Start by Introducing yourselves who you are, what you do and your show.

My name is Grace Colsey (they/them), and I’m a queer, neurodivergent cabaret artist and songwriter who created and performed in the show ‘Smiling Through the Human.’ This show is a chaotic, weird, and un-wonderful expedition into mental illness, neurodivergence, disability, and capitalism. 

I’m Jazz Siegertsz (he/him), an openly queer creative whose medium of choice is theatre—be it plays, cabarets, or musical performance. As a writer and musician, I’ve been able to offer Grace useful feedback on their show, and in return, Grace is helping me with my own work. Grace’s ‘Smiling Through the Human’ is what they describe as a ‘quirky, existential cabaret,’ exploring their experience with autism and ADHD. As someone with ADHD myself, it’s been wonderful to see the positive impact Grace’s show has on people, making them feel seen and heard while acknowledging hardships and leaving them uplifted and hopeful.

Grace: Open access festivals are crucial for artists, especially those with disabilities, as they provide opportunities to showcase work without the barriers imposed by traditional curators or producers. These festivals allow artists to create and present their art on their own terms, which is incredibly empowering and significant.

Jazz: For me, discovering the concept of open access festivals at 16 was a revelation. It showed me that I could not only create a show but also pursue a career in the arts, despite societal expectations that deem artistic careers unrealistic. Open access festivals challenge the notion that success in the arts is about fame or wealth; instead, they support artists in making a living while nurturing creativity across the board. My experience with these festivals led to writing and producing a play called ‘Escaping The Burning Sun’, where I met Grace, who auditioned and was cast. We now collaborate on creative projects and live together, highlighting how these festivals foster connections and opportunities for emerging artists.

Grace: I love cabaret as an art form because it allows for boundless creativity in storytelling. Through my performances, which include original music and humour, my goal is to authentically convey the emotional experience of living as a disabled neurodivergent individual. I enjoy playing with the fourth wall, subverting expectations, and crafting an emotional landscape on stage to invite the audience into my world.

Jazz: I am a writer, director, producer, musician, actor, sound engineer/sound designer, and technician. Most working artists are usually in a similar Jack-of-all-trades situation. So, I typically call myself a creative. I personally enjoy exploring science-fiction and dissecting topics like capitalism in my works. Grace and I have a lot of cross-over in the themes we like to explore, which is why we enjoy working on each other’s projects so much!

Grace: Easily the most rewarding aspect of creating this show has been hearing from audience members who felt uniquely seen as fellow neurodivergents. Some have even started investigating diagnoses, which is just so cool. This reaction is particularly meaningful to me because I initially wanted to create the show due to the scarcity of art that resonated with my own life experiences. Knowing that our work has made a difference makes all the stress and breakdowns infinitely worth it.

Jazz: For me, the journey of helping Grace produce and perform their show has been especially gratifying because we pushed through despite our struggles with ADHD during the crucial months leading up to Fringe. We even contemplated cancelling to prioritise our well-being, but decided to proceed as long as we could be kind to ourselves no matter the outcome. I'm incredibly thankful that we did. Upon completion, witnessing the show’s immensely positive impact on people facing tough times—whether with or without autism or ADHD—has truly made everything worthwhile. 

Grace:  As rewarding as self-producing is, it can also be incredibly challenging to have to wear 15 different hats at once (surprise surprise) but the community surrounding Adelaide Fringe and the myriad of resources the Fringe team have available for artists made us feel truly supported throughout the whole process, particularly as an Autistic ADHDer with severe executive functioning difficulties. One of my favourite things about Fringe is the space they’re able to specifically hold for marginalised artists, including queer, BIPOC, and disabled folk – to the point of having dedicated awards and spotlights for these artists is incredibly significant for creating an equitable festival space – particularly one at the scale of Adelaide Fringe. We’re so lucky that we had the opportunity to prioritise accessibility for our community through the Up + Running Grant, by getting to host separate Relaxed Performances, provide sensory tools, fidget toys, and Auslan Interpretation. I think stuff like that really shows that Fringe is prioritising being a truly inclusive space for folks.

Grace: We both have long term plans of doing regional touring of ‘Smiling Through the Human’ along with other exciting shows we’re working on. We’re hoping to put out an album with all the original music on it soon, but ultimately we’re taking it slowly at the moment to make sure what we do put out is stuff we’re really proud of (and chiefly doesn’t burn us out as well!) we’ll definitely be sharing updates on upcoming projects when they come up on my Instagram and Facebook.

Jazz: Grace and I are in much need of a break, but since it’s been a couple of months since Fringe now, we’re already itching to get working on something. I know Grace’s focus is a Smiling Through the Human album (which I will help them record given my skill set). My focus is on my own cabaret, heavily inspired by Grace’s. It will be my official return to the stage since before I transitioned.

I am transmasculine and I used to be a classical soprano. I have not acted or sung on stage since 2018, and I have never performed a male character or sung with my new voice. I really look forward to being able to share my experience of being human with the world and leave a positive impact on people going through similar hardships, just like Grace has managed to do. And of course, I’ll be enlisting the help of Grace in directing!