Who is Ro Bright?
I’m a writer/producer and guest working on the land of the Wurundjeri people. You’ll find me collaborating with lots of folks at TILDE FESTIVAL and with the fabulous director Kitan Petkovski through our theatre company BULLET HEART CLUB. I have a preoccupation with indie recording artists, so you’ll find me working on projects where music plays an integral part of the storytelling.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
In researching for SUGAR, I spent a lot of time trawling through Sugar Baby sites. I feel confident that I could offer a paid service to write your Sugar Baby or Daddy profile. My premium service would be where I would do online matching; weeding out the scams and the dates that are not worthy of your time. I’d call the company “Call me Maybe”.
Who inspires you and why?
Sufjan Stevens is the artist who inspires me the most. Since first hearing Greetings from Michigan, The Great Lake States album I’ve been caught. His song Futile Devices pulls something so deep – in that it mirrors how I feel living in this world. Listening to Sufjan I learned to love the melancholy side of myself.
Sufjan’s music is close-to-the-bone. It’s beautiful. It’s queer. I remember going to see Sufjan in concert. Listening, an entire story for a screenplay flicked through my mind. With Sufjan’s music, I have an almost synesthetic experience – strong feelings, images and words overwhelm me.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
Being part of a collective of trans and gender diverse artists who are creating work here in Naarm, I want to see more safe spaces where we can have creative agency. It’s up to us to collectively support the next generation to imagine a world they can thrive in. The more trans and gender diverse stories we can bring to audiences, my hope is, we will shift the current conversation out there.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
There are 2 cities that for me that are the greatest of all time: New York and Lisbon. I studied at NYU and lived in the East Village and Brooklyn for 7 years. Got to know the streets with a friend. In the weekends we’d do brunch then walking tours to catch up. I also love Lisbon, after I toured there with the mad rebels Snuff Puppets. Both cities are places that energize me, where I can endlessly walk, and people watch.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
Would do a gallery trip, NGV, first nations collections. Depending on what festival is on at the time, I’d take them to see something. Go get some good food in Footscray – so much to choose from. And I’d take them to either St Kilda beach to see the penguins, or to Williamstown to swim off the rocks.
What are you currently reading?
I’ve started to read Patti Smith’s Just Kids. I adore Patti’s lyrics. Her activism and way of being beyond gender has always comforted me. I’m deeply fascinated by punk, post-punk history. I was at CBGB’s the night it closed – one of those exceptional strange drunk nights you can only have when living in New York.
What are you currently listening to?
I have playlists for every show I’m working on. For SUGAR I’ve been listening to a lot of Frank Ocean, St Vincent, Charlie XCX, Chappell Roan and Lips. The song list we have in SUGAR is filled with queer pop bangers and hopefully a couple of surprises that will make you laugh/go weak at the knees. And yes, I’m always listening to Sufjan.
Happiness is?
As a melancholy soul, happiness for me has always been about brief moments of contentment. I know I feel a great wash of joy when I see trans folks experiencing euphoria. I get a rush of joy when I hear artists speak and sing the words I write. I think this is because I genuinely feel so lucky. Hearing Tomáš sing, seeing them bring SUGAR to life, brings happiness – like a silly giggly happiness, because they are incredible.
What does the future hold for you?
BULLET HEART CLUB have a few shows in the mix over the next 6 months. After SUGAR at Fringe, our next show THE HALL at fortyfivedownstairs is on at the end of November. For THE HALL we’ll be shifting from queer pop to folk choral.
We also have a couple of announcements coming soon for the first half of next year – with 2 incredible trans writers/performers bringing their latest works to the stage – they are stunning! I can’t wait to see what we do at TILDE Film Festival in 2025, and… I’m super keen to start writing the next non-binary centered story!
Ro is the writer of SUGAR – which will be presented at the Festival Hub: Trades Hall – Common Rooms, as part of the Melbourne Fringe, from 16 – 20 October 2024. For more information, visit: www.melbournefringe.com.au for details.
Image: Ro Bright – photo by Alex Winner