In this episode of Whispers in the Wings, Joshua is joined by multi-hyphenate artist Evan J. Lawson (he/they) — composer, writer, curator, singer, conductor, and Artistic Director of Melbourne’s Forest Collective. With a career that refuses to sit neatly in one box, Evan shares how following multiple creative threads has shaped a practice that lives at the crossroads of music, theatre, opera and community.

Together, they dive into the surprisingly powerful world of Tessitura (yes, the ticketing CRM!), why learning the so-called “unsexy” skills can be the key to staying employed, and how Forest Collective creates brave, interdisciplinary spaces for new work — including an immersive, multi-room opera set inside a labyrinth. Evan also opens up about burnout, boundaries, the realities of funding and ticket pricing, and why accessible, risk-taking art is crucial if we want future generations to fall in love with live performance.

In this episode, we chat about:
• Wearing multiple creative “hats” and building a portfolio career in the arts
• How learning Tessitura helped Evan pay the bills and survive COVID
• The origins and ethos of Forest Collective, and supporting artistically vulnerable work
• Rest, boundaries and what it really takes to lead an indie company long-term
• Ticket pricing, accessibility and why audiences will come back if you meet them where they are
• Evan’s immersive labyrinth opera and his next steps in electronic/acousmatic music

If anything in today’s episode brought up questions around balance, burnout or sustainability in the arts, Support Act offers a free, confidential wellbeing helpline for anyone working in Australian music or performing arts: 1800 959 500. If you’re listening from overseas or outside the industry, please reach out to your local support service.

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Whispers In The Wings is produced by ⁠Marker Creative Co⁠, and is a proud member of the ⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠.

Whispers in the Wings acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

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