Alice Fraser talks ETHOS at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your performing background?
Hm, how much is a little bit. I was born in Sydney and started doing comedy when I tried improv at university and realised I was truly terrible at it. Everything I’ve achieved since then has felt like a massive victory because I started right at the bottom.

Tell me about your show, what it is all about?
It’s a double act with a robot, trying to teach an artificial intelligence something important about what it is to be human.

How long have you been working on this show and what is it that makes it relevant to audiences in 2018?
This show is my 2018 show, so it’s relevant to a lot of the things going on at the moment, from penises to iPhones to my family connection with a mediaeval pottery warrior built by a c12th rabbi… okay, it’s not ALL topical.

Do you have any top tips for surviving the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – both for performers and visitors to the event?
Eat (vegetables), Drink (water) and Be Merry (watch other people’s shows)

What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
After I got off stage at a big gig, my dad came up through the audience, got on the stage and asked the MC to apologise to me for introducing me in a sexist way.

Who are your biggest inspirations in the industry and why?
Anyone who does this work, stays sane and builds themselves an independent platform is awe inspiring to me.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
I’ll have a bubble tea if I can. Or just a couple of cups straight green tea, about two hours before the show, to hack the right balance of adrenaline and focus.

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at Edinburgh Fringe?
Laura Davis “Ghost Machine” is phenomenal, Andy Zaltzman is so unique and prolific he’s his own genre, Catherine Bohart is making her debut this year and is going places.

Why do you think people should come and see your show over the thousands of others on at the Fringe?
I think people should come see my show because I’m saying interesting things and I like saying them to an audience. It’s not as much fun without other people in the room.

ALICE FRASER: Ethos (7:55pm, Underbelly Bristo Square)

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