Non-binary actor calls for support for queer artists

Non-binary actor Maggie McKenna, child of Kath and Kim star Gina Riley, says there must be more queer representation on stage because it “saves lives”.

Maggie McKenna, the non-binary actor whose parents are Kath And Kim star and co-creator Gina Riley and TV producer Rick McKenna, has called for more support for queer stories and writers.

“We’re just touching the surface of what stories can be told,” McKenna, 25, said.

“We need to fund more queer writers, especially in Australia. And we need to tell more queer stories because it is important, and representation saves lives.”

McKenna returned to the stage this month in the Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill, playing Jo, a teenager dealing with her sexuality while falling in love with her best friend.

McKenna can relate to Jo’s struggles on a personal level.

“I’m non-binary and I’m also queer. I went through high school not knowing who I was and trying to figure it out … in a not-very-accepting society,” McKenna said. “It’s very empowering to play that on stage, and take ownership of it.”

Maggie McKenna stars in Jagged Little Pill. Picture: Getty Images

McKenna with mum Gina Riley at the opening night of Hairspray in 2010.

McKenna’s “coming out was pretty benign,” adding: “It’s not really a story. I’ve got a very supportive family, and incredibly supportive friends. I was lucky in that sense.

“We have a lot of internalised homophobia and transphobia, generally, as a society. It was about accepting myself.

“Age has helped with that, and also being able to play roles that represent me more fully, has been better for me, mentally,” McKenna said.

McKenna, whose theatre credits include Muriel’s Wedding and Fun Home, is inspired by Riley’s skill at separating public and private life.

“She’s such a genius in that she doesn’t feel the need to be seen,” McKenna said. “She just wants to do her work and live her life. I feel the same.

“I just want to do my thing, and enjoy my life outside the work. I’m not seeking fame. I don’t think either of us are fame hungry, we just want to do the work.”

Meanwhile, McKenna has penned a stage musical about gender issues.

“It’s all written, including the songs. But who knows? Musicals can take up to 10 years to get on stage.”

Jagged Little Pill, set against the songs of music of Alanis Morissette, and story by Diablo Cody, is about a family, and community, facing up to complicated truths over issues including sexual assault, gender identity and opioid addiction.

“This is a show Australia hasn’t seen before, especially in a commercial theatre sense,” McKenna says.

“There’s a lot of topics and issues we need to be talking about in a mainstream way.”

In Sydney, McKenna has been getting standing ovations – mid show – for their searing performance of Morissette’s jilted lover anthem, You Oughta Know.

The show’s LA-based producer Arvind Ethan David says the cast, which includes Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Tim Draxl in leading roles, is extraordinary.

“I’m not allowed to have favorites. I love all my casts,” David says.

“But Australia punches so much above its weight in terms of acting and talent. Nat Bass breaks your heart at the end of Act One, and Maggie McKenna just blows your mind in

the middle of Act 2.”

Bassingthwaighte, who anchors the show with an intense and emotional performance as a mother unravelling, is in awe of McKenna’s commitment to the role.

“They blow the house down every night,” Bassingthwaighte says.

“A standing ovation never happens in theatre mid show. But it’s one of those moments where

you have to get on your feet.”

Jagged Little Pill opens at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre on January 2.