Life according to... Myra Dubois

Myra Dubois on cosmic powers, Paris in spring and Scotland in autumn…

How are you, Myra?

I am very well thank you, how are you? I love how professionally blurred your background is (on Teams). I feel like I’m watching a very important piece of independent cinema.

Thank you! Can you tell me about your new show? Your past shows focused on helping people, but this one seems more introspective.

The shows relate to each other, because that’s just my natural progress as a creative person. My previous show, Be Well, I was manifesting my manifesto of “Ad-Myra-ism” across the UK and Ireland (I have to say “and Ireland” even though I only played Dublin). People started asking questions, I started asking questions – where does this gift of compassion that has been bestowed upon me come from? And my only conclusion is that it comes from the stars.

That’s nice, isn’t it? That’s a nice bit of poetry. So, it’s really an exploration on where these powers that I have come from, and our connection to the cosmos. There’s a little bit of spirituality in there as well, and a lot of reflection on the self. But it’s not just going to be a sermon of self. I invite the audience to talk to me, and we’ll be discussing some things and having fun along the way. Lest we forget that it’s also a fun night out at the theatre.

Your fans look to you for advice. Is there anyone you look to for guidance?

Oh, yes. Did you see my last show? Don’t be bashful if you didn’t.

I didn’t!

I was making it easy for you to say you didn’t, but you came in there fast like a freight train. Well, I talked about this in my last show, if you’d have been there. I have my own personal wellness guru, Malcolm. He has a practice, a wellness detention centre, that’s just on the north-west… it’s south… well, it’s in Blackpool. But I go there to rebalance myself and bring myself back to me as well with a mixture of things. We do little bit of Reiki, little bit of yoga, and every Thursday, they do bingo.

Are you excited to come back to Scotland?

Well, I’m not performing at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, but I’m doing a few shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow in October. And when you’re at the Fringe, you’re playing to, you know, Jean and John from Swindon who’ve come up for the weekend, and they sit there in their cagoules, and you only really get the Scottish audiences towards the end of the Fringe.

I like coming to Scotland outside of Fringe season to meet genuine Scottish audiences because I find that they’re a little more up for fun, a little rowdy in a positive way, a little more engaging than your standard Edinburgh Fringe audience. People say: “Aren’t you going to the Fringe?” and I’ll say: “No, I’m going in October.” And they’ll say: “Oh, we won’t be there then,” and I’ll say: “Well… exactly!”

Are Scots really rowdier?

Every time I do a press interview, it doesn’t matter where it is, they’ll always ask “how do audiences here differ?” and, for the most part, people are people – I think people are largely the same and usually wonderful.

However, Scotland does have a reputation. People used to say that Glaswegian audiences in particular would let you know if you’re not very good, and that’s probably true, but I’m very good, so I’ve never experienced that.

What surprises people about you?

People might be surprised to know that I’ve never visited Paris, it does surprise people – I think it’s the Dubois name. But I am rectifying that this year, although I shouldn’t say that because I’m not going professionally, I’m going privately, and I can’t assure the same international security that I might do if I was going publicly. So – maybe – I’m going to Paris in August. Who can tell…

Myra’s new show, Cosmic Empath, will visit Glasgow and Edinburgh on October 25 and 26.