CATHERINE Alcorn doesn’t wait around for the phone to ring.
She takes risks, produces her own work and carves a personal path into showbiz.
And all that grit – together with a good dose of talent – has paid off.
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READ NOWThe tenacious Sydney songbird has a smash hit stage show, The Divine Miss Bette, and was recently nominated for Best Cabaret Artist in the Broadway World 2017 awards for her new act, Cathartic.
“You’ve got to back yourself and that’s what I’ve done historically,” Alcorn said.
“It’s really important for other artists to understand this – there just isn’t the work in Australia.
“I’m constantly hustling, but I’m proud of it because I know the front end and the back end of my business, which excites me because that has now extended into me producing shows for other artists and colleagues – it has a silver lining.”
Cathartic is Alcorn’s story, showcasing her ups and downs as she ventured into the spotlight.
The mother of one – newborn son Jackson James – was a teacher, video store worker and Channel 9 producer before a niggling feeling made her chase her dream.
“In the show I share those beautiful, serendipitous, universal moments that I had from taking risks – the pay offs,” Alcorn said.
“It’s a chance for audiences to get to know me for the first time: they’ve got a taste of me through the characters I’ve played and the way I’ve played them, and obviously they know my voice because I don’t imitate the characters I portray, but it’s a chance for me to tell them where I’ve come from and what it has taken to forge my own career as an independent artist in the Australian landscape.
“I hope my story inspires others to just go for it and not wait: to stop dreaming and do it.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Catherine Alcorn’s Cathartic
When: November 23-25
Where: Downstairs at the Maj
Tickets: www.ticketek.com.au