For those familiar with the Naughty Noodle Fun Haus in Ettalong on the Central Coast you will be well aware of the name Glitta Supernova, for those hearing about it for the first time, take a seat and listen up.

Renowned for bringing to the Coast an eclectic lineup of live music and entertainment Glitta and co founders Juan Iocco are ecstatic to be opening the Fun Haus doors, once again. We caught up with Glitta to hear about the struggles over the last two years, their vision for Naughty Noodle Fun Haus, and a whole lot more.

Firstly thank you for your time Glitta, I understand you're crazy busy with the re-re launch of your program, can I start by asking you to describe in a couple of sentences what the Naughty Noodle Fun Haus is all about?

Naughty Noodle is where the fun happens, a purpose-built arts & culture Organisation that produces visibly diverse contemporary culture, everything from Cabaret, Theatre, Live music and Storytelling to Festivals, popups, art exhibitions & workshops. Our mission is creating a happier, healthier, and more welcoming Central Coast through dynamic, engaging contemporary and fringe Arts & Culture.

It’s a space and place where you can expect to be engulfed with heart & stories, discourse and satire, a gorgeously scented melting pot for all humanity, that’s sizzling with vibrancy, texture, colour & movement.

When Naughty Noodle Fun Haus launched in 2018, what was the reaction like from the local community?

From the get-go Naughty Noodle has played to packed and sold-out houses, this was prior to COVID and we continued to meet COVID capacities and expanding into digital and new ways of delivering through it. To date and to our disbelief audiences kept changing and growing, one thing remains and that is we have been totally supported & embraced by our LGA, it’s the community that has put the Coast on the map for Arts & Culture and not anything anyone would have expected 3 years ago but absolutely everything our Not for profit organisation was banking on.

Today we have had up to 50% of our Audiences being visitors to the region, its specifically local community our word of mouth and participation that has further birthed a new tourism product and tourism demographic for the region, further drip-feeding onto our local restaurants, cafes, accommodation, makers, there is much change, hope and excitement in the air, its palpable.

We conceptualised the organisation based on much feedback across a very broad and large community and indeed its gaps in our local culture and that formed the objectives and mission of the Naughty Noodle Fun Haus. Creatively NNFH is bringing about not only a change in perceptions of the region but challenging notions of what we are capable of delivering.

"Our bread & butter is visible diversity across our stages and audiences through inclusion which is making safe & vibrant spaces for people to express themselves freely through contemporary entertainment. It’s no longer a case that to see this kind of performance you have to travel to Sydney, or go to a fringe Festival, edgy global city."

Noodle is more than just an events machine, it’s a community organisation that’s bursting with heart & soul, a unique identity which has had to fight for its place at the table. It’s like a fertile ground growing in organic and unexpected ways, a place where people can be themselves & they are encouraged & celebrated for it. Arts have the power to change the world, we all know that, it opens up thinking, discourse the power is uniting, evolving, exploring together, it’s becoming a very large extended chosen family.

Are you originally from the Central Coast?

I am originally from Lennox Head in Northern NSW, co founder Juan is from Inner city Sydney, apparently, you need to be here 30 yrs to be regarded as a local, so another 20 to go…

So what brought you here?

Traveling in Italy, soaking in the blue waters, staring at amazing mountains, we had the revelation that we could live a great laidback coastal lifestyle in Australia, isn’t that what we are known for globally? Marrickville was trains, planes, and automobiles, it grew old. That Italian trip opened our minds to move out of the sanctity of Sydney. It was like a manifestation that planted a seed to take the plunge for a better lifestyle & work-life balance & we started extending our search out of Sydney which landed us on Umina Beach.

I like how people can join the Naughty Noodle family and become members and really get involved, has the membership helped build the business?

So many ways, if you are a punter into live music, cabaret, theatre, film you can subscribe on our website and just stalk us till something tickles your fancy then come along, if you are passionate you can become a member and be part of the nuts and bolts and if you’re an emerging artist lookout for our programs or submit your bio if you’re a professional show or producer/production and want to collaborate its time to reach out!

Doesn’t matter where you live, how you identify, what your ability there is a space and a place to play, learn, connect and engage creatively.

Looking at the What’s On calendar there’s a night of Blues on the way, Kids Carnival and Dirty Laundry, that’s a real mix of acts, was that always the plan for the Fun Haus?

Yes, that’s what authentic and ongoing visible diversity looks like for this Arts & Culture Organisation. It’s been interesting moving past assumptions “oh your just doing cabaret”  (wrong) or you just do LGBTIQ (wrong) – there is freedom in diversity and it was always in the plan to be as diverse in our approach as possible & offer a unique range of activations that would reach across multiple communities.

One of our objectives was to put the Central Coast on the national touring map for contemporary performance and that is happening including people from Sydney now coming to the Central Coast to experience cutting edge arts & culture and International performers at the top of their game knocking on our door to perform at The Noodle, so yes now the Central Coast is on the Fringe touring map as well as the travel tourism map.

How are you and the team feeling, given the last 18 months that we've had?

We have recently taken on the the term “unproducing” and that pretty much some’s it up over here at Naughty Noodle HQ. It’s the creating then dismantling then rebuilding of each show, it pretty much triples your workload with none of the reward. Having to have rescheduled and & cancel thousands of tickets is very disheartening, artists with no work, audiences with no live art/culture.  

We are also into the third reschedule of the upcoming Coastal Twist LGBTIQA+ Arts & Culture Festival. It really wears you down but you have to roll with it. I talk with multiple artists & producers on a daily basis & the general vibe is “overwhelmed”. People are overwhelmed to get back into it, we have all gone from “nothing” to “it’s all on again ” from “isolated” to everything, everywhere now!

Its exciting to get back into it but we are all trying to get on our feet again on how to adapt, so many more what-ifs and how in place in this new world order. Personally, I am very excited to get back into it again, sharing space is vital for community and personal health. It’s time to have some fun & connect in the realz!

I read your interview with the Australian Arts Review and I am curious to know how your talks with the powers that be are going to get the Big Vagina installed?

Haha! The things you find on the internet lol. Believe it or not it has not gained any traction, my belief was “Umina Vagina” could be one of the greatest tourist attractions on the “Big” prawn, banana etc) trail , imagine the possibilities……..Could even double up as a water park, at the very least my questionable sense of humour lives on.

I would love to know what some of your favourite venues are on the Coast ie. restaurant, bar and cafe? and what you do when you're not working your heart at for the Fun Haus.

When not working my heart out you can usually find me either on the beach with the 3 poodles and a thermos of tea, or bushwalking with mates which is where I get loads of inspiration, also cooking which is another passion.

That said there is yumminess and awesomeness all around for every budget from picking up some pies at Café du Blueza at Patonga, or sunset tapas & cocktails at Umina’s, Margarita Daze, or some Latin flavour at Gosfords Frederico’s, modern Asian amazingness with Lucky Bee at Hardies Bay even a great beer and some fish and chips on the Deck at Diggers Ettalong

The Naughty Noodle Fun Haus is well and truly back, so if you're in need of some live entertainment and a night of total discourse check out the What's On guide and book your night in.