http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RqrdRqAr1Q

Hi every-one -
I’m organising and performing in a charity event which raises funds for the MS Society called The Laugh-a-long. April 6th at 10pm at Trades Hall. Featuring Mark Watson, Al Pitcher, Julia Morris, Charlie Pickering, Eddie Perfect, Michael Chamberlin, Casey Bennetto and Me! Tickets at the door for $30 each. A tremendous cause too.
But in other news...The Comedy Festival is up and running and The Enthusiasts are go! Each night I have the pleasure of playing 5 gorgeous characters who I’m in love with in equal amounts and for very differrent reasons. They are an odd bunch, I’ve realised that i have this urge to pick the scab of the norm to see what lies beneath. Often what’s revealed beneath the surface of us all is a little darker and twisted than we think. Again, as in Deb Diaries, The Enthusiasts are all just trying to find their little place within the world. Come and see it - it only goes for another week. I’m very proud of my new baby.


xkate

So 2007 is rolling on - suddenly this week however, there's an extra spring in my step - Christmas has come early for all the sane, humane, intelligent peeps out there with this new government, or moreso with the passing of the old one. On my return from Edinburgh I have set my sights on creating a new show for the 2008 Comedy Festival - after many ideas I hit on The Enthusiasts - my character show where you will all get the subject matter of a newspaper column of the same name - people who have extreme obsessions & quirky passions.
There's a little bit of the footage from the show posted on this site too.

I'm involced with two Short and Sweet shows - I'm directing a play called "Good" by the amazing Patricia Cornelius which will be performed on the 8th of December at the Fairfax. I have a marvellous cast and totally enjoying the challenge of not only directing, but directing a drama too.
The cast is led by Lawrence Mooney as the has-been ex-footballer with Rudie Chapman, Jez Constable and Stephanie Edgerton playing his ex-wife, son and young lover respectively. The script is incredibly powerful, black and so darkly relevent as we watch sportsman after sportsman flail in the public eye.

I'm acting in a show the following week called "All The Way To The Top" which is a move back into some familiar territory - playing one of four girls auditoning for a part in a breakfast commercial. My gorgeously misguided character make every faux pax in the book which is great. This show is written and directed by Joelene Crgnorac with Patra Yared, Alexis Porter and Elena Mendalis playing the other three women - in very good company so I'm sure the show will be a ripper.

Debutante Diaries still continues to live, with a recent jaunt up to Albury for Hothouse Theatre's Comedy Festival - which was great - what wonderful warm and appreciative audiences. It looks like a national tour may be happenning for 2009 - although it's ages away I think it will be great to re-visit the show with a bang up new lighting design and maybe even a new black top!

That's all for me now.

So the 3rd week of Comedy Festival rolls around – the show is going really well – I had a kickin Tuesday night crowd (Tight-arses are such a good audience!!!) then an audience who seemed to hate my guts on Wednesday – apparently I wasn't alone – there was a certain type of Wednesday night audience roaming around that night – designed to make comedians questions their existence, forcing them to start madly adjusting the material to suit a tamer audience – the kind of audience that look at you like you're speaking in another language, no like you're speaking another language and spitting on them at the same time.

My hopes of doing my show in Edinburgh had also been dashed at that point, was feeling a little bluesy and had bad dreams on Wednesday night – then in the click of my send/receive button on my email on Thursday morning – my world started to change again. I am now going to Edinburgh with The Debutante Diaries – which will be so much fun and I get to play with lots of fun people over there for four weeks. Then on Friday the Comedy Festival phoned and I am now performing at Upfront 13 – he all female comedy night at The Forum next Tuesday – the beautiful theatre where I have ironically been working as a Box Office chickie for the past 6 years. Finally I get to be on the other side! It means a huge amount to me to be part of the bill – in 2001 I was sitting at home and was watching Upfront on a Saturday night and I saw this fabulous little lady doing character comedy, reading poetry about worms and periods. I was so inspired I went and wrote my first character based sketch the next week. That little lady was Cal Wilson and I get to perform on the same line-up as her tomorrow!

The on Saturday night I went down to the Bosco Theatre for the Comedy Festival announcement of the nominees for a couple of their awards. I went along, feeling like a bit of a loser, on my own, choked up with a killer head cold, carrying my classy green Coles bag with my stinky costume. They read out the nominees for the Golden Gibbo award – no luck there. Began to feel even more like a loser for rocking up to this event on my own in such a shabby state. Then Toby and Edwina started to read out the Barry Award nominees for best show – and Edwina read out my name! Knock me down with a fuckin feather!

I honesty cannot express to you what it means to me. It still doesn't quite feel real to me. This has been such a huge process for me, my career has had so many ups and downs, so many moments where I feel like I could just throw in the towel and then something like this happens and spurs me on – that little nod to say 'mate you're doin alright'

Big thanks to Fiona Harris my director- who is brilliant and has always lead by example in just being a good person and doing the hard yards – knuckle down, eat your greens and good stuff will happen – eventually.

Hello Myspace land! So I am over here in Adelaide with The Debutante Diaries having a lovely time. The show is going really well - blessed to have some great people who have helped me along the way - invaluable input from Dan Tobias and my super techie Leila. Just getting ready to do my final week and then back to Melbourne for Comedy Festival which I am really excited about. I have pasted a couple of reviews for my Adelaide season below. Have seen some great shows - Tom Tom Club - yummy boys - Ali McGregor's Midnight Lullabies (with my lovely boy Ben on drums) word is the Suitcase Royale shows are fabulous - and as always Tim Minchin is bloody good too.

The Debutante Diaries - The Advertiser
Put this in your diary

Dear Diary, on Wednesday night I went to a one-woman show put on by a girl called Kate McLennan. She's come all the way from the Melbourne Fringe where she won two comedy awards.

My goodness, was she funny – and talented and witty. The play, directed by Fiona Harris, was all about a bunch of girls preparing for their Year 11 deb ball. I never had my deb and, after seeing this, I think I'm glad I didn't.

Some of the kids' stories were really hilarious, and some were really sad. Most of all, these characters – who simply lit up the stage – were full of clever insights into our modern society. The script was incredible, and I think that one day it might even make a really good movie. You never know.

Dear Diary, I cannot tell you enough how much you really should make time to check out her show. You won't regret it.




KATE MCLENNAN – THE DEBUTANTE DIARIES - Rip It Up
The Garden Shed, Wed Mar 21
What a surprise package the dynamic Kate McLennan proves to be. An emotional chameleon and impressive actress rather than an acerbic stand-up comic, McLennan's one-woman show is a polished and snappy production that takes us into the lives of numerous small town characters as the local debutante ball nears. Sweet but socially dejected teen Sophie McAlllister, perky and popular Libra Hills High prefect Chrystel Jones, her sardonic and bitchy friend Stacey, paedophilic South African PE instructor Guy Geraghty and jaundiced fellow teacher Carla Kennedy, a chain-smoking Judith Lucy-type, all suffer personal pitfalls as the event approaches. Referencing Delta Goodrem, Pixie Photo and Mel & Kochy, McLennan's mannerisms and ability to swiftly immerse herself in each character's emotions is unnervingly skilled. Like a We Could Be Heroes with additional sentiment, Debutante Diaries also earns bonus points for using The Go! Team and Joanna Newsom as link music.
Mikey Walsh
The Debutante Diaries continues at The Garden Shed until Sat Mar 31.

Adelaide Theatre Guide

DEBUTANTE DIARIES
The Six
Rundle Park

Review by Simon Slade

Kate McLennan answers the age-old question about whether Debutantes have balls.

Playing nine different characters, she switches effortlessly between them, sometimes even playing two of them opposite each other. Highlights include; Chrystelle Jones, the girl who is chairing the organising committee; Mr Gerrity, the teacher in charge of the Deb Ball, and coach of the girls swimming, netball, and softball teams; and Carla, the jaded teacher.

There are people here that we can all recognise, just hopefully not as ourselves! The agony of the journey through the teenage years is presented in a wonderfully comic script.

The struggle to fit in is epitomised by Sophie, with her moving diary entries. Poor and unpopular, she is the heart and soul of the show. She makes us come to realise that the things that are really important to us are not the things that everyone tells us we need.

The writing is excellent, and the pace kept up for the full hour of the show.

Kate McLennan is simply hilarious. This show is an absolute gem, and not to be missed.

So after a false start on the Adelaide front I can now confirm that I will be performing "The Debutante Diaries" in the Adelaide Fringe in Strut 'n' Fret's venue The Garden Shed in the fabulous Garden of Unearthly Delights. This season will follow a jaunt over to Singapore performing "Outlookers" for Arena Theatre Company; and will proceed my Melbourne International Comedy Festival season in the Acacia Room of the Victoria Hotel.

Below is the press release for the Adelaide Season of The Debutante Diaries.

 

PRESS RELEASE - IMMEDIATE RELEASE ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL – COMEDY CATEGORY

The Six presents

THE DEBUTANTE DIARIES

Written and performed by Kate McLennan

WINNER 2006 MELBOURNE FRINGE

"BEST COMEDY AWARD" & THE "I'M OFF TO EDINBURGH AWARD"

Join Kate McLennan in the Garden of Unearthly Delights for her multi-award winning comedy that follows the trials and tribulations of a high school community preparing for that (albeit dated) teenage rite of passage - the Debutante Ball. The Debutante Diaries takes a comical look at the often traumatic experiences faced at High School; exploring themes of popularity, body image, relationships, sexuality, drug and alcohol addiction – and that's just the teachers! Experience the tears, tantrums and trauma of a world where losing your virginity in a two-man tent at the after party is romantic and where the struggle to fit in at school is only matched by the struggle to fit into that halter neck dress you bought on eBay. A "Mean Girls" meets "Carrie" comedy from this critically acclaimed actress.

Firmly rooted in Australian Suburbia; The Debutante Diaries hilariously and at times poignantly, depicts the stories of 9 characters, as Kate slips effortlessly between roles. The audience are introduced to the dubious Deb organiser, Mr. "Call me Guy" Gerrity, who is trying to top last year's controversially themed 'Burlesque Deb'. They meet the manic perfectionist, Chrystelle with her 'Fairytale Deb' scrap book and the school Bitch & Beauty Queen, Stacey, kindly takes us through her beauty regime…"Monday is hair straightening, Tuesday tanning, Wednesday waxing and then on Thursday mum and I get colonically instigated." But it's the character of Sophie, with her painfully honest and touching diary entries, who takes us back to our own High School days where we were all just kids trying desperately to find our place.

Kate McLennan made her stage debut as a flower girl in 1984 for the Mortlake Rotary Club Debutante Ball, since then she has worked consistently within the Melbourne fringe theatre and comedy scenes, performing her trademark characters to critical acclaim. In 2005 Kate appeared on Let Loose Live (Seven Network) and as a regular sketch performer on Vulture (ABC TV).The Debutante Diaries is directed by Fiona Harris, cast member of long running sketch comedy Skithouse, Fiona is currently filming the 5^th series of Comedy Inc.

"really hysterical…I'm still laughing... McLennan has it totally under control" BEAT Magazine

"had me absolutely howling with laughter... McLennan is a master at transformation" Aussietheatre.com

"This is a great show which goes from gut wrenchingly funny to sweetly sad… her accomplishment as a character actor is apparent from the get go." The Groggy Squirrel

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LISTING INFORMATION The Debutante Diaries – written and performed by Kate McLennan Venue: The Garden Shed – Garden of Unearthly Delights Dates: 12 shows only – 21st – 31st March (No show Monday) Time: 7.45pm Tickets: Previews $14, $20 Full, $18 Concession Bookings: Fringetix on 08 8418 8666 or

HYPERLINK "http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/