Apr 05 2016.
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Buzz!!!! With Danu - Tracy Holsinger
Today I have a mega personality on my column. I have always been a fan of her work, and she can give life to any to any role she projects, and a treat to watch on stage. I see her everyday as she is the morning host for my sister station TNL Radio, and her history with radio began in the late 90s. She was a new graduate with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts from Goldsmiths College, University of London. She hosted the morning show on TNL from 1999 – 2003, and says it was the best fun she’s ever had. During her 12 years off air, Tracy got married to a very patient man and they are raising two adorable little ones. Today on the Buzz, this talented lady speaks about her life!
Full Name - Tracy Holsinger Tennekoon
Hometown - Colombo
Status - Married with kids
Birthday - 3/9/1973
Idols - None, but there’s a multitude of people I respect and admire
Passions - My family, music, reading, reconciliation, human rights, adventures
Favourite Colour - Aquamarine
What has been the most inspiring moment on stage?
I’ve been on stage since the age of 4, and have had some incredible experiences. It’s hard to pick one.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths – instinct, perseverance, passion.
Weaknesses – forgetful, quick tempered.
How does it feel to be back on radio?
Sweet like chocolate.
How would you describe your work style?
Energetic, focused, imaginative.
Give an example of a time when you felt the greatest sense of accomplishment in your job (on stage or radio).
It would have to be creating my first original play, which is a landmark in my professional career – The Travelling Circus, which is an allegorical fantasy about an Island of Short Memories that is consumed by a Civil War of Lies; the story focuses on Innocent, Deceived People.
Tell me about one bad experience you've had, preferably something catastrophic, and how did you handle it?
I had to interview a famous British playwright in front of a huge audience at the GLF a few years ago and he refused to answer any of my prepared questions. How did I handle it? Total and utter annihilation. I still have nightmares.
What brings out the most excitement for you in what you do?
I generally won't engage with something unless it stimulates and challenges me intellectually and artistically.
I know you are a lover of literature. Would you write a book?
Someday, I may try.
Who is your favourite local artist?
The one I respect the most is Parakrama Niriella.
Which is your most favourite place on Earth?
Agarapatana.
Tell me about a time when you received criticism and how you reacted to it.
Soon after I returned to radio, a listener mailed in saying I was the most insane morning show host he’d ever heard – and not in a good way. I get called crazy quite a lot and decided years ago to embrace it, so I just thanked him for his feedback and wished him a good day.
As a mother, what has been the biggest struggle?
What most working mothers deal with, I guess. Finding the balance between work life and home life.
What are your thoughts on drama and talent in Sri Lanka?
We need better infrastructure and government backed national policies to educate and support our talent. It’s a shame that so many of our most gifted performers either work overseas or eke out a living here in absolute frustration. Corporations too should show more support for engendering a thriving industry rather than exploiting artists in this country. For many of us, it is not a ‘hobby’, it is our chosen profession and we have the right to earn as much as in any other career path. Moreover, the arts have huge growth potential at a time like this when communication has become a paramount need for nation building in a post-conflict environment.
What are you currently working on?
I’m working on the Sinhala and Tamil productions of my show ‘The Travelling Circus’ with the awesome Janakaraliya theatre troupe. The Sinhala show opens in Colombo in May and the Tamil show will premiere in Jaffna in July.
Tell me about the time when you were doing your degree in Drama and Theater Arts from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
For a girl leaving the shelter of Ladies’ College and Sri Lanka for the first time, it was a completely mind-blowing, enlightening, liberating, powerful and transformative experience.
Your thoughts on V Day this year?
Powerful, painful, poignant.
On the Spot
Jehan Aloysius / Jerome De Silva / Indu Dharmasena, who is your personal favourite?
These are all long time friends and colleagues. I’m very fond of them all.
With regard to the The T20 World Cup, what are your thoughts on the West Indies victory?
Those boys played well.
If
If you could wake up tomorrow in the body of someone else currently living, would you do so? Whom would you pick?
Any astronaut - probably Chris Hadfield because he sings Bowie in orbit.
Would you be willing to have horrible nightmares every night for a year if you would be rewarded with extraordinary wealth?
The spirit may possibly be willing, but the flesh loves a good sleep way too much.
If you joined the circus, what act would you most want to perform?
Trapeze.
If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?
Game of Thrones.
If you could plan a trip anywhere in the world for yourself and your family, where would you like to go?
Japan.
If you could add one sentence to the Sri Lankan Constitution, what would it say?
I would make an amendment to the section on members of parliament. Something like ‘whereupon an elected member of parliament shall find that he/she is acting from motives of gross self-interest and avarice at the expense of a nation, they shall summon every last ounce of remaining moral fibre and resign immediately, go into seclusion and meditate on the fundamentals of accountability and fair play and their impact of the ideals of good governance.’
For Fun
Would you generally be overdressed or underdressed at a party?
Underdressed.
Would you enjoy spending a month of solitude in a beautiful natural setting? Food and shelter would be provided but you would not see another person.
I would be fully down with that plan.
Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 5 years to become extremely attractive?
Depends. How would it happen? Will there be injections? I don’t like injections.
Would you rather go a week without bathing, but be able to change your clothes, or a week without a change of clothes, but be able to bathe?
Bathing.
Do you believe honesty is the best policy?
It’s hard to give an answer without knowing specifics, circumstances.
What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Jellied eel.
What famous person do other people tell you that you most resemble?
My grandmother Wendy Whatmore.
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