Emma Memma is bringing her Twirly Tour to New Zealand. Photo / Jared Lyons

You may recognise Emma Watkins as the former Yellow Wiggle who succeeded Greg Page and charmed her way into Kiwi kids’ hearts.

Now she’s bringing her Twirly Tour to New Zealand audiences this December as Emma Memma, a bright and cheery character decked out in orange and pink who doesn’t just dance and sing - she also uses sign language to communicate with deaf audiences.

Watkins debuted the new children’s character less than a year after her shock departure from the Wiggles in 2021.

And she reveals it wasn’t “a single moment” that led to her decision - at the time, the Covid-19 pandemic had forced touring to slow down and she was trying to finish her PhD after “many years”.

“It felt like we hadn’t been touring for such a long time with the Wiggles ... I was thinking, this is probably the best time,” she told the Herald.

Watkins describes Emma Memma as “an extension of me” that originated as a presentation for her research on how to integrate music, dance and sign language in a way that would resonate with deaf children.

“And then all of a sudden, Emma Memma has just kind of taken off, and we haven’t stopped since.”

It’s not what she expected, but for Watkins, it proves that “the need to have more accessible media for children is becoming more and more apparent.”

“Even when I was with the Wiggles, I started to notice lots of different family structures,” she recalls.

“And you’d see lots of children that may have a hearing loss that are predominantly born to hearing parents or have hearing carers and most of the time, we don’t use the same language.

“So we’re trying so hard to make sure that everything that we do is visually accessible. Visual communication is everything for children. And so we are going to spotlight that even more.”

The show’s tagline is “Sing, dance, and sign with Emma Memma” and that’s what she does, alongside her co-star Elvin Melvin, real name Elvin Lam, who is himself profoundly deaf (meaning he cannot hear speech and only very loud sounds) and signs the entire show.

Watkins says people from the deaf community are “so excited” to see Lam on stage. “Most of the feedback is, ‘finally, we have a show that we can come to without having to watch the interpreter’.”

The interpreter is still there to make sure information is clear for parents and caregivers, she adds.

“But really for the children, it means they can focus on Elvin as the lead signer, which is so nice to be able to spotlight deaf talent - and all of our dancers sign as well.”

Watkins and Lam are “connected” on stage, she says, comparing them to a brother and sister.

“I will do a slight movement or a breath and he knows that I’m about to start that song, and so he’s constantly watching me. Not that anyone can see all of that all of the time, but the way that he picks up my visual cues is unbelievable.

“And in a show where he will not really ever know what the music sounds like, he embodies the music like it’s part of him. And he’s amazing.”

Whatever Lam signs in Auslan (Australian sign language) on stage, Watkins will mention in English. They’ll tweak the show a bit for their New Zealand performances, as there are some slight differences between Auslan and NZSL (New Zealand sign language) although “we share so much of the same sign”.

But when it comes to embracing sign language, Aotearoa is “very different” from her home country, she says.

“New Zealand people are very accepting and acknowledge different languages. But in Australia, it’s not the case. And so I think that’s why we’re so excited in New Zealand, because there’s a lot of understanding and encouragement and support for sign language in New Zealand.”

While Emma Memma content is available on YouTube and YouTube Kids in New Zealand, she’s working with Australia’s ABC to see if the show can come to New Zealand screens. “If we can be on TV in New Zealand soon, that would be fantastic.”

Watkins guesses she’s been to Aotearoa about 15 times over the past 10 years as part of the Wiggles and is “obsessed” with the country.

“We love New Zealand, and last year when we brought Emma Memma there for the first time, it was just so nice to be there - especially because we had time to visit schools. And so we’re hoping to do the same this time too.”

She has “beautiful memories” of a meet and greet at Ko Taku Reo in Kelston in Auckland last year. “[They] lead with sign language in their learning and their education, and their staff just embraced Elvin ... everyone was signing.

“Those kinds of moments, those memories are things that we remember forever.”

Watkins is excited for Kiwi audiences to see the upcoming show and learn from Lam’s story.

“We really hope that everybody can get up and be involved and dance along or sign along. And the great thing about sign language is that it’s interchangeable.

“You can adjust the choreography so that if you are sitting in a seat or if you’re a parent that doesn’t really want to dance, you can just move your hands and then everybody knows the sign.

“Come on down, join in, it’s big, it’s energetic, it’s joyous.”

Tickets for Emma Memma’s Twirly Tour of New Zealand go on sale on Friday.

Emma Memma’s Twirly Tour dates

Friday, December 8 - Baycourt X Space, Tauranga

Saturday, December 9 - Clarence St Theatre, Hamilton

Sunday, December 10 - Municipal Theatre, Napier

Tuesday, December 12 - Shed 6, Wellington

Wednesday, December 13 - Sky City Theatre, Auckland

Thursday, December 14 - Glenroy Auditorium, Dunedin

Friday, December 15 - Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch

Bethany Reitsma is an Auckland-based journalist covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2019. She specialises in telling Kiwis’ real-life stories, money-saving hacks and anything even remotely related to coffee.