Joanne Neilson makes history as first transgender woman in New Zealand to star in Priscilla

Joanne Neilson will play Bernadette in the upcoming production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert by Musical Theatre Gisborne.

The challenge of being accepted when you live on the fringes of society as a transgender person is something one of the stars of Musical Theatre Gisborne’s Priscilla Queen of the Desert knows only too well. “Gender illusionist” Joanne Neilson talks to Kim Parkinson about her life – from growing up knowing she was different to her cabaret career to her role as Bernadette in MTG’s latest stage show, which opens at the War Memorial Theatre on November 15.

As a transgender cabaret artist, Joanne Neilson is happiest on the stage.

Applause, she says, is the greatest form of acceptance.

“That really is our entire lives – wanting acceptance and to be seen for who we are.”

The fear of rejection trans people deal with is an underlying theme of Priscilla and Neilson’s first-hand experiences only adds to what she can bring to her role, along with decades of experience as a transgender entertainer.

The musical, based on the popular movie, is the story of two drag queens and a trans woman who are contracted to perform a show at an outback pub in Alice Springs, Australia.

Neilson will be the first transgender woman in New Zealand and only the third in the world to star in the musical.

Her career as a performer started at 17 when she was invited to join a Les Girls-style cabaret show at the Colony in Auckland.

In later years, she toured New Zealand with a group called Le Belle Boys, doing shows in the 1980s at places such as Gisborne’s RSA and Cosmopolitan clubs.

“When you live on the fringes of society one of the things I realised was that the stage for me was the safest place. It was where I could express myself,” Neilson says. “I realised that applause is the greatest form of acceptance.”

Neilson was born in Gisborne and later moved to Auckland where she spent the next 27 years.

She knew from a young age she wanted to be female. She recalls at the age of 5 asking if she could move from the bedroom she shared with her brother into the ironing room because she loved the pink wallpaper.

“I didn’t have a word for it, or any real understanding, but I’d go to sleep each night wishing I would wake up as a girl.

“I came out as gay at 16 because I liked boys, so I presumed I was gay, but that didn’t feel right either.”

She left school early and started working at Smith & Caughey while performing at the Colony, which was the highlight of her week.

By 18 she had transitioned and was dressing as her authentic self.

“I met transexuals for the first time when I did the Colony show and soon after started on hormones and got an appointment with a psychologist.

“I realised there was something I could do and the only way you could get the hormones was to see a clinical psychologist every three months, which I did until I was 21.”

She travelled to the United Kingdom to get surgery when she was 22.

“In the 70s you could get the surgery without any medical checks on your mental stability, but things have changed since then.”

This was in the days when there were only three labels – man, woman or transexual.

“The term transgender didn’t originate until 1977 and nowadays we’ve got labels for everything.”

Neilson has had several jobs over the years in retail and restaurants in Auckland, Christchurch and the UK. She now works in administration at Gisborne Hospital.

Being a “gender illusionist”, however, has always been part of her life.

She met her husband in her early 40s on one of her annual holidays to Gisborne. She was living in Christchurch and they started a long-distance relationship.

“He loves the outdoors and is a keen hunter. On paper, we shouldn’t work but we just fit together so well.”

They celebrated 15 years of marriage in March.

“He is not enamoured with this side of my life at all. It’s not his thing, but he understands it is part of me. It is my hobby.”

In preparation for Priscilla, Neilson has been taking singing lessons and plans on doing her own vocals in the musical.

In a typical performance she would lip sync and dance, as well as tell jokes and deal with hecklers, but she thought it would make it more authentic to do her own vocals in Priscilla.

Joanne Neilson had an exhibition of her costumes at Tairāwhiti Museum last year.

She has lent some of her large collection of costumes to Musical Theatre Gisborne for the show.

Neilson said choreographer and director Dean McKerras had reimagined the show and it was going to be fantastic.

Co-stars Andrew Stevens and James Packman are drag queens Anthony “Tick” Belrose and Adam Whitely while Bernadette’s love interest Bob is being played by Treva Rice.

“We’re gelling really well and the cast has been incredibly supportive,” Neilson said.

“When we did the first read-through, it was great to hear people laughing at the right times, showing they were getting it.”

With only four weeks to showtime, the cast is in the final stages of getting everything ready.

Audiences can expect a colourful musical extravaganza complete with an authentic transgender performer when it opens on November 15 and runs to the 23rd at the War Memorial Theatre. Tickets are available through Ticketek.