After setting off for international adventures, Dr Jae West is heading back to Perth to debut their sensational one-woman show.

Blacksheep explores West’s journey of self-discovery and finding her place in the world, sharing personal stories from throughout her life – from coming out, to dancing at Connections Nightclub, to standing half-naked in the streets of London!

- Advertisement -

We caught up with Dr Jae to find out more about how her Perth upbringing influenced their journey, and what to expect from Blacksheep at The Blue Room.

How would you say growing up on the LGBTIQA+ scene in an isolated city like Perth shaped your world view?

It was a mixed bag! In 2006 when I started identifying as a member of the LGBTIQA+ community, gay marriage wasn’t even legal in WA. It was going to be another decade before it was! It meant that there were a lot of judgments and incorrect opinions thrown at me and the community from a young age.

It makes you resilient and also makes your friendships and connections even stronger when you find others who accept you just as you are. My community became my family. 

Tell us about your special connection with Connections!

I started dancing at Connections straight after high school, it was one of my first jobs! I was a podium dancer (back in the day when they had permanent podiums!) and choreographed for the drag queens on the scene. It was such a fun job, there was something unique and fun every week.

Whether that was photoshoots for lesbian mud wrestling, a new stage production we were preparing for or getting ready for the pride parade or events, there was never a dull moment.

What drove you to transform your personal story into this show?

I love the quote that Brené Brown says “When we deny the story it defines us. When we own the story we write a brave new ending. “

A big part of my journey has been living with the feeling of being the black sheep. I denied it for a long time but it’s ended up being my superpower! Whether that was in the context of my sexuality, friendship groups, career choices or other areas of my life ‘the black sheep’ had always been the theme.

In 2016 I did a social experiment in London that shifted my perspective on owning my story and the things I was ashamed of. I stripped down to my underwear and blindfolded myself in Piccadilly Circus with a sign saying ‘I’m standing for anyone who’s gone through an eating disorder or self-esteem issue like me draw a love heart on my body support self-acceptance’ then let the public drawing me.

That experiment was the catalyst for me starting to really own and share my story. Having been a Fringe performer for the last five years I’ve slowly started to draw all my passions together of dance, storytelling, and poetry to create Blacksheep.

The show highlights the importance of the arts in finding yourself – and that certainly rings true – why do you think that is?

When we’re growing up, we are told to express ourselves but then we’re marked, critiqued, and judged for our creative expression based on school curriculum. The arts can become intimidating or nerve-racking. It’s not till we’re adults that we can revisit and recalibrate our relationship to self-expression, realizing that creating art can be for pure joy and fun. I believe everyone can create their own art. Everyone has a story to tell. It’s just about finding your unique way of telling it.

It’s been trial and error for me on how to tell my story. Sometimes it’s through movement and dance, sometimes it’s through words and poetry, and sometimes I’ve just had to expect the unexpected!

The show includes dance, comedy, storytelling and more – was exploring different art forms part of this journey of self-discovery?

Yes, definitely! As the show is based on my life I wanted to collect different modalities and art forms that have shaped me personally. As I mentioned, I started dancing at Connections as a teenager and had been dancing for years before that, so dance has always been a pillar in my artistic expression.

However the other forms of expression have come later on in life, whether that was through performing in Fringe Festivals, competing in slam poetry competitions, or doing social experiments around the world, they’ve grown over time and showed me new parts of myself.

Do you have any advice to share with any other black sheep who are on their own journey of self discovery?

1) Listen to other people’s stories. We learn about ourselves through listening to others.

2) Get involved in art in some way, not to achieve anything but just to learn about yourself and what you like. Whether that’s taking a dance class, painting, starting to play a musical instrument, or writing a poem, there are so many options to explore.

3) Be gentle on yourself, aim for compassion not perfection.

Blacksheep is running at The Blue Room from 4 – 8 February 2025. For more, head to theblueroom.org.au