ABOUT & CV
Miriam is a Fringe Festival award winning comedian, performer and creative artist. Their pseudonym b i g f a c e derives from their highly expressive and emotive practice.
With a background in fine arts from the Australian National University, Miriam broke out into the performing scene with their comedy duo Sweaty Pits in 2017. The duo was nominated Best Comedy at Melbourne Fringe 2018 and won the New Zealand Tour Ready Award 2018 with their debut show Pity Party.
Miriam has been creating and producing original theatre and live art performances since 2017, as well as performing in other award winning productions. They are a regular performer with Little Dove Theatre Art, either through their performing art parties Sound and Fury or independent physical theatre works such as Evangeline and 6 Women Standing In Front of a White Wall. in 2023 they developed their own performance collective Polyp Productions, producing original club works ROAR Presents… and theatre work RIPE.
Most recently Miriam has birthed their newest performance persona Icky, a chaotic muppet-esc clown exploring radical foolishness as a form of celebration and rebellion. Icky performs regularly at Queer events and club performances, as well as performing with long time collaborator Jazida Productions in their newest production of Music and Mayhem: Rebellion (Canberra, Sydney Fringe, Adelaide Fringe).
With a background and training in Butoh dance and Suzuki (with Zen Zen Zo), clowning, imporov, directing, design and choreography, Miriam describes their practice as body focused. As the most accessible and diverse creative tool to use, their body is the starting point for creative development for any of their works.
AWARDS + NOMINATIONS
Awarded Best in Immersive and Interactive, 6 Women Standing in front of a White Wall, Little Dove Theatre, Sydney Fringe (2022)
University of Canberra Creative & Cultural Research - Emerging Artist in Residence (2022)
Awarded Most Memorable Performance, Thanks For Coming, Lights Canberra Action (2021)
Awarded Best Circus, Evangeline, Little Dove Theatre, Adelaide Fringe (2019)
Awarded New Zealand Tour Ready Award, Sweaty Pits Pity Party, Sydney Fringe Festival (2018)
Nominated Best Comedy, Sweaty Pits Pity Party, Melbourne Fringe Festical (2018)
RAW Comedy State Finalist ACT, Sweaty Pits Comedy (2017)
Honours in Visual Arts, School of Art and Design - Awarded: Kevin and Patsy Payne Printmedia Prize, EASS Private Collection Award, EASS Group Exhibition Award (2017)
SELECTED PERFORMANCES
2024
HIGH TEATSE HIGH TEA: ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Icky / Jazida Productions - Adelaide Fringe / Nineteen Ten SA
HIGH TEASE HIGH TEA: ROCKY HORROR: Icky / Jazida Productions - Adelaide Fringe / Nineteen Ten SA
DECADENCE AND DEBAUCHERY: Icky / Jazida Productions - Adelaide Fringe / Nineteen Ten SA
MUSIC AND MAYHEM: REBELLION: Icky / Jazida Productions - Adelaide Fringe / Nineteen Ten SA
HALF TIME SHOW: b i g f a c e / Club Score / Belconnen Arts Centre ACT
2023
DRAG STORY TIME: Icky / Crystal Chalice ACT
POP UP PARTY: Icky / Jazida Productions and City Renewal Authority / Canberra ACT
ROAR PRESENTS… CRAVE / Polyp Productions / Wanderlust ACT
SOUND AND FURY / Curated by Chenoeh Miller by Dionysus / Dairy Road Precinct ACT
FRESH OUT CANBERRA - Icky/ LGBTIQA+ Fair Day / Canberra ACT
DRAG CAB: Icky / Produced by Guy Alias / Smith’s Alternative ACT
2022
6 WOMEN STANDING IN FRONT OF A WHITE WALL / Little Dove Theatre Art / Sydney Fringe NSW
PRANCING IN THE STREETS / Dionysus and City Renewal Authority / Canberra ACT
GLITTERBOX: Icky / Produced by InkBits / Flazeda ACT
COME TO THE CABARET / Directed by Queenie van de Zandt / Tuggeranong Arts Centre ACT
DRAG CAB: Icky / Produced by Guy Alias / Smith’s Alternative ACT
GLITTERBOX: Icky/ Produced by InkBits / Flazeda ACT
ROAR PRESENTS… / Polyp Productions produced, directed performed as part of Good Company supported by You Are Here / Wanderlust ACT
DRAG CAB: Icky/ Produced by Guy Alias / Smith’s Alternative ACT
APRIL FOOLS DRAG PAGEANT: Icky / Hosted by Etcetera Etcetera / Belconnen Arts Centre ACT
2021
GIFTED / Little Dove Theatre Art / Canberra ACT
MENSLINK PERFORMANCE / Australian Dance Party / Hotel Realm ACT
SOUND AND FURY 21ST PARTY / Curated by Chenoeh Miller by Dionysus / Dairy Road Precinct ACT
2020
GIFTED / Little Dove Theatre Art / Canberra ACT
CANBERRA 2060 / Boho Interactive / Canberra Theatre Centre ACT
DRAG CAB/ Produced by Guy Alias / Smith’s Alternative ACT
LUNCHBOX ROVING: Sweaty Pits/ City Renewal Authority / Canberra ACT
SOUND AND FURY: ART NOT APART 2020 AFTERPARTY / Curated by Chenoeh Miller by Dionysus and Art Not Apart /Albert Hall ACT
MESS / Directed by Natsuko Yonezawa / Belconnen Arts Centre ACT
2019
THE UNSPEAKABLE DREAMS OF SALVADOR DALI / Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre Company / Montville QLD
SWEATY PITS PITY PARTY / Fringe World -The Circus Theatre / Perth WA.
SWEATY PITS PITY PARTY / Adelaide Fringe Festival - The A Club / Adelaide SA
EVANGELINE / Little Dove Theatre Art /Adelaide Fringe Festival -The Mill / Adelaide SA
SWEATY PITS PITY PARTY / New Zealand Fringe Festival - Fringe Club / Wellington NZ
SWEATY PITS PITY PARTY / Canberra Comedy Festival - Courtyard Studio / Canberra Theatre Centre ACT
SWEATY PITS PITY PARTY / Melbourne International Comedy Festival - Belleville / Melbourne VIC
2018
FLAUNT IT & HAUNT IT / KREWD and Tiger Lilly Production / Polit Bar ACT / Tumut River Brewery Co. NSW
SWEATY PITS PITY PARTY / Melbourne Fringe Festival - The Butterfly Club / Melbourne VIC
SWEATY PITS PITY PARTY / Sydney Fringe Festival - The Factory Theatre /Sydney NSW
SOUND AND FURY: COLD WINTER HOT PARTY / Curated by Chenoeh Miller by Dionysus and MG Cultural Program / Makeshift - New Acton ACT
HURLY BURLY WINTER FAIR / Presented by Little Dove Theatre Art with the support of City Renewal Authority/ Canberra ACT
LIBRARY UP LATE: Sweaty Pits Comedy / National Library of Australia ACT
DECADANCE AND DEBAUCHERY: Sweaty Pits Comedy / Jazida Productions / Adelaide Fringe Festival - La Boheme / Adelaide SA
AFTER DARK PORTRAIT PARTY / National Portrait Gallery of Australia ACT
2017
OPHELIA’S SHADOW: Ophelia / Acoustic Theatre, in association with Shadow House PITS/ Sydney Fringe Festival - Fringe Hub Main Stage / Sydney NSW
FLORIADE FRINGE: Sweaty Pits / Presented by The Village Festival / Haig Park ACT
YOU ARE HERE FESTIVAL: Sweaty Pits / Canberra region ACT
ART NOT APART FESTIVAL: Sweaty Pits / New Acton ACT
OPHELIA’S SHADOW: Ophelia / Acoustic Theatre in association with Shadow House PITS / Adelaide Fringe Festival - The Bakehouse Theatre / Adelaide SA
OPHELIA’S SHADOW: Ophelia / Acoustic Theatre in association with Shadow House PITS / Courtyard Studio - Canberra Theatre Centre ACT (2016)
OTHER WORKS
2022
Sensory Bodies - exhibition. M16, ACT
Ugly Love - choreographer, Acoustic Theatre, Sydney NSW
EDUCATION + TRAINING
STOMPING GROUND: Summer School, Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre, QLD (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023)
Creative Entrepreneur Internship Program, Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre, QLD (2019)
Honours in Visual Arts, School of Art and Design, Australian National University, Canberra (2017), Bachelor of Visual Arts ANU (2013-15)