Australia’s Sunny Koll on performing for a purpose
As an entertainer and performer, Sunny Koll has captivated audiences around the world, whether she is acting, singing, writing, or any one of her many talents. For the Australian native, she never considered another path in life; it was the only way she could release her pent-up adolescent anguish. Every time she stepped onto a stage, she felt a release, and at the young age of 14, when she discovered jazz, soul and blues, she began to understand that the truth of life could be put into music.
Known as an actress for her work in impactful films such as Zach’s Story and television series like Traffik and Flat Whites, Koll is a leader in her industry in Australia. Her musical performances on shows like Good Morning Australia have solidified her reputation, as have songs featured in hit shows like Underbelly and the Motorola app.
Despite her success, Koll’s greatest accomplishment always comes from seeing the emotions she evokes in her audience through her work. One of her favorite projects was titled “Songs of Love & Protest”. Its focus was on songs that came out of the 60s particularly the Civil Rights movement and looking at how they are relevant today. The show was like an open forum where Koll would play a song, then discuss its relevance with what happened in that very day’s press. Fans’ responses were overwhelming with consistent sell out performances. After gigs, people from different nationalities and walks of life would approach Koll, grateful that an incident that had occurred in their country had been recognized. When she created the show, her intention was for it to be deeply intimate and stripped back. An upright bass, piano, drums, and saxophone, with arrangements that let the songs of Gil Scott Heron, Roberta Flack, Mavis Staples and Benard Ighner, to name a few, ring out and do what the writer intended.
“I am a singer, actress and writer who likes to create works that have a social conscience. I feel my job as a performer is to change energy. An audience comes to a show after working long hours, doing whatever they do in life and when they leave my gig I want them to feel lighter, uplifted, open,” said Koll.
This is exactly what Koll achieved with her stage play Between the Bars. Set in a New York jazz club, the show is about five women whose ages span over five decades. Each woman is at a different emotional point of their life and the journey is how they’re dealing with it. The show’s backed by a four-piece jazz band who interweave songs throughout the show.
“I was amazed at how this show connected with people. Within these five women people saw themselves. The characters were going through life challenges that we all go through, longing for a deceased loved one, questioning who we are after years of failure, loneliness, regret, hope and as always the need for love.” said Koll.
Koll wrote the play after inspiration struck one evening when she was thinking about what to have for dinner. Two voices suddenly popped into her head. The first was Sylvia, a 70-year-old Jewish woman who over-mothers her son and longs for her deceased husband. The second was Bessie-Lee, a 20-year-old Southern girl, who had just arrived in New York City and was trying to be a singer; she’s in search of her mother who left when she was a baby as “she had no more smiles to put on her face.” Within an hour, there they were on paper along with ideas to do a play with music, a one woman show starring herself.
“A one-person show is a rite of passage. It was the most challenging thing I’d done up to that point in my career. The bringing together of my worlds, singing, acting, writing and producing, it was challenging and fulfilling,” she described.
To give the audience the maximum experience, Koll knew this show had to be set in a jazz club, so she approached Bennett’s Lane, the most prestigious club in Australia. From there, she started work with director Megan Jones. Jones’ background is physical theatre, clowning and dramatic theatre, having trained with Gaulier in Paris and the Moscow Art Theatre. She and Koll would spend days fleshing out the women, and together, they brought them to life. They didn’t touch the script for a while into the process, and just worked on discovering who these women were and where each one lived within Koll. The goal was to create seamless transitions between the five characters. There were no costume changes, so Koll had to find the walk, voice, movement, heart and soul, to make each one distinctly different to the others, especially as their ages spanned over five decades. Such a challenge is just when Koll shines.
“I was shocked that Between the Bars did so well. When putting on a show, you’re busy dealing with everything and just hope someone turns up. Then on opening night, I was in the greenroom and someone tells me there was a line going around the block. People came back for repeat performances. Some even flew in from different cities. It really was a phenomenal season,” she concluded.
