Q&A WITH EM RUSCIANO
Q: After your devastating miscarriage, we are so happy for you and would love to congratulate you and the family on the birth of your son Elio! How has it been being a mum to a newborn again?
A: Thank you. I didn’t think such joy was possible, nor did I anticipate the amount of urine I would get in my face. I’ve only ever operated tiny female genitals; this is a whole new world. But he’s obscenely cute, so all is forgiven.
Q: Have your daughters taken on their big sister roles well?
Oh God, yes. They’ve turned me into a creepy, well-intentioned stalker; every time I see one of them playing with him, bouncing him up and down or singing him a made-up song while he dribbles with delight, I stand silently and stare at them lovingly for as long as I can until they notice me.
Q: Are you wanting anymore kids after Elio or is the shop shut so to speak?
A: I have a 19-week old baby who sleeps only when he deems it appropriate. Now is not the time for me to answer that question!
Q: What’s one thing you’ve forgotten is hard to do with an almost 5 mth old baby?
A: Go to the toilet. Shower. Maintain an acceptable level of personal hygiene. Leave the house.
Q: Even with a new baby in your life, you’ve decided to do a show. Can you please tell us about your show and what was your inspiration?
A: It’s called ‘Rage and Rainbows’, which is a perfect summation of my personality, really. The seed for this show started at the school pick-up. I was asking other mums how they were, and even though they’d say they were fine, I was sensing… something. So I’d ask again, and the truth would come out. They weren’t fine. And the other women in my life weren’t fine either. There’s an undercurrent of rage for a lot of women right now. An anger that we’re finally letting ourselves feel, sparked by all sorts of things – current events, violence against women, glass ceilings, gender pay gaps, and closer-to-home; unfair division of domestic chores and child care, ridiculous expectations, being told to ‘smile more’… And then I see women struggling to express their anger. We swallow it, spend it, eat it, drink it, bottle it up (until suddenly, there’s a stabbing at the PTA meeting…).
This show is about letting that anger out. It’s an unleashing, understanding, and ultimately joyful unloading of the rage. It has all original songs that I wrote with our glorious Eurovision star Kate Miller-Heidke, and there will be 12 classically trained dancing vaginas. You heard me.
Q: Most new mum’s find it hard to get out of their PJ’s with a newborn let alone plan and prepare for a national tour. How did you do it?
A: I did it in my PJ’s. Please don’t think that I’m some holier-than-thou inspirational example. Half this tour was organised before I went on maternity leave, and the rest of it has been pulled together with baby vomit on my shoulder. There have been days where I have been too exhausted/emotional/sore/distracted to do anything, and days where I’ve been on a roll. There’s also a team of people who help put the tour together, so I can’t take all the credit. I’m the boss of them, and the baby is the boss of me. So everyone just does what they can.
Trust me: nobody has their shit together. Don’t ever think other mums are achieving more than you are.
Q: We assume (which we know could make an ass out of us) that you have been rehearsing for a while. Can you tell us how long you took off after the arrival of Elio before you went back to work?
A: I started putting this show together towards the end of last year, and most pieces of the puzzle were in place before the baby was due. I think there’s too much of a focus on when women go back to work after birth. To be honest, I was answering emails in the hospital, because that’s me. But I still have a few days every week of just spending time with my baby. There’s no right or wrong answer for going back to work, and my husband has never been asked the same question.
Q: What are you most excited to share with the audience about your show?
A: The dancing vaginas. They were very expensive. Never underestimate the cost of an express-posted vulva from New York.
Q: Do you have any so called diva demands when on the road? What are they?
A: I don’t call them diva demands, I call them Polite Requests Of The Venues That Have Hired Me To Perform And Specifically Asked If I Require Anything Backstage!
But also: not really. I ask for a shot of scotch, and a bit of salami. What more could I possibly need?!
Q: Will you be taking Elio on the road with you?
A: Yes. But my Dad is in the band, and my Mum is coming on the road too, so it’s a family event.
Q: We can’t imagine you have any spare time, however what’s your favourite thing to do when you get some time to yourself?
A: Sleep.
Q: Tell us some funny facts about yourself?
A: I love candles. I collect owls. I don’t like following recipes. I have enough leopard print clothes to do an exclusive leopard print laundry load. I have three dogs. My favourite movie is Steel Magnolias. I legitimately think they should bring Alf back, and I think the Punky Brewster reboot is a terrible idea. I’m really good at centering picture frames without using a spirit level, and guessing what the time is without seeing a clock.
Q: Do you have a celebrity crush? Who and why?
A: I like The Rock. I think we’d be good buddies. Our connection would be instant and deep.
Q: What would you change your name to?
A: Beyonce Knowles. For obvious reasons.
Q: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
A: When my husband doesn’t clean the kitchen as he goes when he cooks.