Carly Fisher’s theatre career is impressive on paper, and even moreso when you get to see one of her shows. Focused on producing and directing cause-based stories, Fisher’s work has made its way around Australia and across to the US and UK, gracing the staces of Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival as well as a slew of independent theatre stages. Her current touring work is Broadway Diva, co-written and performed by Olivia Ruggiero (see her Stage Sips here!) is an ode to the classic songs and scenes of musical theatre.
I caught up with Carly to find out more about her move into directing and producing, aligning her theatre with her values, and her favourite moments of Broadway Diva.
What has been your journey into theatre ?
I have wanted to be in theatre since I was 4 years old. Like every child, I thought that meant being an actor but when at university I fell into directing by pure chance, something very clearly clicked for me and I realised that I had found exactly what I was meant to do in this industry, and even more poignantly, with my life. I came into producing when I decided to start Theatre Travels, which is the Sydney based production company that I founded.
When I started the company in 2017/2018, we were in the midst of a national discourse about the involvement of women in the theatre and there was a large push for shows to feature more holistic female characters onstage, and more women in Arts leadership and creative roles offstage. I wanted to make Theatre Travels a place that not only created works that answered this call, but also a place where people could come and grow into Arts leadership roles and develop as Creatives in this industry. Whilst following a career and life in theatre was always the goal and plan, my journey into Directing and Producing were paths on the road I didn’t expect but am grateful daily for.
Tell me about your experience of developing Broadway Diva
Broadway Diva has been such an immensely joyous experience. I have always adored Musical Theatre but even so, Theatre Travels until this point has exclusively focused on plays. Entering the world of Cabaret has been like a song-filled homecoming! This is the first show that I have co-created – I am used to sourcing and acquiring rights for plays and going down that road. So to work with Liv and write this cabaret together has been a first and wonderful experience for me.
We intended to premiere the show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and then decide what would happen with it based on the response we received in Adelaide – if it went well, we would think about next steps, if not, it was a great experience and that would be the end of the road. We left Adelaide with multiple tour stop offers and rounded out the rest of our tour bookings within 2 weeks of coming home from Adelaide…as you can imagine, it was both surprising and extremely rewarding. Audiences love Broadway Diva because it is simply an enjoyable night out, and we love to give that to them!
What is the best moment or most important message of Broadway Diva?
For me, I think one of the biggest things that I hope audiences think about after they leave the show is how incredible the musicians, lyricists, composers, designers, engineers, etc are that have made the music that sticks in our heads – the earworms. I think that often when we think about the industry we think about the contributions made by those on stage. I hope that Broadway Diva serves as a reminder to think about the extraordinary talents that, with the power of song, have transcended the ages, global barriers, circumstances, etc. I really love to advocate appreciation for the creatives on shows and Broadway Diva is a wonderful way to do that.
What do you enjoy about the Aussie theatre scene, and what needs to change?
Wow – that’s a big question but a great one! Things I love about the scene include but are not limited to the comradery, the innovation, the resilience and the commitment that Aussies in this industry have. I have enormous respect for the way that Australian talent is trained – we are taught here from a young age to be triple threats and it is that training that makes our Ensembles some of the best in the world.
Our talent is immense and world class, which makes me very proud to be part of the Aussie theatre scene. As far as what needs to change, from a purely logistical standpoint, we need more space, especially in Sydney! We are desperate for stages because we have the talent and the desire to fill them but we simply don’t the opportunity to.
The consequence of there not being enough stages is that we don’t have enough room to see a really diverse range of stories, of people on stage, and of people creating the work because every existing theatre has parameters it needs to work within and often people that they work with over and over again. So I think that what needs to change is the creation of more opportunity – particularly for creatives in the Independent sector to work with creatives in the Mainstage and Commercial sectors – there needs to be a better built bridge between those groups. There is so much more I love and so much more I would also improve but ultimately, I just feel fortunate to be part of this community!
What type of wine would you pair with Broadway Diva, and why?
It’s a prosecco show for me!
Irrespective of wherever we perform the show, our design elements stay the same – we have intentionally gone for costuming that should transport you to the grandest of theatre houses you can think of – for me, that’s La Scala in Milan. So, you may be with us in a garden, or a theatre, a restaurant or a Bandstand…wherever we are, this show should make you think of the classics and the era of theatre where you dressed in your finest for the night out…so for me, that pairs perfectly with bubbles in hand.
Toasting Aussie Theatre 