Kiama knows the names Kiki and Pascal, but who are the people behind this hilariously cheeky duo? Tamara Campbell and Dave Evans have a rich performing history and have created opportunities for themselves and local artists. They’re bringing “The Kazador Experience” back to Kiama from October 31st to November 24th. With talents ranging from kids' shows to magic, burlesque, and plenty of comedy, there’s something for everyone.

Making a career in performance is no easy feat. Dave noted, “When we first moved to Australia, we’d come here from the European festival circuit where there is a rich, rich source of work, everywhere, almost all the time…

“When we came here, there’s a lot less work… So we decided fairly quickly that we should create our own company.”

The duo loved the freedom of running their own shows without having to compromise artistically to please councils or sponsors.

Tamara agreed, saying, “It’s kind of in our DNA, I guess… I always used to say that I didn’t want to be a waitress waiting to be an actor.

“I think both of us just came from a background of creating our own opportunities rather than waiting for someone else to discover us.”

The pair are dedicated workers. Tamara has a vast network across Europe, from when she arranged three to nine-month tours, managing everything from accommodation to bookings and travel. Remarkably, they even completed a nine-month tour with their then four-year-old and newborn. “It was freaking bonkers,” they both agreed.

They branched into running their own festivals 13 years ago, shortly after they started ‘The Kazador Experience’. Tamara reflected, “It’s quite scary to take those risks and produce your own stuff because you don’t have anything to fall back on. No one’s paying you.”

The duo has always been committed to ‘bringing the arts and theatre to the people’. “That’s what the Kazador is… It’s bringing it here to Kiama, to a small place, so that people don’t have to travel to have a high-quality arts and culture experience,” said Tamara.

“The idea that the arts and culture are elite or not for everyone is a misconception. 

“Art and theatre are great community builders, just like sport. Australians often connect through sport, but we’re still in the process of teaching people that the arts are not scary or elitist—they’re actually really fun and a great way for people to come together.”

One initiative they started to achieve this goal is ‘Friday Wine Downs’, a free performance outside the Kazador Tent. Dave explained, “The first one was quite well attended, and by the end, it was heaving with people—a wonderful community gathering.

“It wasn’t like a concert where people had to sit and listen… It was really relaxed…. If you wanted to get up and dance, you could. It was just the community hanging out in a lovely location.” 

During the upcoming Kazador Experience, they’ll be hosting Friday and Sunday Wine Downs for the Kiama community.

The Kazador tent is specially curated to create an electrifying and portable performance space. This space gives smaller towns the opportunity to see dazzling theatre without

the hassle of going into a big city. Dave said, “you're taking a theatre to the people as opposed to trying to get the people to the theatre.”

“And so a whole lot of people who would never normally step through the door of a theatre were like, oh, yeah, give it a go. It's my local festival or whatever. 

They’re dedicated to providing opportunities for local talent to perform close to home. “We don’t have a theatre here (in Kiama). We don't have a cinema, or even many dedicated music venues.

“We don't have all those trimmings and wonderful things that you have in a city.

“It’s important to have a theatrical space,”

Tamara reflected on the differences between performing in Europe and Australia. “Sometimes, when I mention I’m a performer, people ask, ‘Where would I have heard of you?’ 

“In Germany, they celebrate the ‘kleine Künstler’—the little artist—just as much as anyone on TV.

“I feel like in this country sometimes it's like, well, you're either famous or you mustn't be any good.

 “I suppose I want to demystify or just encourage people to engage with creative stuff. It's the kind of people who are way more into cars or horses or whatever they're into, and yet they'll walk into a tent and experience a show and leave going, oh, that was awesome. And then they'll come back to see another one, another one. And it's that sort of it's that little chipping away, I suppose, at how, how great this, this can be.”

Tamara has a personal philosophy that the arts can save the world. Her thinking is that coming together through arts could actually decrease a lot of tension and problems by engaging people more with creative pursuits. “Laughing together is a magical thing.” she said. 

She explains that comedy is like holding up a mirror to yourself “It gently asks you to look at yourself in the way you think. It puts things under the spotlight for you to think about. And it's so interesting that comedy is now becoming a thing that's quite difficult, because you can't say that. You can't say that. You can't say that, when in actuality, I think we need to keep pushing through and keep holding up that mirror because it helps us to be better people.”

Tamara and Dave are well known for their hilariously cheeky characters Kiki and Pascal. The characters were born out of a need for growth in their performance and it took a while for them to fully round out the characters. Originally the characters were going to be French, Dave explained that the names Kiki and Pascal were born when trying to think about the most cheesy magic names they could. However when he said this during a radio interview in France, he put his foot in his mouth when the translator for the interview revealed his name was Pascal.. And his wife's name was Kiki!

Despite this slip up, Kiki and Pascal persevered and have been entertaining for over 15 years of laughs. Kiki is set to undergo her final evolution in this upcoming season. “I’m doing a show called The De-masking of Kiki, where Kiki will start the show, and I’ll transition from her into myself… sharing my life story.” says Tamara. 

To support local artists and talent, make sure to buy your tickets and catch some shows. There’s truly something for everyone. “It’s a great thing. If it’s not supported, it won’t keep happening” said Tamara. 

To show your support for local arts visit The Kazador Experience for a line up of the shows and tickets. 

The duo will also be hosting the Kiss festivals ‘Kabaret’ again this year, to see more and get your tickets, check it out here - https://www.kissartsfest.com.au/kabaret-2024.