HER magic blue eyes say so much. She’s just as eager to hear what you are saying as she is to talk about herself. Engaging from the first word.
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While Maree Lowes is not a household name yet for her acting roles, if you’re a parent there’s a good chance she’s already been in your home. Lowes has been part of the dirtgirlworld children’s TV series since it’s inception, and takes it to a new level this month when Get Grubby: Dirtgirl’s Eco Musical debuts at the Sydney Opera House. Yes, Lowes stars as dirt girl.
The dirtgirl program was created by Australians Cate McQuillen and Hewey Eustace. With its strong ecological message, the show broke through to a global audience (shown in 128 countries) and picked up awards in Australia and abroad (including an Emmy).
The program is a combination of photo montage and animation. The musical, of course, is a live stage production. The Opera House production runs January 22, 23, 24 with five shows. Lowes stars with Michael Balk (scrap boy) and Costa Georgiadis (Costa the garden gnome), covering eight songs in a 60-minute show.
Lowes first met Cate McQuillen when Lowes was a teenager attending Clarence Valley Conservatorium in Grafton on the NSW North Coast. McQuillen taught drama classes at the conservatorium, where Lowes was enrolled in acting and music classes (she plays piano and clarinet). Not only has McQuillen succeeded far beyond those times, but other students to prosper besides Lowes included Samantha McClymont (of the award-winning country trio The McClymonts) and edgy comedic actor Zoe Coombs Marr (Dirty Laundry Live).
“She’s definitely been a strong influence on my life in the past 15 years,” Lowes says of McQuillen.
Lowes grew up in the Northern Rivers area – with fond memories of Grafton and Yamba. Her father was a psychologist and her mum was a child protection specialist with a background in linguistics.
When Lowes was 15, her mum died of cancer. “It was very sudden,” she says. “My world turned upside down.”
As tragic as her mum’s death was, Lowes’ parents had given their children tools to cope life’s fortunes. “They definitely treated us as young adults. They respected our own agency, our own views,” she says. “We were always a part of discussions about the world. I was equipped well to find my own experiences in the world.”
A few months after her mum’s death, Lowes moved to Spain for a year. When she returned she moved to Sydney.
“I’ve always been determined and curious,” she says. “I’ve done a lot of things. I’ve had a lot of things. I’ve lived in a lot of places. I’ve travelled a lot. I’ve had a lot of hobbies, career choices.
“It’s probably only in the last year I’ve felt what truly makes me happy. You don’t have to lock it down – it doesn’t have to be forever, but for now I feel more focused than I ever have, which is a good thing at my age, it makes sense.’’
Lowes, 28, moved to Newcastle 10 years ago, attending the University of Newcastle and commuting to Sydney for acting courses and work. She earned a bachelor of arts with a double major in psychology and indigenous studies at Newcastle.
She met her husband, Clint Topic, six years ago in Newcastle. A mutual friend thought they would be a good match. They met in a poker game (“I was winning,” she says.)
One of the things the couple had in common was music (Topic plays bass). They got involved in the construction of a studio in Tighes Hill, designed by Clint’s brother, Luke, and ended up owning it.
Known as Sawtooth Studios, it serves as both a media production space and recording studio. “It has a ‘green screen’ and a ‘white screen’,” Lowes says. “It marries up my experience in media and his experience in music.”
Neither had experience running that type of business, but that didn’t stop them. “I think we just decided to give it a go. If it didn’t work, no great loss.”
But the rewards have been worthwhile, and they’ve picked up some good clients and done some strong work. The recent Sesame Street clip directed by Kelly Boulton was done at Sawtooth. Upcoming solo artist Sahara Beck has recorded there. Renown Sydney creative agency DLM hired it for a shoot by fashion photographer Steven Chee. currently, the track Molly May by Lennie Tranter and the Bagism Revelation, recorded at Sawtooth, is featuring on the trailer for the new SBS series Family Law.
Lowes admits they’ve gained a lot from the experience.
“The space, it’s just so amazing for people to write music in,” she says. “It’s so nice to hear them create memories and assets they are proud of. I didn’t appreciate what spaces mean to people. Now I understand how important it is for people to have spaces they can contribute in.”
Meanwhile, Lowes has plenty of other projects on her plate.
For 18 months she did voiceover work for a children’s phonics app project with Splonix. The app is scheduled for release this year, with Lowes’ work done specifically for the Australian version.
She also worked as assistant director on Andy Gallagher’s short film thriller, The Lake, which will screen as a finalist at Flickerfest in Bondi on January 12. The film features top Australian acting talent – Ella Scott Lynch, Kathryn Beck, Alan Flower.
Lowes stars in a short film, The Last Stupid Thing, with Newcastle actor Erin Kebby that is due for release this month. Shot on the Central Coast, it was shortlisted for Tropfest.
Lowes considers herself “extremely fortunate” to have enjoyed success with the dirtgirl franchise. The small team and cast have provided “a lot of beautiful moments and opportunities” for her. She worked as online community manager for the dirtgirl franchise, and proudly counts herself as a member of a team that won an Emmy.
Dirtgirl is essentially an adventurous eco-gardener. And philosophically, Lowes always been on board with the dirtgirl thrust. Parent production company Mememe states on its website: “We have the audacity to believe we can influence a generation”.
“I definitely believe in the show, the values behind it,” she says.
The show reaches audiences in developing world and it purpose is just as valid there, Lowes says. “I think it’s about being engaged with the environment around you,” she says. “It is a story-based show at its core. So that’s entertainment for kids wherever you live. And it’s about things we all have to do. We all have to eat. Sometimes it’s the most privileged people who are disconnected from where our food comes from.”
Her involvement in show led her to a conscious decision to stay out of cutting-edge or controversial dramatic roles – “out of respect for the dirtgirl ‘world’ and the families that watch that show.”
But Lowes may have reached a fork in the road, as she has undertaken study with top acting coach Ivana Chubbuck that she hopes will draw her into deeper roles.
Working with Chubbuck and associate Anthony Brandon Wong (an Australian), she feels more prepared than ever to take on edgy dramatic roles.
“Sometimes you have to go places that are uncomfortable, unpleasant or ugly,” she says. “I am not shy about going to those places. I feel amazing when I’m brave in a scene. I am happy to be vulnerable in a scene and tell confronting stories. I am 100 per cent clear on that.”
Chubbuck is credited with helping many great actors. Most notable: Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball and Charlize Theron in Monster. Working through the Chubbuck method with Brandon Wong meant engaging in “one of the bravest, most baring acting techniques you can do,” Lowe says.
“I think when I was 18 or 19, I didn’t know myself. I wasn’t in a position to tell those sort of stories. Now, I am hungry to tell meaningful stories and immerse myself in those roles.”
Lowes remembers the day a director told her as a young teenager that she was going to have give up music and concentrate on acting or she would end up a jack of all trades and master of none.
“I don’t know if that holds true in this sort of time,” she says. “I am part of an engaged storytelling community,” she says. “I don’t sit around waiting. We can film on far less expensive cameras. We can put things on YouTube. You don’t have to wait for other people to come to you.
“I still want to work on high-budget things, but until that is happening, I don’t want to feel like I am just waiting around.”
