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[0:00] Josh Mitchell: In spirit of reconciliation, we are theatre acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

[0:14] Josh Mitchell: Hello theatre fans, one and all, and to the Queendom. This is a very special episode. We're combining the two shows that I've got out there in the world, The Queendom Podcast and We Are Theatre, into one. We're heading right now to Alaska. Artemis is joining me. You're on the Bliss at the moment, is that right?

[0:43] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yes. Yes, the Norwegian Bliss.

[0:49] Josh Mitchell: In what looks to be a very chilly Alaska at the moment as well.

[0:54] Artemis Chrisoulakis: It's very cold, yeah. I was checking the temperature and it says 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and I usually do Celsius, so I don't know what that means, but either way, it's very cold. But this is the best place for the service.

[1:10] Josh Mitchell: All right, we'll try and keep this nice so you can get back to being warm. But for everyone listening at home, obviously, Six is where I started podcasting, guys, so we're going to try and wrap all the brains, because it's been two years since I've spoken about this show. So we'll see how we go. How did you first hear about Six? What was your introduction to the show as a whole?

[1:34] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Well, I remember I was still in college. I went to Urdang in London, and I think this was around the time that everyone started talking about it. Have you seen this show called Six? It's amazing. It's incredible. It's about Henry VIII's wives and everything, and we were all very excited about it. And actually, one of my very best friends, Athena, was the original part of the UK tour. And so she got that, I think, straight out of college. And so my first time watching the show was with her in it. And so not only was it very special that she was in it, but I was blown away. And the show is just amazing. I loved it instantly. And not because I was biased, but because it's just such a great show. So yeah, so that was my first experience.

[2:25] Josh Mitchell: And then you pretty much did the same thing and came out of college and went into the show as well.

[2:31] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah. So yes, this is my first professional job as well. And well, we graduated, and then we had some months of auditions, and then obviously COVID struck. So it was all put on hold. And then as COVID was opening and as cruise ships were coming back, I auditioned for this, for Catherine Howard. So my first contract was on The Breakaway. And yeah, I loved it. I love it. And I love playing Catherine Howard so much. She's such a great role to play.

[3:10] Josh Mitchell: Yeah. And we love the girls from The Breakaway. They were a part of my early years in Six as well. So they've got a massive, I think I did a reunion show with them at some point. Yeah, love all those girls too. So what was your introduction to theatre? What made you want to be a performer and do this as a job?

[3:32] Artemis Chrisoulakis: I feel like I mean this in the best way. I didn't have a choice. It was just something that I've always, I grew up in Greece until I was five years old, five, six years old. And it was mum's English and my dad's Greek. And so there weren't many things to do like in England, you know, baby swimming or, you know, so my mum took me to ballet class. So I started that when I was three in Greece, and immediately loved it straight away. And I actually wanted to be a ballerina when I was younger anyway. And so that was my first love. And it just naturally progressed. And then I, when we came back over to England, I did all the dance, jazz, tap, modern, everything contemporary. And so it just grew. And then I did singing classes at school with James Searle.

She's a brilliant singing teacher. And I've never really looked back. It seems as though like I've never, it's, again, in a great way that I didn't choose to do it. It's just naturally, I fell into it. I've been brought up doing it. And I love doing it. And I can't see myself doing anything else.

[4:57] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, that's really cool. Yeah. So coming back to Six, we'll probably jump back to that first call with Breakaway real quick, getting the call saying, hey, you've got the contract, you're going on a ship, you're going on as Catherine Howard. What was that kind of emotion like? Especially landing your first pro gig, pretty much straight out of college and everything like that. Talk me through that moment.

[5:20] Artemis Chrisoulakis: I like, it was just the most, I can't really put it into words, because I remember I was working at Marks and Spencer's during lockdown. And so I was doing my temp job there. I was scanning people's groceries. And I had the final call, maybe the final audition a couple of days ago or something. So I knew it was around the time I'd be getting to find out. And then I felt my phone go in my pocket. I was scanning someone's groceries. We're not allowed to be on our phones anyway. But I knew it's my agent that she's calling and I have to go and find out what the answer is. And also, I knew if it was bad news, I think it would have been an email. So it was, I kind of felt this thing. So I quickly ran up to my manager.

I was like, please can I go and answer this phone call? And she and then I was, I remember I was looking at the stone wall outside. And she's like, you've been chosen to play Catherine Howard. And I just kind of froze. And I was numb. And I was like, oh my god. It was just the best. It was. Yeah, I can't I can't describe it. It was just kind of shock and excitement. And then I think I ran home because I live about five minutes. I ran home quickly took my long break. And I ran home to tell my mom and I was kind of crying and shocked and scared as well because I'd be away from home for six months, seven months in a completely different place I've ever been before. But it was just so it just felt amazing. So yeah, it was kind of shock, happiness. Numb in a great way. And just high on life.

[7:16] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, I love that. Oh my god. And we'll jump into the cruising life just now that we've kind of segwayed in there. The transition from land life to sea life, we've spoken with a lot of the cruise girls about that. How did you handle that shift to confined cabins, stages that move like performing in a different area that kind of throws off your equilibrium if there's rough seas and things like that? What was that like for you when you finally got on board Breakaway? And even now?

[7:48] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yes. Well, it's funny because sometimes you'll forget if it's still water for a couple of days, you'll forget you're actually on a boat because the ship is so big. And then it like currently we're sailing in and out of Seattle. And the sea can get really rocky. And then that's when you kind of you don't, I haven't don't get seasick too much, maybe when I first got on. But it didn't forget. And then you actually have to remember, especially if you're on stage, to be careful because you learn the choreography on land. And you have these little contingency plans if it is very rocky. But still, it's even like the slope, there's a bit where we walk forward slow. And that's meant to be very easy, you'd think.

But that's the hardest bit because you have to look cool and still and smooth. And then the ship's going back and forth. But so that's that's one thing. And then I'm, I think I adapted quite well, quite soon because you're surrounded by people who've done it before as well. So they kind of give you peace of mind as well. And everyone's always very nice as well. And so you can, you make these relationships very quickly and just have a great time. You're hanging out with your friends all the time. And you can also have your own personal space as well. So you're not always together. But yeah, no, the performing wise, it depends on if the sea is rocky, then you have to be careful and just be mindful that you won't be able to do any of the shows if you go extreme and not think about what you're kind of on.

And also a lot of the audiences that see Six on the ship probably didn't know or hadn't seen it before or don't know what it's about. And so it brings a whole different kind of audience to the show. And sometimes maybe if it feels like perhaps you got to try harder, it's like, understand this. And it's fun. And the great thing is afterwards, people will come up to us and like, I didn't know what it was about. I loved it so much. You know, it's just amazing. So yeah, it's so much fun.

[10:20] Josh Mitchell: That's perfect. You're doing really well at running this episode because you're like reading my mind to where I want to go. This is great. We'll go into the storytelling of Six because for those of you listening on We Are Theatre at the moment that haven't heard me talk about Six, I pretty much lived in this world for like a year and a half and knew this show inside and out. So we're going to see how much rust I can shake off. But finding yourself in Kay Howard, what was that like for you? What was your process in finding your version of Howard? Because the cool thing about Six is that you're not a carbon copy of each other. Everyone has themselves in the character. So what was your process like finding yourself in Kay Howard?

[11:08] Artemis Chrisoulakis: I think it's all in the material. The script is so wonderful that you can find bits or phrases that she'll say and think, how would I say that? Or, oh, I identify with this. Or, oh, that's funny. And kind of even if I feel like Catherine Howard, she'll say something, not meaning to be sassy, but it will come off that way anyway. So it never comes from a place of, you know, bitchiness or mean. It's always kind of she genuinely thinks that, oh, I've just said something a bit mean. And so it's...

[11:47] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Kind of like, how would you say that, or how, yeah, and I found I identified with her straight away because she is such a fun character to play, but there's so many levels to her, and obviously you find that out in the song, that it's like the gift that keeps on giving, really. Every audience and every show is different, so it's how you play up to the energy that you've got on stage in that moment, as well. But I do find that the material in the script is such a great way to find the character, as well, so it's bringing bits from that into how you would say it, as well, if that makes sense. Have you found that your version of Katherine has changed between contracts? Have you discovered anything new in research periods or things like that or time down that's kind of affected the way that you kind of think about something during a certain point at all?

I think so. I feel like I probably take a bit more time now. I think I'm more confident in her. And also it depends because I've got a completely different group of queens from the first contract, as well, so their energies are different, as well, and so it's how you bounce off from them that I think also affects how my Howard has changed. But I think most of my traits are similar because you are bringing in yourself and I think it's how you change, like how I changed throughout that contract has probably changed how my Howard is now. But I think actually we had our Tom, which is theatrical operations manager, on the Breakaway and she runs everything for us and she came to visit for two weeks on this contract.

Never far from people here. She came to visit for two weeks on this current contract and she had noticed how mine had changed, even if I didn't think mine. Catherine Howard is so different to my last one, but she noticed how it changed. So that's quite interesting, how people who've seen my Howard before have think it has progressed or it's developed or something. But I feel like the basic traits of my Howard are the same. I want to dive a little technically, just because I've never had someone that's worked on two different ships doing the same show. Was there any changes between the version or the blocking and staging that you had on the Breakaway compared to the Bliss? Is it the same stage size or was there differences that you had to adapt to between contracts, as well?

[15:11] Artemis Chrisoulakis: I think it's the blocking and obviously the Breakaway contract, we learnt the English version of the West End and this Bliss, we learnt the Broadway version because I'm the only... and Beth, who's one of the swings, she's also from England as well, but of the principal queens, they're all Americans and we had lovely Dana and Betty, who was our choreographer and director, and so we've learnt the Broadway version. So there were slight changes in the choreography or the direction compared to that, but the staging is... it didn't feel like I was learning a completely different show, similar staging and the actual stage is the same, but I can't remember which one's slightly bigger and which one's slightly smaller, but they both feel similar. So it didn't feel strange, if that makes sense.

[16:13] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, cool. It just popped into my head, so I was like, just find out. With the show itself, obviously you've got the biggest chunk in terms of musical solo time on stage or in your song. What's your favourite moment to just be present in and watch happen around you? Is there a moment where you get to take a moment and go, this is really cool, or do you have a favourite moment in the show that you've taken from rehearsals on stage or things like that?

[16:53] Artemis Chrisoulakis: That's a good question. Again, I feel like it's different every show and sometimes it will be like, oh, I didn't notice that before, but always the bit that's so poignant to me is when it's just before Howard realises that Thomas is taking advantage of her and he's not the friend she thought he was, and it's just that shock and there's always silence and I feel like up until then it's very bubbly, it's very happy, kind of like, look at me, you know, and it kind of switches and then I love acting this and I love the feeling of it as well, just that kind of, because once actually, and then it changes and it's traumatic and it's, yeah, it never gets old doing it, it always feels different, but also once we had, there was someone in the audience and it got to that point and they laughed and I don't think they realised what was happening.

I think they thought, oh, here we go again, here's another one, you know, it's a little funny, on to the next kind of thing and I don't think they realised that actually, no, it's not funny and that kind of, there was a little fire in my gut that made me just want to explode even more so because I was like, this isn't funny! And I just remembered that kind of, I found them in the, like, I didn't know exactly where they were but I kind of looked and there they were, it was still, you know, in the middle and it was just fire and I just saw red and then I just sang it and it felt even more kind of powerful because I was trying to get across the point to this person who just laughed actually, no, so that was, that stuck with me actually.

[18:54] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, but yeah, that's really a good point there. How do you go, what was, how do I word this? The emotional roller coaster of "All You Want To Do" is very drawn out but, like, to keep everybody engaged, what was that like, trying to find your feet in that song? Because obviously doing it in rehearsals to an empty room is a lot different to trying to engage with an audience for nearly seven minutes. So, like, what was that like, kind of getting to feel audience interaction and everything like that and develop your interaction through the song that way as well?

[19:37] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, well, so, in the song and the whole show, you're looking directly at the audience, you're finding specific people to look at in the audience, even in the auditions, they want you to look them in the eye when you're singing and coming from drama school where you kind of, it's, that's not really the common thing to do, usually there's the fourth wall in music, you know, and so it's scary at first because, you know, looking at people, watching you perform, it's a very personal thing and sometimes people's watching faces, they don't mean to, but they're just like, and so that was the scary bit and actually sometimes maybe in rehearsal it might have been scarier because you could see them back on stage, there's lights and they're slightly in the dark, you can see them and they're slightly in the dark, you can see the first three rows, I'd say, but it's not as scary because you're looking at them but there's so many people, it's not directly at one exact person that will say whether or not you've got a job or not, but so that was, and it was also the longevity of the song and kind of finding different moments to kind of communicate with the audience, would have a different nuanced reaction to what I'm saying and yeah, I don't know, it developed, I remember it being quite difficult at the beginning because I was learning this song, it's very long and then also the kind of physical aspect and running around and then you also have to layer on top the acting and the audience one-to-one kind of thing, so it was a very kind of onion of a song, but I feel like now, especially this past rehearsal process, it was so much more stress-free, so I do, yeah, because I knew what I was doing.

[21:51] Artemis Chrisoulakis: You had the base there to kind of build off.

[21:58] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, and I could play with it a bit more, so yeah, it's just such, it really is more and more fun the more you do it.

[22:05] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, with that breaking the fourth wall, obviously that's, as you said, an extra element that usually performers don't have to think about, so with that mindset of coming in going, okay, at this point I'm going to have to try and single people out, are you going to the same seat every night and then looking either side for the people, like how are you determining who you're trying to make that connection with to make it easier on yourself so you're not getting to that spot and going, oh, this person's not interested at all, and not getting that feedback, so how do you go about that process?

[22:40] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Well, there's two, it's one, you've got the blocking that you've got to do in the show anyway, so for example, in my song I'll start here, I have to go over there and then I'll walk there to start the first set center, so that's always the layout, but then throughout the beginning, because I've got six numbers, lots of numbers before my song, I've kind of already sussed out who's in the audience, where they are, who I can sing to, and sometimes if it's not a very full audience, usually where I go to there might not be someone there, so I'll have to go slightly to the side to find someone to actually speak to, because it's funny if you just speak to an empty seat, so I'll suss it out before the song.

[24:05] Josh Mitchell: I'm getting another technical question out of the road. Do you have a favourite harmony throughout the show that you like? Because this show has some really amazingly layered harmonies throughout. Is there one that you kind of love?

[24:38] Artemis Chrisoulakis: I love, yeah, I mean all of them. But it's always the five more minutes, we're six. And because it's so special, because you just come to the point in the show that we realise there's no point in comparing. And that actually we're together but we're all different as well. And the music as well. And it's just everything, it's just so beautiful together. And because we come together as well. So we're singing at each other. And it's just very fun. Because all the other ones I love, and they're so much fun. But they're during a number or, you know, but this one is kind of, we're together, we've joined together, and we're ready to have fun.

[25:28] Josh Mitchell: We're talking about like the really slowed down one where you guys all like, come down before like the breakout, right?

[25:36] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, so four or five more minutes.

[25:40] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, they're really, yeah.

[25:41] Artemis Chrisoulakis: We're six minutes.

[25:42] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, I'm with you. I've got the bug back now. I've forgotten, like I've seen the show like 20 something times. And just there's always like little moments where it's just like that. Like you get caught up in the story. And then that moment always brings it back in. And I'm like in tears by that point. I'm like, alright, let's go. Let's party. Let's have fun.

[26:05] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, yeah.

[26:08] Josh Mitchell: Going from breakaway, I'm jumping all over the spot here, guys. So this might be hard to follow along to while you're listening, but we're just jamming here. Going from breakaway, how long was it until you knew that you were gonna then be transitioning on to bliss? Was there a break in between? Like, what was the process feel like in between the contracts?

[26:30] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, there was. I finished in March of 2022. And then I didn't know whether or not I was going to go on another contract with six on bliss or breakaway. So I wasn't sure. I just knew that I was back auditioning back in London. And then I finished in March. And then I went to Greece to visit my dad and I had auditions and things like that. And then it wasn't until October of 2022 that I got this through. And it was actually an emergency replacement. And I was so excited because I never took for granted my first contract and I made sure I enjoyed it. I enjoyed every single day and I made the most of every day. And so the fact that this came about, it was so exciting and so special. And it came at just the right time as well, because, you know, this industry, you have your booked and blessed days and you have your, oh, what am I going to do with my life kind of days?

And it was coming in that era. I was over the moon. And yeah, and I can't ask for a better cast with these girls as well. Both my cast, I've been so lucky. They're just beautiful humans inside and out. So, yeah, very lucky.

[28:06] Josh Mitchell: How good. I'm going to strip it back away from the show for a sec. What's one of your favourite things about ship life? Obviously, second contract now on a ship. Is there something that you hold dear with ship life that kind of grounds you a little to make you not so homesick and everything like that?

[28:28] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, I'm quite good at not being too homesick. So, and I've always had the travel buzz. I've always wanted to travel. Anyway, that was in my ball of life anyway. And the fact that it comes along with a dream show as well. You can't ask for better. And the community on ships is really special as well. I feel like unless you live on a ship, you can't quite fathom it because it's something unlike I've ever really experienced before. Because some people work on the ship for 10 months and it's really their home as well. And so I love it. I think it's great. And the management we have on the Bliss is so nice, is so good. And that's really important when the higher ups look after you as well, because it can be quite an isolating and quite a scary experience.

Yeah, but it was so much fun. And the traveling I love. And this itinerary is great because we had the Panama Canal transit. And so I've been to Miami, Florida, Columbia, Guatemala, all these incredible places. And to be paid as well for it. It's great.

[30:06] Josh Mitchell: Across your two contracts, have you ever had a favorite port that you've stopped in so far?

[30:11] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah. I really love Miami. I know this is that. So that's on a dock day when we kind of swap over guests. So I love Miami because it's such a cool place and nice vibe. And also the great shots. But then I love Columbia. We went to Cartagena in Columbia. And it was actually when my mom was on board. And we booked an excursion and we learned to...

[30:51] Josh Mitchell: Sorry.

[30:52] Artemis Chrisoulakis: You're alright. Yeah, we went to Cartagena in Columbia and we booked an excursion to go and see, to learn about Cumbian dancing. And it's just kind of, and it's beautiful. And it's just such a thrill to be able to experience all these different cultures. And yeah, amazing. Columbia and Miami.

[31:20] Josh Mitchell: One more favorite to wrap things up for us. As a dancer, do you have a favorite piece of choreography throughout the show that you really enjoy?

[31:34] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Yeah, it's funny. I remember when I was, I was always a little ballerina. And so I've always loved ballet. That's my first thing. And the kind of hip hop never came naturally to me. But as we've, as I've grown in the show, and as we do it more and more, my favorite bit to do is in Flea's Get Down. And it's, we do the, this bit. It doesn't even look good anymore. But it worked because we're all in a formation, we're all doing it. It just feels powerful and cool. And I really, I love getting to that bit and kind of doing it because usually the audience will go, oh!

[32:18] Josh Mitchell: Yeah.

[32:19] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Okay. So that's, I think that is one of my favorites. Also in the Mega Six, I do a little high kick, which is fun to do. I was looking forward to doing that. I had one more question that I was going to ask that I think I've forgotten at the moment, but we'll try and circle back to it in my brain. What do you think it is about Six that makes this show so special? After doing two different casts, two different contracts, what do you think it is as a cast member that makes this show just so unique and so special in its own right?

[33:00] Artemis Chrisoulakis: That's a very good question. I think, I mean, and there's lots of answers to this because it is such a special show that you can say so many different things and people are like, oh yeah, oh yeah. But I think it always comes back down to the message that it gets across that like you will, life, in life, you do compare yourself to other people. It doesn't, male, female. And so I find that in the end, it is just kind of all just coming together, just whoever you are, that's who you are. But as long as you don't kind of use it as a kind of thief of joy, that makes sense to compare, you know, and I feel like that's such a great message, I think, to come back to. And, yeah, I think there's the kind of, because it's such a small show, small cast, that you really do feel those personal connections with each and every Queen. And so, yeah, working with cast in such great proximity, you gain friends for life, which is so special, and living with them as well. So, yeah, yeah, it's great.

[34:24] Josh Mitchell: The happiness on your face just then says it all.

[34:31] Josh Mitchell: That is a perfect note to wrap things up on, guys. Thank you so much for joining us, Artie. Lovely to be back in the Sixth World, guys. We are going to have a couple of episodes on board Bliss, so there's a few more episodes coming up with a few of the other Queens on board with Artie on this contract. Whether you're listening on The Queendom Podcast or We Are Theatre, thank you for joining us, and we will be back very soon with a brand new episode of either show. Thank you, and bye.

[35:01] Artemis Chrisoulakis: Thank you so much. That was amazing.

[35:20] Josh Mitchell: Thank you.