Emma Watkins, aka Emma Memma, has added a second Newcastle show to her Twirly Tour schedule.
Tickets to the former Wiggle's 10am show on March 13 are close to selling out, so she will return to the stage for a second show at noon that day.
Both shows will be Auslan interpreted with a focus on movement, creativity, inclusiveness and friendship.
Watkins studied Australian sign language and is currently completing a PhD in Auslan communication and dance. Visual communication is important to Watkins, and she uses dance, sign language and music to make connections with her audience and educate all children, regardless of ability.
Families will be treated to Emma Memma classics like Twirly Tuesday, Wombat Wednesday and I Love You as well as new songs Balancing Ballet, Thank You and See Me Jump.
"We can't wait to see you at these shows because everyone deserves to experience the joy of singing, dancing and learning sign language," Watkins said.
"This is the first time we are taking our live show around the country and we are so looking forward to seeing families dressing up in their favourite orange, pink and green outfits."
Watkins launched the Emma Memma character last August after dedicating 2022 to researching visual communication and the connections that can be made. She didn't expect to be selling out venues on her first Emma Memma tour.
"It's going crazy, it's wild, I'm like what's happening?," she told the Newcastle Herald, laughing.
"We were mainly just testing new songs to see if people liked the music style and filming a bit of YouTube content, then in September we chose a few places in Australia and New Zealand for some intimate meet and greats - again, to test the content and to see if it was working.
"Then we decided to trial a show at the Sydney Opera House and we were overwhelmed by the response to that. We didn't have much time to organise ticket sales so we decided to perform on the Opera House forecourt and it was simply amazing."
Watkins works with deaf consultants when deciding on content for her shows. Her husband Oliver "writes all the songs and plays all the instruments". Deaf ballet dancer Elvin Lam, who plays Elvin Melvin, joins her on stage and in her videos.
"We need Emma Memma to be related to the research we've been doing. My PhD thesis is still ongoing. We're constantly finding new ways to bring the connections to everybody, whether they're deaf, non-verbal, on the autistic spectrum and so on.
"We're also trying to find out the correct tempos for certain songs, and to make sure it's appropriate for people who don't know sign language."
She's excited about introducing a new character to the Emma Memma entourage: Waffles the Wombat.
"A wombat lives on our street, two hours south of Sydney in a remote country town," she said.
"This wombat has been living here for many many years and everyone on the street has been here at least 30 years except for Oliver and I. We're the youngest and newest additions to the street.
"I asked a neighbour if I could the wombat Waffles and she was like 'Sure, why not?'. I can't wait for everyone to meet him."
Tickets to Emma Memma's Twirly Tour at the Civic Theatre on March 13, 10am and noon, are on sale now.
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