Comedian, broadcaster and architecture enthusiast Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross says the prospect of being invited into someone else’s home to perform took him some time to get accustomed to.
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“And it’s a very intimate thing, having strangers in your lounge room,” he told the Mercury.
“It takes a certain kind of person and a confidence to say, ‘I like my house, and I’m happy to have some strangers come into it’.”
Following a sell-out season at Melbourne Design Week, Ross and musician Kit Warhurst are bringing their ‘Man About The House’ series to Gerringong.
For the past five years they have been taking over architecturally-designed houses and blending comedy, storytelling, music and design in a format that has seen them literally sell out houses throughout Australia, New Zealand, the US, UK and Europe.
The duo are making their way to ‘Headland House’, by architect Andy Carson in May.
Headland House is located on 150 acres overlooking Werri Beach.
Ross said during the past three years they had consistently been performing these types of shows.
“It’s been a really great project and I put all my passions together – doing architecture, music, comedy, design, the whole lot,” he said.
“The response has been fantastic and people really like the experience.
“A few years back I was doing a talk in a tent in the bush outside of Albury for an event called the Do Lectures... I sat next to Andy, a talented young architect and we chewed each other’s ears off about modernism.
“I recently saw some photos of a house he has designed in Gerringong and I just knew that we had to do a show there.”
Ross said their audiences were respectful of the owners’ homes, being driven by “a desire to see something interesting, and to do something different”.
“Quite often the houses do the heavy lifting for us, because people like a sticky-beak at the best of times.
“They’re interested in how people’s homes are… Particularly really well-designed homes, and if we come across generous owners who have a great house and want to share it, even better.”
‘Man About the Headland House’ is on Sunday, May 6.
Prior to completion the house was the source of contention among some community members, who last year said the “huge mansion” development on North Werri Headland was a “soul crime”.
They queried why residents weren’t more extensively consulted, and whether the indigenous community had been sufficiently consulted.
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
