve to do something like computer science as a woman. She did it in the sixties. For space. Chip Kelly – head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Incredible innovation, the willingness to throw away “known” ideas in search of and in favor of better ones.

What would you do to make a difference in the world?
This is a large part of Letters Home- in fact it’s a large part of my work in general. I would work to further the understanding that we are mostly all flawed mammals with the best intentions. And that the more we remember that about those we hate or disagree with the most the better off we will all be.

Favourite holiday destination and why?
I don’t holiday. But I would love to go to Texas because of beef brisket and chicken fried steak.

When friends come to town, what attraction would you take then to, and why?
Perth Town? Joy Café – amazing food. Blue Room Theatre – the most amazing, unbelievably supportive and awesome independent theatre venue. My house – we can hang out, make out!

What are you currently reading?
Francis Fukuyama – Political Order and Political Decay; Stephen Jay Gould – I have Landed; and Chris B. Brown – The Essential Smart Football.

What are you currently listening to?
Devin Townsend – Epicloud and Tyler the Creator – Cherry Bomb

Happiness is?
Doesn’t exist for me.

What does the future hold for you?
Nothing. It’s all downhill from here. Come see Letters Home!

Joe Lui is a founding member and the creative leader of Renegade Productions. Within its aegis he creates, writes, directs, designs and composes theatre and performance works. Renegade Productions has earned success and recognition in the independent theatre sector of Perth as a company that creates thought provoking, socially conscious works that push the boundaries of both form and content. Joe Lui is the Spirit of the Fringe Festival.

Joe is also a regular and contributing part of the professional and independent theatre industry in Perth as a sound designer/composer, director and lighting designer. He is also a passionate educator and workshop facilitator. He directs plays and runs theatre making, theatre design and technical theatre workshops in conjunction with secondary and tertiary education institutions. Joe is currently devising a major production with Curtin University.

Joe has written and will perform Letters Home – his one-­man show about cultural dissonance, confession and self-­discovery at Theatre Works for a limited season from 2 July 2015. For more information, visit: www.theatreworks.org.au for details.

Image: Joe Hooligan Lui