Rachel Blackman
Rachel Blackman is an actress, performance maker and writer. Perhaps best known for her role of Charra in Matrix Revolutions, she also appeared in the Aussie soap Home and Away but kind of wishes she hadn’t. Katy Schutte made her put it in anyway. Her solo show, 'The Art Of Catastrophe' (5 stars Three Weeks) devised with Emma Roberts will tour the UK in 2009/2010. Recent projects include, Billy Cowie’s 'Ghost in the Machine', ‘the Ministry of Biscuits’ with the Ornate Johnsons. Earlier solo work, ‘Aperture’ won best script at the Sydney Fringe and an ABC Radio National commission. Rachel makes cabaret with Voodoo Vaudeville is a founding member of award winning comedy company, The Maydays and gets tense if the butter doesn’t reach the very edge of her toast. See Rach's website.
What Katy thinks about Rach
Katy fondly remembers Rachel's frequent re-enactments of the Flashdance routine when they first met. This dance episode would come on spontaneously, like tourettes, until the day when Rachel started by warming up and everyone could hold her back in time. Rach will also do yoga at any time of the day - recently in fact, she enacted some kind of limber ritual during the making of a lucrative corporate pharmacutical film. Katy would like to apologise for saying g'day to her esteemed Australian cohort, but cannot stop. Katy loves Rachel.
What Alexis thinks about Rach
Alexis remembers meeting Rachel and being struck right away by the thing about her that still impresses him deeply -- her warm and transparent humanity. It is a wonderful quality and he would happily invest in a business to bottle and sell it, if only to get some for himself. Whether mass distributed in easy-open six packs or home delivered in delicate cryogenic dewars, the quality of Rachel would create a sunnier, more sensitive, more wide awake and alive world. Alexis also appreciates that Rachel, a certified and paid up member in the Society of Real Theatre, is still ready to explore the vast and unknown Xanadu of improvisation.