Stories From Those Who Seek

I’m Ali, a queer, neurodivergent actor from Geelong. I’ve always had such a passion for performing and entertaining, ever since I was little I’d always be putting on little shows or imitating others (which also may come down to the autism ahaha). I do truly think I was born to be a performer, I’ve been given this amazing gift that has made me think differently and see the world differently to everyone else which in itself is so special to me. It has also forced me to ‘act’ and take on other peoples energies and mannerisms from a very early age in an effort to fit in. I’m so lucky that I’ve got such supportive, amazing, caring, open-minded parents that they’ve always, always encouraged me to be myself and not necessarily fit in and just be who I am! I’m so grateful for that they never tried to force me to be someone I’m not and let me be me. My family is the absolute most important thing/part of my life and I’m so beyond lucky to have such beautiful people surrounding and raising me. Being queer is also a big part of my life, I’ve never really thought of myself as straight, but I also didn’t realise I could be gay either. I always thought (when I was younger) that being part of the LGBTQIA+ community was something only 1 in 1,000 people were part of (which is definitely NOT the case aha!). I’ve never thought about myself as anything other than just being me and whoever I was attracted to never really mattered to me, nor was it ever a big deal. I did go through all the stages of thinking I’m bi then maybe I’m not (in denial aha) then I came to the realisation that I’m definitely gay, SURPRISE…! … to no one! Ahaha! It’s extremely important to me to tell queer stories in theatre and film as a queer person, we’ve always been put at the back and not spoken about but I think it’s important for queer stories to be put at the forefront and parents to not shy away from and for young people to realise it’s not a big scary thing and it’s something that isn’t just a 1 in 1,000 chance. You are who you are and you are born how you’re meant to be, don’t try to change yourself to fit in to today’s messed up societal expectations. Stuff that!

My ultimate, dream is to be part of creative work that reaches a wide audience about things that really matter. To me, that means queer films, feminist films and films with actual neurodiverse actors playing neurodiverse characters. Telling stories and giving power to people who’s stories aren’t seen as valid in typical societies eyes Becuase it’s either not the typical topics people are used to or that don’t come through as strong in the entertainment industry. It’s important to have understanding and respect towards those who have been/are marginalised in some way. 

Obviously I’d love to be a step close in achieving my goal in some way. Whether it be through writing my own play or creating my own film touching on these subjects and entering them into film festivals. You have to make your own luck in this industry! At the moment trying to get a house, I’d love to create my own tiny house and live out in the country and live a cute country lifestyle. However, in this economy good luck to us all!

You.Me.Us, to me, is the relationship with have with the world, with nature and our personal relationships. When we strengthen those relationships/connections, nurture them and work together beautiful things are created. If we have a strong loving relationship with nature, it creates beauty. Our relationships with others, when this is strong, we unite and work together all to help create peace within the world and spread love. Our personal relationships, we create strong bonds with those we care about, this shapes us in various ways and I believe that those we love also become part of ourselves. I think of those we love (You.) getting adopted into who we (Us.) are creates a sense of (Us.) intimacy that is taken with us through our lives. It makes us who we are. You. Me. Us. Everyone working together to create harmonious, loving, beautiful coexistence’s with everyone and everything, (being Us.).