Tawdry Heartburn's Manic Cures
Tawdry Heartburn’s Manic Cures is a free interactive performance, installation and web-work offering you the chance to “get it off your chest”.
The performance unfolds in an intimate 15-20 minute conversation between Tawdry Heartburn, a six-foot-five nail technician, palmist and Manic-Curist of Secrets, and a single audience member or ‘client’. Surrounded by varnish, typewriters and things unsaid, Tawdry will professionally paint and polish your nails, or read your palm, while inviting you to consider divulging a secret via his collection of mechanical “gossip machines”.
Anonymous secrets or regrets may be handwritten or typed, then placed in Tawdry’s secret box. At the end of each day, the box is emptied and contributions are added to the ever expanding Wall of Secrets installation for passers-by to read. All donated secrets are gratefully archived and some from each day are highlighted under the SECRETS page of this website.
Tawdry’s mission in life? To achieve a world without secrets, to un-furrow the brows of millions and heal the internal consternation caused by unspoken truths – one set of nails and one palm at a time.
Site Content Disclaimer: Whilst all secrets and written interactions between Tawdry Heartburn and his clients/patrons are gratefully archived, this site does not publish all the material generously donated. As this is intended as an all-ages site, the artist reserves the right to omit some text parts of selected published secrets.
James Berlyn
James Berlyn is an award-winning performing artist and teacher of over twenty-years experience.
James’s performance career began in Victoria and continues today in Western Australia. He has performed with numerous Australian dance and theatre companies including 2Dance Plus, Fieldworks, Sidetrack and Perth Theatre Company. James has also lectured in movement, dance, and devised performance in the Dance and Drama departments of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, in performance studies courses at Edith Cowan and Curtin universities and at the Actor’s Centre in Sydney.
As an independent artist, James has written, choreographed and performed numerous one man shows which have been performed at Australian festivals including the Melbourne Fringe and Perth’s Artrage. His works have been directed by Paige Gibbs, Ross Coli, Jim Hughes, Adrian Barnes, Sally Richardson and Simon Clarke. He performed regularly in cabaret for SGL Mardi Gras’s Club Bent in Sydney and at Putting On An Act in Perth.
His recent work involves solo performance making around notions of learning and neuroplastic adaptation. He also works in community arts practice in WA through agencies such as CANWA and DADAA as a photographic and performance facilitator.
GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST IN YOUR HOMETOWN
To book Tawdry please contact Fiona de Garis Producer Performing Lines WA
hello@performinglineswa.org.au | +61 8 9200 6213 | performinglineswa.org.au