Flora MacAngus, curator and actor in the immersive theater production “A Soldier with No Name”, that tells the story of local legend Claude Cahun: a French surrealist artist, trailblazing androgyne of gender politics, and self-proclaimed insurgent rebel against the occupiers of Jersey in World War 2, with the blends of music and Cahun’s words, offering a captivating multi-sensory journey of art and emotion. Here she tells us in her own words, why music matters to her.
Music in Action asks: At what age did you start performing and how did you start?
I started performing at age 4, my first role was Mrs Monkey in a school play of Noah’s Ark. My school teacher even told my mother that I would be a performer one day!
Music in Action asks: What do you enjoy the most about performing and what was your favourite performance?
The art of performing is very freeing, there is a meditative state to it. When you are embodying a character completely it is a very elevated experience. My favourite performance, that's a tough question. I performed Mary Stuart in The Round Church in Cambridge with cambridge choristers, the atmosphere was ethereal, especially in the confrontation scene between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I.
Music in Action asks: Who have been some of your favourite acts to play?
Highlights for me have been playing Mary Queen of Scots, Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion and of course Claude Cahun.
Music in Action, so tell us, why does Music Matter to you?
Music is at the heart of live performance to me. The music is how I step out of Flora and into character. A key part of the process of building the world of the show is finding the sonic landscape. What does this world sound like, the external world and the characters internal world. Music is emotion, so for performers and audience alike, it is the fastest way to know someone's emotions.
Music in Action asks: Who have been your biggest influences and why?
My biggest influences have been family, mentors and peers, those who introduced me to the arts, my mother being a dancer- again another art form that is symbiotic with music. Mentors who taught me how to sing, the best training as a stage performer and my peers who I create with.
Finally, what piece of advice have you been given that you would pass on to other artists?
The most comical advice I was given was by Tom Conti, he signed my programme and spoke with me about the journey of being an artist. When he signed my programme he said ‘Flora, be a doctor’. So I am still waiting to be cast as a doctor! But, on a more hopeful note, just start! Create and learn with those around you, you will learn about yourself as an artist if you stay consistent in creating.