So, what’s a ‘whalespiel’?
The mind behind the made-up word (and all it entails)
Ty Liebelt (or ‘T’ for needlessly shorter) has always had too many ideas. And it is this prominent trait that has spurred the development of their eclectic creative style.
From a young age, Ty followed on from their family’s theatrical background; not only performing in local youth theatre, but also writing and directing original short plays and sketches. In 2011, Ty was selected for an intensive scholarship course with Melbourne Theatre Company. And, the following year, would become an MTC youth ambassador.
Having trained and performed in various acting environments, Ty resolved to venture away from a traditional theatre career path, in favour of exploring possibilities more in line with their patchwork of interests.
From 2016-2018, Ty studied music at Melbourne Polytechnic; taking the seemingly unique approach of majoring in vocals, despite being an experienced multi-instrumentalist. They first started learning guitar at the age of 8. But, through years of private lessons, ensemble performances and self-guided development, Ty would slowly accrue other instruments in their repertoire. And by the time they’d completed their Advanced Diploma, Ty’s musical disciplines included: singing (classical, jazz and contemporary), guitar, bass guitar, double bass, piano, drums, percussion and harmonica; as well as composing, arranging and conducting ensembles pieces. Ty currently teaches private music lessons to primary school kids.
It would be no stretch of the imagination to say Ty’s hobbies are rarely just hobbies. Playing with visual media for as long as they can remember, Ty makes a point of independently learning new techniques and finding their own unique approach. From cartooning, to photography, to installations, to portraiture and digital design. In recent years, these experiments have coalesced into yet another facet of Ty’s body of work.
Ty aspires to build a career around versatile and adventurous storytelling; working in live, visual and written media. They fervently believe in an intersection of style and experience through active collaboration. As a member of both the neurodivergent (ADHD, ASD) and LGBTQ+ communities, Ty often advocates diversity, inclusivity and accurate representation of marginalised groups within creative industries. Their collective body of work as ‘whalespiel’ is founded on the idea that there are no protagonists. Just minor characters given a chance to speak.