By Chelsea Boyle
Upper Hutt’s biggest Beyonce fan Tasha Fierce is coming to Wairarapa.
The alter ego created by artist Rose Kirkup is helping everyday Kiwis think about mental illness with her unique performance – a single woman show that takes place in a bathtub.
‘I Am… Tasha Fierce’ follows the story of an isolated girl whose main relationship is the one she has with Beyonce, in that respect the story follows the rise of Beyonce’s career.
Beyonce was a huge inspiration for the piece.
“She has been very open with her own story of depression,” Kirkup said.
Wellington’s artistic community had also influenced Kirkup, who graduated from Toi Whakaari in 2009.
There is a big push from artists in Wellington to put mental illness in the spotlight, she said.
“Rob Mokaraka has been making an amazing show called Shot Bro which talks all about depression.
“I think that the more visibility we have around it, and the more conversations we have about it, I think people will start to feel more open about talking.”
She said both the attention to detail and complete honesty help keep the show funny.
“If you are going to do a show that is comedy-based the more specific you can actually get, the better the audience can relate to you, if you try to make something general it’s not really that funny.”
While the performance is funny, it is also really raw, she said.
“You get to see this girl at a pretty low point in her life…
“I think often in life when you are sad you don’t really share that with others and that is what I am trying to do.
“By being completely raw and completely honest, that helps people.
“If I can laugh at myself, they can laugh too.”
Wairarapa audiences can see Tasha Fierce on January 14 at Aratoi. The performance begins at 2pm and entry is by koha.
Show was amazing. Will definitely be see it again in Wellington. Rose had the audience in the palm of her hand. I’ve never known a group of people so quiet and intent-you could have heard a pin drop.