Emma Watkins (Emma Memma, The Wiggles, Reef School) brings her signature warmth to a new Audible Original, A Dream for Every Night: Menagerie. These stories are designed to help transition the littlest listeners in your life from playtime to bedtime, and Emma acts as the ideal guide on that journey. Here, Emma shares what she loves most about being a children's entertainer, and how she's always keeping her audience in mind, no matter the medium.
Katie O'Connor: You’re an accomplished entertainer, dancer and actress, but with audio we hear your performance rather than see it. Did the medium change your prep process at all without the same need for physicality?
Emma Watkins: Mostly the prep for me is all about bringing the story to the children. So, for this project, tone of voice was really important, and that meant reflecting on the recording straight away and then doing it all again. Yes, it's not as physical as dancing around, but warming up is always a part of the process. However, I think I'm just waiting until we can turn this into a full-scale animal ballet!
As a performer, what about the stories in A Dream for Every Night: Menagerie appealed to you?
Again, for me it is always about the audience. Because the stories created quirky scenes and described some funny animal characters, I wanted to join in with bringing these narratives to families far and wide. I hope the children enjoy the bizarre things that some of the animals say and do, and I wonder where their imaginations will take them after listening to these stories...
What has been the most surprising part of your career journey?
Everything! I never imagined that I would be doing what I am doing today. I always wanted to dance, but I didn't know I would end up performing for children around the world for the last 15 years. When I was in high school I had a dance injury, which changed the trajectory of my training. I ended up learning film editing, and that has led me to so many other projects and given me skills that I never thought I would need to rely on.
What’s your favourite part about making content that’s geared towards children?
It's always fun 😊. Being able to keep your mind in the world of the child makes you look at things differently. And when we create content for children, being able to have the opportunities to bring those elements to a live audience then impacts and changes how you make the next piece of content. When we perform live, you hear and see the children's reactions instantly, and from where I have been, onstage, for the last 15 years, I have collected so much feedback and continue learning by adjusting our music, stories and dance to keep children engaged and entertained.
