Interview: Nicole Gulasekharam - Casual Receptionist of the Quarter
Nicole Gulasekharam is an Australian actor, writer, and comedian bringing her brand-new show, Casual Receptionist of the Quarter, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The story follows a pathological, people-pleasing receptionist who finds herself becoming the face of a fitness campaign.
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/casual-receptionist-of-the-quarter
Venue: Bothie at Gilded Balloon Patter House
When: 5 - 31 August (No performance on 17th August)
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself and what the show is all about?
I'm an Australian actor and writer who was raised by very sensible, practical people - an Irish Catholic accountant and a Sri Lankan immigrant financial planner - desperate to fit in and terrified of standing out. So, you can imagine their horror when, at nine years old, I was plucked from an open call to play the lead role of ‘Annie’ for the 2001 national production of Annie! From that point on, I was doomed - completely enamoured with performing and storytelling. It was the first time I experienced a room full of strangers connecting over the same emotional moment, and I’ve been addicted to that rush ever since. I’ve continued working as an actor across television, film and theatre, and am next to be seen in the main cast of comedy-horror series ‘Gnomes’ opposite Asa Butterfield, set for release in the UK on Disney+ later this year.
Alongside my career in the arts, I’ve also needed to pay for some things… like food and rent… so I’ve been working casually as a receptionist across multiple gyms at a well-known franchise for over a decade now. Casual Receptionist of the Quarter is based on that experience, and is delivered in the form of a workplace mockumentary - following a pathological people-pleasing gym receptionist as she navigates the impossible demands of members and managers, in the casual side job that was meant to be temporary... ten years ago. The show is full of ridiculous customer service stories and corporate politics, but it's also about the quiet ache of a deferred dream, the invisible cost of keeping everyone else happy, and possibly a rogue musical number.
‘Casual Receptionist of the Quarter' is based on your own past. How did you come up with the idea to write a show about it?
I pretty much got to the breaking point in the job and needed an outlet for my rage! I didn’t feel like screaming and shouting was going to achieve much, so I got quiet and observational.
For years, I'd been able to get by with a casual side job while pursuing a creative career. I was a bit like the proverbial frog in boiling water - I just kept adapting to gradually worsening conditions until, suddenly, I couldn't anymore. In the year after lockdowns, my rent went up by 20%, while my wages only increased by 1.5%. At the same time, the atmosphere of customer service had also shifted dramatically. Everyone was carrying more stress and financial pressure, and it seemed like people needed somewhere immediate to put all that frustration. They're angry at the system, but you can't exactly yell at the system, so often it ends up directed at the nearest service worker. Greeting over 200 people a day at the front desk of a gym, that's a lot of projected pain to absorb!
But it's definitely not all doom and gloom - there's also so much joy, humour and connection. You get a front-row seat to people's lives. You hear incredible stories and form unlikely friendships with people you might never otherwise meet. The idea really clicked when I started looking at the gym through the lens of a workplace mockumentary. Suddenly, all the kooky regulars, the imploding corporate structures, and my own approval-seeking tendencies became rich comedic material!
As you are coming all the way from Australia, how did you first get involved with the Fringe Festival, and what are you looking forward to the most when bringing your show over?
Attending the Edinburgh Fringe has been on my creative bucket list for a very long time. It's a huge undertaking, quite an investment, and mild-moderately terrifying!! So I wasn’t going to go for it unless I had a show to bring over that I’m really confident and passionate about. After a sold-out season and multiple 5-star reviews in Australia, it felt like the right moment to take the leap. I approached a few venues and was lucky enough to be picked up by Gilded Balloon, which felt like a dream come true. They've been an incredible team to work with, so I'm absolutely thrilled to be making my Edinburgh Fringe debut with them.
I'm also really looking forward to immersing myself in the madness of the Fringe itself. As someone who's spent years juggling creative work with side jobs, there's something pretty special about being surrounded by thousands of artists all taking a chance on themselves. And coming from Melbourne, I'm excited to experience a city that seems equally committed to coffee, comedy and complaining about the weather.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the show?
I hope audiences come away recognising that the people who often hold workplaces together are not necessarily the ones with the fanciest titles, the most authority or who have the biggest paychecks. They're frequently the ones on the ground, quietly doing all the invisible labour: nurses, receptionists, waiters, teachers, cleaners. If people leave having had a big laugh and feeling slightly less alone in their own weird work stories, I'll be really chuffed. The show is set in a gym, but it's really about wanting to be needed, wanting to be liked, and occasionally confusing those things with happiness. I also hope that it helps to connect people with different perspectives, and helps them to recognise something of themselves in each other.
'Casual Receptionist of the Quarter' is a solo show. How does it feel to carry that entire performance completely on your own, and how do you keep up that incredible energy on stage?
I have a wonderful director/dramaturg that I’ve been working with - Fiona Harris - who has been such a gift. Her insights and encouragement throughout the process have been invaluable; just knowing I’ve got someone there cheering me on is a huge confidence boost. Being up on stage by yourself for 60 minutes is definitely demanding. And because the content is so personal, it can be really difficult trying to separate your worth from the show. But when it lands, and people come up to me afterwards and tell me how much it meant to them, and that they really resonated with it, well, that’s just a feeling you can’t beat.
In terms of energy, years of working in customer service probably prepared me well! Receptionists are essentially professional extroverts for eight hours a day, so I suppose I've had plenty of training. Plus, once an audience starts laughing or interacting, it's amazing how much energy they give back. Then it’s a mix of hydrating, lollies, and the secret sauce is that I genuinely love performing this show - it’s so much fun, and hopefully that joy is contagious!
If you had to describe the show in only three words to make people eager to come and see it, what would they be?
Cringe. Cathartic. Cardiopulmonary-Resuscitation.
