SiSi, singer/songwriter/performer heralds from Liverpool, England.
Her mother went to Beatles concerts, her father ran a business with Ronnie Woods, whilst her Uncle was part of Rod Stewart’s entourage! It would seem that fate was stacking up.
Training in the UK at one of the most prestigious drama schools; Rose Bruford, SiSi studied Community Theatre Arts and worked doing political and street theatre and Theatre in Education touring England, whilst based in London.
Her love of Musical Theatre landed her with a lead in a West-End musical, before she threw it all in to pursue her own musical work.
Playing with “John’s Not Mad” and Adi Cohen around London gave SiSi experience in the ‘gig circuit’ which kept her busy as she discovered philosophy, Montessori teaching and yoga.
She left England for a bigger sky in 1996.
Since living in Tasmania, SiSi has worked predominantly in the local community; teaching performing arts, dancing, singing, and piano to the local children.
She also voluntarily runs drama workshops with the local schools, and has choreographed for local musicals….Annie (HVT) and Ma Baker’s tonic (St James College)
Last year SiSi was MC at the Cygnet Folk Festival at the Carmel Hall on the Saturday night.
Throughout her life, SiSi has been writing songs and expressing herself through music. She works in partnership with TC Pasha (In Sydney) and with their band, WonderMouse, will be launching a techno-pop EP next year, with an album following.
SiSi and the Sonics is another of SiSi’s musical outlets; using a cabaret style performance SiSi uses quirky songs to sing of life experience, looking at relationships and life from a different point of view.
The songs are music with a narrative, and SiSi draws upon her theatrical and comedic background to tell a personal story.
BLITZ is SiSi's one woman show that showcases her musical theatre talent. Set in Second World War London, SiSi plays Roxie, a Liverpudlian cabaret performer who struggles to escape her working class roots and personal struggles. The show is uplifting and positive as Roxie finds joy in a dangerous and uncertain world.
SiSi: Bio
SiSi performer and actress - SiSi the legend!?
Hailing from London’s West End, SiSi is now a cabaret performer based in Tasmania and bringing explosive performances to rapt audiences everywhere.
Born into a theatrical family in the UK, SiSi (aka Claire Dawson) began her acting career at the age of 9 in such favourites as “The Spiders Web” by Agatha Christie and ”Dear Octopus” by Dodie Smith. After training at a prestigious drama school in London, she began her adult acting career in Liverpool in pantomime, playing the principal boy with the enthusiasm and energy she brings to all her work.
Her passion has always been for music and song and this saw her heading into musical theatre, delighting as ‘Rizzo’ in ‘Grease’ and strutting as ‘Sonia’ in ‘
“Godspell”. SiSi’s big break came when she scored a lead role in Bill Kenwright’s production of “No Trams To Lime Street” and was only topped by her joy at playing “Spryngold” in the premier of the musical “Mirror Mirror” in the West End of London.
SiSi is also a singer/songwriter and she worked the gigging circuit around London with the likes of Adrian Cohen and ”John’s Not Mad” an 8-piece funk-rock band.
SiSi retired from theatrical performing in the mid-1990’s to raise a family and moved to Australia in 1996. Since living in Australia, SiSi has run a performing arts school in Cygnet, where she currently has 40 local children attending each week. She has choreographed for the Huon Valley Theatre Company and for productions at St James College, as well as teaching piano, yoga and singing locally.
Over the last few years, SiSi has exploded onto the Tasmanian scene as an artist in her own right, performing her original songs with her cabaret/vaudeville band “SiSi and The Sonics”. She has also released an Electro-pop EP in Sydney in 2011 with her band “WonderMouse’ entitled “Explosion ‘to rave reviews and is now working with TC pasha on their album, entitled “ Maze”.
Most recently SiSi has just completed a sell out tour of her one woman show “BLITZ” around Tasmania, which had its finale at The Peacock Theatre in Hobart. SiSi heads off up the West coast with ‘Blitz’ later this year, as well as bringing her new one-woman show “Tatts Dawson – The Gangster Moll” to Hobart in September 2012.