GUILDFORD resident, actor and musician Geoffoire, the main character in the new Screenwest-supported documentary ‘I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana’, is set to share a unique slice of Western Australian history.

The short film is one of four documentaries in the WA Reflection series, which draws on the State Library of WA’s archives to explore lesser-known stories.

The film charts Geoffoire’s journey of self-discovery as he prepares a performance to honour the legacy of the acclaimed vaudeville entertainer and male impersonator, Effie Fellows.

Ms Fellows, a Perth-based entertainer commonly headlined theatres such as the Majestic, Regent, and the Luxor where she adopted men’s attire and performed on stage.

As vaudeville waned in popularity during the 1930’s, Ms Fellows continued to perform in nursing homes and community centres until her passing in 1977.

Geoffoire explained that he always envisioned performing a unique split half-female, half-male comedy act, but societal barriers made the prospect daunting.

“I had a childhood vision of mimicking, remodelling, and further advancing the dimension of a comedy act that I’d seen as a child,” he said.

“But I was brought up in rural country where social acceptance of boundaries of anything outside the norm was fairly difficult to challenge.

“It came to light during some research I’d started doing as part of the documentary, I discovered that Effie Fellows not only played a part as a male impersonator, she also did a half man, half woman act.

“It was that strength that I thought… wow that was the act I wanted to build as a child… I thought ‘I’ll give it a go’.

“I had to put makeup on one side of my face. And that was all very, new.”

Geoffoire hopes the film inspires others to explore performances that aren’t normally accepted, and to explore the history of Effie Fellows.

“She should have been recognised more back in her heyday, in her own country,” he said.

“I thought it was such a shame that… a Western Australian girl living in Subiaco and the amazing life she had… and no one knew her, no one knew anything about her.

“I think people can use her story to learn that sometimes you need a catalyst to give you confidence to do what you didn’t have the confidence to do previously.”

‘I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana’ will be screened for free at the State Library Theatre on Thursday, December 11, starting at 6.30pm, and will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers.

To register for the free screening, visit the State Library of WA webpage for the event.

The film will also be showcased as part of the Perth Festival Lotterywest Films line-up, showing before selected feature films at the Somerville Auditorium between December and March.