I shared a little message on the Queerstories podcast about Covid-19, its impact on my work, and how I plan to engage with the community in the next few months. Here’s the transcript:
Hi, I’m Maeve Marsden and you’re listening to Queerstories. First up, sorry I haven’t uploaded new episodes for a few weeks. I was waylaid by a broken computer, which was super inconvenient but now seems trivial.
I realize that many of you listen to this podcast without having come to any of the events. So, for you, I’m a funny little disembodied voice at the start of your stories. So, hi. I’m Maeve Marsden. I’m a producer and theatremaker based in Sydney. As well as curating and hosting Queerstories, I perform in cabaret, I write, I get asked to do a lot of gay shit, and sometimes even things that heterosexuals enjoy.
In the last fortnight arts festival cancellations have swept the nation. I lost months of work, as did the photographers, Auslan interpreters, crew, performers, arts administrators and everyone else I am privileged to work with.
I do the work I do because I love the buzz and energy of a live audience. This whole experience has made me realise, though, that when I make Queerstories I always do so with the live audience in mind. And now that this podcast is my main connection to my community, I’m going to give it a bit more love. Let me know if you have feedback, reach out if there are particular stories you adore or if there’s something you wished I did differently.
Other than keeping this podcast up to date I’m going to have a relatively quiet lockdown. I’m lucky my partner still has work. So I am going to write, I’ll post wholesome vegetarian recipes on my insta because I’m a big lez, and I’ll be walking my dog a lot. I’m also going to conserve some energy and ingenuity for when the theatres re-open, because I want to be ready to go as soon as we can all be together again.
In the last few weeks, I know that in Australia a lot of us have felt pretty hopeless. For listeners overseas, I know many of you facing an even more intense level of crisis. I hope wherever you’re listening, you and your people are safe and well.
I’m going to keep updating the podcast and I’m going to let the stories from the last few months of events speak for themselves. I hope that they provide amusement, relief, distraction, catharsis, an excuse to have a big cry, not that we all need one.
On the Queerstories and my own socials, I’ll post community initiatives that we can support. If there’s one thing we queers know how to do it’s mutual aid. We are bloody good at looking after ourselves and each other because we know how often the State fails to do so. Let’s remember our roots as activists and community builders, let’s look outside our bubble, though you gotta stay inside your social bubble in the physical sense.
We don’t know what the world will look like in 6 months, or frankly, in three. But I want everyone I love to be around to see it, so please, stay home if you can, wash your damn hands and look after each other.
Regular programming will resume tomorrow. Thanks for listening.
