The Invisible Cabaret Podcast: Mental Health & The Arts – Details, episodes & analysis

Ferrero Rochelle & Rosie Verbose are joined by professional dancer & burlesque artiste, Trixie Kixx! Trixie is a powerhouse queer woman with a passion for body confidence centred around how movement makes us feel, not what we look like. She regularly performs with House of Burlesque and teaches lessons in London and online. She's also a Queen Crystaller (read, the gateway drug for Rosie Verbose's stoning obsession, as discussed with Sammy Sparkles!). Join us as we chat about burlesque, practising body positivity/ body neutrality as a dancer, and more.

CW: discussion of weight & body image throughout

Keep up to date with Trixie on Instagram: @trixiekixx, and follow her work with House of Burlesque & Off The Rails Studios while you're at it! Trixie teaches a class every Tuesday at 8:10pm online and in the studio at Off The Rails (@offtherails.studio), open to all women.

***

What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can Tweet us at @inviscabaret, DM us on Instagram or send us a voice message.

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• Trixie in action: classic burlesque strip, example routine from a class
• House of Burlesque's lockdown rehearsal process
• Tempest Rose's Gypsy monologue act
• Trixie's Bloody Mary act - photos on our social media & website; learn about Mary I here!
• Waacking (you can learn this with Mademoiselle Ginger 
• Advice on curating your social media for better mental health
• Re. curating your social media feed - see our episode with Reed Amber for more on this
• 'Eleveneriefe' meme 
• Roch mentions Miss Mustardseed - check out our episode with her here (also about body positivity!)
• Hypothyroidism
• Boots Botanics skincare
• Kew Gardens
  

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

www.invisiblecabaret.org

This week, Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose are joined by multi-award-winning burlesque dancer and PhD student, Sammy Sparkles! This stunning performer joins us all the way from Perth, Australia, by the magic of the Interwebs to tell us tales of The Other Side, where lockdowns are scarce and Fringe Festivals are feasible... Sammy is currently pursuing a PhD in clinical neuropsychology alongside producing and performing as part of queer-femme burlesque troupe, Burlezque. What a babe.

Head to our Instagram to see what happened when we met her gorgeous puppy, Yoshi!

Find Sammy on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Full URL of the episode transcript here: https://invisiblecabaret.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/SAMMY-sparkles-TRANSCRIPT.pdf

***

What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can Tweet us at @inviscabaret, DM us on Instagram or send us a voice message.

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Such a joy to talk to lovely actor/singer/writer Mateo Oxley about the 'highlights reel' nature of working as a performer. Join Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose as they chat with Mateo about procrastination, gratitude, and being a proud cat Dad.

Since graduating from West London drama school ArtsEd on a full scholarship, Mateo has worked on many theatre productions, including Punchdrunk's The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable, Mercury Weinberger Playwriting Prize winner Target Man, the European premiere of The Busy World Is Hushed and Angels In America at the Royal National Theatre. On screen, he starred in the independent WWII drama, Magpie, and more recently joined the cast of Channel 4’s hit comedy The Windsors as Edoardo Mapelli-Mozzi, Princess Beatrice's husband-to-be.

Meet Nimbus and Rouxfio and keep up to date with Mateo's artistic exploits on his Instagram: @mateooxley (same as his Twitter), and luxuriate in his glorious voice on Spotify.

Full URL for the episode transcript here: https://invisiblecabaret.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Mateo-transcript.pdf

CW: brief mention of Grenfell at 11.39; medical trauma - 22.20 - 23.20 mins & 23.40 - 24.30 mins.

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode: those impacted by Grenfell; anxiety, social media; dealing with a loved one's illness.

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• Faber Academy
• Arcola Theatre
• Angels in America - have a glimpse of Mateo's Prior Walter here!
• All About Eve (about a main actor being usurped)
• Schroedinger’s cat
• Lyttleton Theatre
• Finborough Theatre
• The Busy World is Hushed
• Tips for curating your Insta feed for better mental health
  

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod, available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

We are massively fangirling because the queerlesque LEGEND, RUBYYY JONES, joins us on the podcast today! Rubyyy gives us perspective, wisdom and life as they expand on all things creativity and mental health. How do we create sustainable performance rooted in real feeling? How do we keep seeing the beauty in the world when it's also cruel and gross? How will London ever recover from Rubyyy moving back to Canada?!? All this and more in today's episode.

Check out Rubyyy's website and Patreon for lots of wonderful, creative, workshoppy, wisdommy goodness.

CW: George Floyd's murder (21:08 - 21:25); survivor's guilt and infant death (32:11 - 32:52 & 35:16 - 35:35)

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode: anger issues; mental health impacts of racism & Black Minds Matter; survivor's guilt & PTSD; substance abuse

***

What are you grateful for? You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret) whenever you want to #GetGrateful.

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• RuPaul controversy: a handy guide
• AFAB definition
• Neurodivergence: learn more & get support
• Ep with Robert Hallow on anger
• George Floyd and lockdown: a think-piece on the impact
• RVT (Royal Vauxhall Tavern)
• Familyyy Fierce collective in Polari magazine
• Kew Gardens
  

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

As we round up Season 1 and embark on Season 2 of The Invisible Cabaret Podcast, we thought it was time to push the boat out and try something new... Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first ever LIVE podcast recording, which took place on our Instagram! What better way to celebrate Time To Talk Day than by having a good old chat about mental health? This year's theme was 'The Power of Small', which Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose enjoyed exploring alongside interjections from our lovely Insta-audience. 

CW: anxiety, depression, bereavement by su*cide at 14.58 - 15.55 (general chat about grief continues to around 17 mins)

Here's a full directory of resources for mental health issues on the Time to Change website.

***

What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret)!

We’d also be mega-grateful if you could leave a little review, as it helps other people find our podcast.

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• Time To Talk Day on the Time To Change website
  Some of our favourite episodes:
• Cyberpunk and capitalism with Blue Monday (IGTV snippet on shifting priorities)
• Talking libido with Dee Dee La Femme
• Expressing anger safely with Robert Hallow (IGTV snippet on vulnerability)
• CBT with Roch's Dad, therapist Brian Thomas (IGTV snippet on mental health medication)

***

Like what we do? There are several ways you can support Invisible Cabaret: firstly, free of charge (yay), if you could follow us on social media and comments/save/share our posts, that would be awesome. If you’ve got a bit of spare change, you can fling it at us in a couple of ways - you can buy us a ‘coffee’ as a one-off, or support us on Patreon for a couple of pounds a month, which will entitle you to perks such as monthly postcards, backstage info and discounted tickets to shows. And our undying gratitude, obvs.

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod, available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

This edition of our mental health and creativity flavoured podcast, we are joined by a stalwart friend of Invisible Cabaret: the multi-gifted, sickeningly talented Guy Woolf. Guy is an actor-director-composer-singer-advocate; you can see why he tends to go by 'theatre maker', just to save on hyphens. We chat with Guy about feeling his way through a career in the arts, checking and redressing privilege, and how his dog changed his life. Plus, Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose come unstuck whilst trying to make a furniture analogy, so look out for that.

Check out Represent Theatre and watch this space! And don't miss the play Guy is directing with the Manchester Jewish Museum: full details on Guy's Twitter.

Find out more about Guy via his website; read his bio on the Equity website. He is represented by United Agents.

CW: alcohol abuse & addiction behaviours (18:30 - 21:50); brief mention of medical trauma (19:00 - 19:35).

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode: help with substance abuse here and here.

***

What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret)!

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• Episode with Bria
• Bryony Kimmings, British live artist
• Equity (you can hear more about how Equity helped troupe member Steph "Tootsie" De Whalley during lockdown in her episode)
• Michelle Ashton, part of Equity Young Members Committee; find her on Twitter @chelle_ashton
• Represent (Guy is Creative Director)
• Lutheran bad-ass Nadia Bolz-Weber; see the original Tweet Guy references here
• Heineken non-alcoholic beer (other 0% beers are available)
• Dogs & mental health: Guardian article

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Welcome to 2021, things are about to get fiery... Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose are delighted to start off the New Year with a bang by chatting to Bria Lovegrove (née Kelly), a soprano whose Masters dissertation was on the impact of tragedy in opera. She shares her experience of how training as a professional classical singer affected her mental health, visiting areas such as perfectionism, self-medicating, the impact on her bank balance and the "grin and bear it" culture she experienced at conservatoire. Do the classical arts glamorise mental ill health?

Find Bria on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/briakellysoprano/

CW: anxiety, depression, alcohol as coping mechanism, perfectionism & OCD. Plus a few F bombs, but in our defence, we were pretty PO'ed.

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode: Help Musicians UK; help with substance abuse here and here; OCD-UK.

***

What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram (@invisiblecabaret)!

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• Find out more about Brianna 
• Help Musicians UK study, "Can music make you sick?"
• Classical Magazine 2019 study on mental health provision in music
• Invisible Cabaret 'Tortured Artist' lip-sync: get a flavour on our Instagram 
• Text 85258 to SHOUT UK helpline if you need to talk to someone, especially a crisis counsellor

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

No doubt, over the last few months, you've heard the rumble in the jungle, you've heard the brain cogs turning... Well, the time has come: Rochelle's Dad is finally on the podcast! Not only is it nice to be family-centric in this festive season, but Brian is a top-notch therapist with decades of experience under his belt. It was such a joy to grill him about the ups and downs of therapy, what it's like from the other side of the desk, and some tips and tricks about how to get the most out of your therapy experience.

CW: light conversation about therapy for OCD (6:56 - 7:50); working with sectioned patients, psychosis and violent mental illness (18:17 - 21:25); PTSD and trauma (26:20 - 28:24).

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode: how to find a therapist; Mind's latest report on men's mental health.

***

What are you grateful for atm? Message us on Facebook, Tweet us at @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram!

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• What is CBT? (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
• Our episode with Richard 'The Burly Photographer' McKenzie
• Psychosis
• Our episode with Elyssa on PTSD
• EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)
• Yoga with Adriene
• Troupe member Miss Mustardseed's episode on our podcast
• Socratic questioning
• Long Covid symptoms
• Darron Brown on Soul Central Radio
•  Find a therapist with BetterHelp or via the BACP directory

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

More creativity and mental health chat with Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose! We had the pleasure of chatting to illustrator and s*x-educator, Elyssa Rider, about her experience of EMDR therapy, managing burnout as a freelance content creator, and representing the world as she thinks it ought to be. We covered a LOAD of great stuff but please be aware there is a lot of discussion about treating trauma of various kinds, so please check in with yourself before listening and feel free to skip using the time stamps below ❤️

Check out Elyssa's art on Instagram: @elyssa_rider, and the charity she works for, Brook, on their website and on Instagram at @brook_sexpositive.

Please note, we experienced a technical glitch during recording which was absolutely NOTHING to do with Rosie having a moment of complete and utter stupidity. As such, there is a slight difference in quality between the first half of the podcast and the rest of the episode. Thank you for your patience. Rosie has learned her lesson.

CW: brief mentions of racism (4:17 - 5:10 and 24:40 - 26:03); street harassment (9:57 - 10:42 and 24:20 - 26:03); PTSD and trauma (15:40 - 22:00).

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode: PTSD; racism & mental health; burn-out; mental health during Covid-19. You can find more mental health resources on our website.

***

What are you grateful for atm? Message us on Facebook, @inviscabaret or DM us on Instagram!

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

• EMDR (not to be confused with EDM)
• Elyssa's Street Harassment Diaries: here and here
• Elyssa's illustration & shop
• Butterfly Sailor Moon meme
• Rosie Verbose's singing livestreams are available to watch on her Instagram: @rosieverbose
• Catfish: the TV show
• Queer Christmas cards!
• Ruby Rare's book, 'A S-x Guide for Adults'

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org

Invisible Cabaret charters new waters this week, as we venture outside the troupe to talk about creativity and mental health with artists in other fields. And after guesting on his podcast earlier on in lockdown, how could they not put Richard McKenzie, AKA The Burly Photographer, top of the priority list! Richard is a fantastic live-event photographer, whose work has earned him international renown in the burlesque community. He joins hosts Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose to talk about how to keep motivated and inspired as a creative - even in an international crisis - as well as sharing his fascinating perspective on men's mental health and how cabaret might begin to bridge that gap.

You can find Richard on Facebook as @digitalmck and on Instagram as @theburlyphotographer.

CW - 15:23 brief mention of suicide.

Some useful links for Men's Mental Health: CALM (for men aged 16-35); Dudes 'N' Dogs community group.

***

What are you grateful for atm? Tweet @inviscabaret, DM us on Instagram, email us, or - better still - send us a voice message!

***

Things mentioned in the podcast:

Buy Richard's Book of Rainbows

Richard's photographs from the BLM demonstrations and many more are available to purchase in this book

Luscious Cabaret, run by Lady Luscious

Museum of London's appeal for Covid collection contributions

Councillors pointing at things

Reading Fringe Festival

The Scarlet Vixens (on Instagram as @thescarletvixens)

Harlem Nocturne

John Cooper Clarke - some of Richard's recommendations: Kung Fu International & I Wanna Be Yours

Paulus's original song, 'Tribe'

***

Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk

Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

www.invisiblecabaret.org