Rona von Stein

Email: r.vonstein@student.unsw.edu.au

Supervisors: Elizabeth McMahon, Charlotte Farrell

There is an old adage about living through the 1960s; “if you can remember the 60s then you weren’t really there.” My thesis is directed towards the next decade—the 1970s—but the old adage is just as true, for the same reasons—overindulgence in hedonism! I was there, but will also rely on the collective memories of others to form an accurate depiction of a particular time, particular people, and particular events. My research is taking the form of an auto-ethnography, and focuses on the radical, anarchic, chaotic drag/performance troupe, “Sylvia and the Synthetics,” in which I was a minor player. It was a time of great change in Australia (the ALP came to power after decades of conservative government). Sydney was developing a reputation of arts and cultural innovation in alternative theatre, especially drag. The Synthetics were a collection of unorthodox young men and women who took their outré performances to lines of acceptance (and often legality), not only approaching those lines but joyfully leaping across them with unbridled enthusiasm, and desire to shock. Enormously. The Synthetics could have remained in that period half a century ago, barely registering even a sentence in any local history, but contemporary voices and journalists continually refer back to the troupe, the performers, and importantly the performances. In the last few years there has been mainstream media attention; internationally successful biographies on the lives of breakout “stars;” exhibitions; and commentary from prominent identities. By undertaking a series of recorded video interviews with surviving performers, audience members, and contemporary commentators, my thesis aims to examine The Synthetics and the performances, and the reasons why they are still considered relevant, some fifty years later, and what influence they may have had that drives that relevance. Note: The first words of my thesis title; “Unfortunately Sylvia will not be performing tonight…” refers to the fact that there was no “Sylvia,” and at the beginning of each performance one of us would go on stage and announce the demise of the unfortunate Sylvia, in an ever increasing gruesome departure from life.

Outside of being a full-time Ph.D candidate I ride my horse around Centennial Park most days, have a little pug dog I adore, go to the gym, and travel frequently. I’m long retired, obviously, and took up being a student (I started with the UPP program in 2019) to continue having challenges in my life, and oddly, here I am.