Why Annabel MacLean Has A Literal Pain In Her Ass

Maclean, who grew up in a South African rural mining town before immigrating to Perth, says she’s had the acting bug since she was about five years old. Vancouver seemed the place for the former X-Press Magazine writer to expand her acting career, with 75 US and Canadian shows shot there annually.

She had surgery on the cyst before leaving. The healing process seemed to be going well, so Maclean and her boyfriend jetted off. “In two weeks it had burst open and flared up again, and I was obviously annoyed, to put it lightly. It had already been a two-month thing with an open gash wound in my ass crack! Basically we were there for three months, I went and saw a doctor over there and they said, ‘yeah, it hasn’t healed, you’ll have to have surgery again’.”

"I’m trying getting used to sitting again, and lying down, and even rolling over in bed…"

Due to the requirements of the Canadian healthcare system it was easier to come back, especially since they had return flights booked for her best friend’s wedding, so the dream was put on hold and the tickets moved forward. “I really couldn’t walk around with any more pus just dripping out of my butt everyday!” points out Maclean with a laugh and a sigh. 

“Yeah, so we’re back here. Had a second round of surgery, everything has healed, thank God, but it’s still a bit of a weird time right now. I’m trying getting used to sitting again, and lying down, and even rolling over in bed… it’s crazy how much you realise that part of your body effects everything.”

Which begs the question: what can the audience expect from the show? “Well it’s pretty gruesome, as in disgusting, because I’m really not holding back on this injury and how it’s affected me. I think people will either be excited to see that, or also disgusted. 

“There are a couple of really funny visuals that I think people will laugh at. My friend, Nathan Hambly, is also in the show, he’s another fellow Perth actor, it’s his first Fringe show as well. He’s acting alongside me, so it’s not a one-woman show which some people seem to think it is; it’s definitely a theatre show, and it’s definitely like a two-hander.”

And when Fringe is over? “To be honest I’m pretty exhausted, the whole year has been a bit of a nightmare so we’re just going to chill. I think we’re going to have a Bali bogan holiday which we owe ourselves since we haven’t really had a holiday for about three years.”

Pain In My Ass is on at Babushka Leederville from January 22-24, as part of the Fringe World Festival 2016.

Originally published by X-Press Magazine