We all have those special people in our lives who have been there at just the right time to positively impact our journey, almost as though the universe has made those encounters happen.
This week, international showgirl and super-talented songstress Ivy Paige talks to Jason Reid about the people who shaped her…
Kate Bush
I was 15 when I heard the song, This Woman’s Work. I literally felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. From then on I became a huge Kate Bush fan. I used to play her music as loud as possible and dance around the rehearsal studio like a woman possessed. I listen to her music all the time when I’m writing and it never fails to inspire me.
Rob Forknall
Rob is a theatre director and actor. He is also one of Britain’s most successful panto dames. My first paid job in theatre was dressing Rob as a dame. I lied about how old I was to get the job. I would watch and study how he’d do his make-up. If you look back at the early days of Ivy Paige you will see how my make-up is heavily influenced by that style. I specifically used the same eyelashes the panto dames would use. I was exploring in my own way the idea of a female playing with the idea of a heightened concept of female impersonation onstage. Watching Rob, I learnt all the stock jokes, slapstick routines, how to do quick changes, how to improvise and riff with the audience, how to be funny and how to be the audience’s friend. From him I learnt the beginnings of my craft
My Mum & Dad
My dad taught me that anything is possible if you work hard. Both my parents worked so hard to give me the opportunities that I’ve had. I know they went without a lot for many years to be able to support me even after they separated. During my audition for The Voice my mum was actually very ill and still she insisted on coming with me because she didn’t want to miss it.
Mrs Nyangon
Mrs Nyangon was my drama and English teacher during secondary school. I think it’s safe to say she was perhaps the most influential person during that time of my life. She taught me so much and I utterly adored her. Some of my favourite memories are of her sitting on the edge of the table reading us Shakespeare wearing her bright pink lipstick. She became my friend, and we are still in contact now. I was an over-confident, hugely insecure, chubby, redheaded girl that would play the class clown but she gave me confidence to see what I could be if I believed in myself.
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaids Tale
So this is a book not a person; when I first read this 25 years ago I thought my brain had exploded. I’ve probably read it at least 25 times. The repression of women’s rights highlighted in the story was something that shook me to the core. The double standards, the male gaze, the sexual abuse, the hypocrisy of the whole society structure. At that time I didn’t fully understand about the patriarchy, I just knew that on some level I had experienced repression and objectification. But I had a voice, an artistic vision and a way of challenging things. I wanted to be in charge of my body on and offstage. I wanted to be the one calling the shots. Right now it feels even more important to do this because while that book is fiction some parts of it have felt like a prophecy.
Jo King
In 2005 I did a week’s long workshop at The London International Theatre Festival with burlesque legend, Jo King. Meeting Jo was a pivotal moment in my life; not only did she teach me the language and vernacular of burlesque, she made me fall in love with it. Throughout my career she has supported me and I never stop learning from her. We call her Mama Jojo because she is the burlesque mama. The contemporary burlesque scene owes a debt of gratitude to this powerhouse woman. She truly is our British burlesque legend.
Ivy Paige hosts A Night in Soho every Sunday at the Phoenix Arts Club, 1 Phoenix St, London WC2H 8BU
