Newcastle local performing artist Louise Chapman is a real self-starter. Rather than traipse around auditions and wait for the phone to ring, or whatever, she reaches out to playwrights and other artists from around the world to collaborate and create her own one woman show.

THE LOU CHAPMAN SHOW is “a smart, sexy, funny theatrical event which premieres original plays written especially for Lou. It’s like a cross between Eve Ensor’s Vagina Monologues and Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, with a series of extremely funny and emotive performances.”

In the Newcastle Fringe’s inaugural season of THE LOU CHAPMAN SHOW, Lou performs 12 characters in 6 plays written by 5 playwrights, directed by 5 directors from 3 countries and 6 cities. All pieces were created online except for – A Real Thing by Newcastle award winning playwright Vanessa Bates that features an interesting connection between walnuts, brains and murder.

 Lou greets the audience as they arrive, dressed in a delightful 70’s hippy outfit in preparation for her first monologue. Quick adaptations of wardrobe while a peppy soundtrack plays, and a minor set change takes us from one monologue to the next with ease. It’s never dull.

Signs From Above looks at how a random fire on a train in New York gets her back on track while Gasless in Ohio takes us on a road trip from New York to Indiana, at a time when everything you needed really could fit in the backseat of a car, except for the gas. Both these pieces were written by Lou and directed by Sinda Nichols.

Other pieces rapidly follow: The Howling by Maitland’s Helen Hopcroft, inspired by Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Special by Ana Louise Davis, an edgy, confronting feminist piece about professional ethics in the yoga space. It combines yoga-movement with spoken word and poses the question: is it worth being singled out as ‘special’?

It’s Easier to Say Clitoris When You’re Dead written mid-pandemic by Fiona Leonard and directed via Zoom from Düsseldorf in Germany, is a call to arms encouraging women to seek joy as a fierce act of body loving rebellion. Never mind that the woman doing the encouraging is dead after suffering a massive heart attack while masturbating in the bathtub.

This hour long show really showcases Lou Chapman’s virtuoso talent as she effortlessly adopts the voice, posture, and mannerisms of a range of characters and sexual orientations. It’s a bit of a masterclass and is indicative of the years of study and commitment to her craft.

Lou is a graduate of New York City’s Atlantic Theater Company 2-year professional acting conservatory, studying with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet and Academy Award nominee William H Macy. She has worked in New York and has a theatrical CV too long to begin to list here.

Just go see the show.

Lulu Bell Productions Presents THE LOU CHAPMAN SHOW at Newcastle Fringe 2022 Fri 25 & Sat 26 MARCH @ 7.30pm at Creative Arts Space, 145 Beaumont Street, Hamilton NSW 2303

Bookings: https://newcastlefringe.com.au/events/the-lou-chapman-show/

Featured image : It’s Easier to Say Clitoris When You’re Dead.
Photo: Jeorg Lehmann