Ange Lavoipierre is a newcomer to comedy, touring a split bill to Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe in 2018.
She’s also the longstanding cello accompanist to the beloved improv duo, The Bear Pack and the co-host of the ABC’s daily news and current affairs podcast, ‘The Signal’.
We took some time to speak to Ange about comedy, her Sydney Comedy Festival debut and grabbed some hot tips too!
When and where was your first gig and how did it go?
My first gig was at this long-standing room called a Mic In Hand in Glebe in 2016. The MC told everyone it was my first time, so it was the most supportive crowd in the world. As a result, my second, third and fourth gigs were disastrous because I had no idea what I was in for. It was like winning the pokies the first time you play.
What do you love most about being a comedian?
Unsolicited advice from my parents about what I should “put in the show”. More than that though, the ridiculous challenge of making strangers laugh and the performance adrenaline which never seems to get much less.
What can we expect from your debut Sydney Comedy Festival show?
There’s a twist. Or twists, really. I don’t want to give away too much, but my dad is in it. It’s personal and absurd, and dark, and fast, and I play the cello on stage. There are ghosts, and snails, and the American sociologist Erving Goffman. It’s like an hour
long fever dream about how desperately we all want to be liked.
Your best advice for someone wanting to pursue a career in comedy?
Don’t wait for your stuff to be perfect before you start. Get better by doing. Write and perform as much as you can. It’s the only way to get really good.
The funniest person you know who’s not a comedian and why?
Sydney artist Natalie Synnott, who, outside of art, expresses herself primarily via her millions of finstas. She is unendingly grim and silly and strange. @stupid_bitch_energy is a good place to start.
Your hot tips for this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival?
Steph Tisdell, Ben Kochan, Alex Edelman and Carlo Ritchie are some of the new shows that I’m excited to see. I also can’t wait to see what Hannah Reilly has come up with, and I’m devastated to have missed out on tickets to James Acaster. We all should be.
