Shortis and Simpson
| Shortis and Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| Genres | Political satire, children's, choral |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Members | John Shortis, Moya Simpson |
Shortis and Simpson are an Australian entertainment duo consisting of John Damien Shortis and Moya Simpson. They are singers, composers, political satirists and cabaret artists; producers and writers of wide-ranging performance genres. John Shortis (born 1948 in Earlwood, New South Wales) is a satirist, singer, songwriter, composer, social historian and political commentator. Moya Simpson (born 1948 in Twickenham, England) is a singer and actor (using multiple voices and accents), and choir director. She immigrated to Australia in 1978.
Shortis and Simpson make music about Australian life both past and present. They perform as cabaret singers, creating new songs and shows as the political direction of the land changes.
In February 1991 Shortis and Simpson performed a cabaret and musical theatre production of The Bishop and the Actresses, which was written and directed by Shortis. Also appearing in the show at the Tilbury Hotel, Woolloomooloo, were Margret RoadKnight and Kerry Ella McAullay. This led to a series of performances at the School of Arts Café in Queanbeyan on invitation from producer, Bill Stephens, and sparked the development of Shortis and Simpson as a comedy cabaret act.
Shortis and Simpson develop shows to herald the annual release of cabinet papers from the National of Archives of Australia (ABC Interview) and during the Enlighten Canberra Festival 2015.
Shortis and Simpson offer a regular series of political cabaret each year. Previous shows include Three Nights at the Bleeding Heart Eleven Year Itch; The Howard Years, Political Animals, A Liberal Dose of Shortis and Simpson, On Our Election, The Singing Budget, Dismissed, A Well Hung Parliament [1] and A Suppository of Wisdom.
For the Canberra Centenary in 2013 a collaboration between Australian playwright John Romeril and composer John Shortis developed Prime Time a show about the Prime Ministers of Australia.
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