crew interviews
dana brennan (she/her)
costume designer & understudy (tessa)
dana is a multidisciplinary artist based in mandurah/binjareb who most recently stage managed perhaps, a theatre company.’s production of ‘promethe(us).’ at fringe as part of the stage management mentorship program.
she is an enthusiastic member of the theatre community, performing in a multitude of shows over the years, and is excited to bring her love for creating and sewing to life as the ‘i can still see all the stars.’ costume designer!
what has been your favourite part of working on ‘all the stars.’?
as someone privileged enough to be close friends with the writer/director of ‘all the stars.’ i have been hearing about the show for a few years now and i have been waiting (quite patiently i might add) for it to be put on a stage and here we are!! getting to see emmett’s passion project come to life has been so wonderful, and as one of his biggest fans my favourite part is being able to contribute to it!!
if you were to pick one song to describe ‘all the stars.’, what would it be?
at first rehearsal i actually forced emmett to look at the lyrics to every song from hayley williams album ‘flowers for vases/descansos’ on one of our breaks but i’m going to be unpredictable and say ‘why we ever’ … also by hayley williams but from the album ‘petals for armor’.
how has your experience of queerness shaped who you are?
i think because of how accepting and non judgmental the community is i’ve definitely felt more at ease being myself and loving myself. having a group of friends who are so wholesome and full of love has made me so much happier and less pressured to fit into society’s boxes!
which character says your favourite line from ‘all the stars.’?
tessa says my favourite line in the final scene of act four. it’s so simple, yet for me i feel like it pulls everything together.
who do you relate most to; andie or tessa?
i definitely relate to tessa the most, and i knew i would, but after the first read through there’s one scene where andie’s lines really just got me and despite there being a whole aspect of their character i haven’t experienced i definitely get hit by a lot of their lines throughout the show.
if you could give any advice to your young queer self, what would it be?
be honest! with yourself and the world!! and be gentle, you will find people who love like you do and feel like you do! and also don’t go to (redacted) you’ll thank me later.
who is your favourite couple who is doomed by the narrative?
this is so hard but the first couple that came to mind was buffy and angel in buffy the vampire slayer. i’ll never get over that heartbreak.