An Interview with Vanessa Bennett
Was it personal experiences that prompted the setting of the show?
Well Janelle has worked in the call centre industry previously, but my experiences were purely from the other side of the phone. I’ve had more than my fair share of dinner time interruptions and throwing people off the scent with a “no, there’s no Mrs Bennett here”. We just felt that it was a setting that was full of comic possibility and some great characters.
Have you and Janelle worked as a double act previously, and how has Adrian Calear (as director) been able to help enhance your production?
We’ve done comedy impro together, but our double act first came into its own offstage. Trawling the comedy traps and enjoying each others humour and penchant for a particular turn of phrase, we just knew we’d write well together. We first performed Call Girls for Melbourne Fringe and were really glad to have the chance to further develop the show for Comedy Festival. That’s when we decided to get Adrian on board. We wrote, performed and directed ourselves first time around, so this time we wanted to get an outside perspective as well. It’s been great to work with Adrian to get some other ideas into the mix and have the time to develop our characters even more.
Is the show a theatrical piece or short comedy skits with a call centre are a running theme?
The show is a comic play, which essentially shows a day in the life of two call centre workers. It’s a slice of life which lets the audience get to know these characters at work and in their private lives. It could be any day. In fact the point is that for them, like many of us, any work day is much the same as the next. It’s all the things you do in your day to amuse each other and pretend that this isn’t all there is that gets you through.
Are you hoping to attract an audience of mostly call centre staff or can anyone relate to your show?
Of course call centre staff will enjoy being able to laugh at the situations they face everyday, but it’s a show that anyone can relate to. We’ve all been on the other side of those calls, and we’ve also all had jobs that weren’t how we’d choose to spend 8 hours of our lives everyday. It’s really about 2 people sharing the little victories and disasters of their lives, and audiences will recognise these situations in themselves and others.
Can we expect any fabulous props/costumes/special guests in your show?
Well we do have a fantastic little set, which was built for us by Scott Pollard. Two words should really say it all and evoke the right mental picture for you: Office Green! And needless to say, there are headsets. Hands free is an essential part of trying to do as much non-work activity as possible, whilst appearing to actually work.
Tell us why your show is a ‘must see’?
I think Call Girls is a must see because it’s a bloody good laugh. A laugh at ourselves and others that we can recognise in the characters and situations. In fact, there are times when we’re making each other genuinely crack up on stage by throwing in something a little unexpected (Janelle knows exactly what I’m talking about here!). And being a comic play, it also offers something a little different in the festival where stand-up shows tend to dominate.
For Booking Details go to Call Girls