19 - Clara Harrison - Performer & Artist - Creativity for joy as well as a job, plus the vulnerable and wonderful sides of acting

Clara Harrison is a performer, creator, and artist, with a love for playful ideas and a powerhouse voice. Clara is based in Sydney, but their versatility and incredible vocals have taken them around the world, performing with several major cruise lines and across various local and international stages. Some of Clara’s recent credits include performances in Saturday Night Fever at the Athenaeum in Melbourne, and starring as Also Brendan in Fuccbois: Live in Concert. Clara has also worked in voice-over for projects with MTV, Sesame Street Live, and the ABC, and appeared as a multimedia actor with Sydney Theatre Company’s Dear Evan Hansen. Passionate about creating, Clara wrote and performed their original cabaret ‘Divas Through the Decades’ which they have presented internationally, and was named top 3 in the 2022 Brent Street Artist Fund for their original writing. Clara has appeared in two independent Australian feature films this year, and has also launched visual art business ‘Haus of Clara’, selling original artworks that are an extension of her creative energy and skill.

In this episode, Clara joins me as we chat about their array of creative pursuits and many of the ups and downs that come along with a career in the performing arts. We talk about the success of satire-musical-comedy-drag-concert Fuccbois; the beauty of live theatre and the differences when working in film; Clara’s unlikely pathway into musical theatre; and the important life skill that is improvisation. We also touch on topics including mental health awareness and support within the industry; balancing boundaries and vulnerabilities in performance; our shared passion of supporting new works; and the importance of finding joy and creativity outside of paid work (even when, and especially when, that is part of creativity and joy, too!)