This Saturday, February 20, at 5:30 pm, local event organiser Heart Open welcomes Sydney-based comedian and ABC journalist Ange Lavoipierre to The Lass O'Gowrie hotel in Wickham where she will perform Zealot. The hour-long show charts Lavoipierre's course from 10-year-old evangelist to fully-fledged heathen.
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To get us in the mood, Lavoipierre answered some questions about herself and her comedy.
How long have you been doing comedy?
Maybe four years? There was some stop-start at the beginning. Before I tried stand up, I was playing cello with an improv duo called Bear Pack (Steen Raskopolous & Carlo Ritchie). Once we started touring on the festival circuit I realised how much terrible comedy there was in the world and figured performing might be within my reach after all. Twist: it turned out to be harder than I thought.
Would you consider yourself first a writer or a comedian? What are the similarities and differences?
Probably a writer because I do it for a living at the ABC, and am able to write plenty that isn't funny. Please see my Instagram poetry for proof of this.
That said, I don't think there are many comedians who aren't writers. Maybe none. Writing is more than pen to paper in the context of comedy. It's physical, and it's improvised, as well as whatever is in a script. Sorry that this is not a very clearly written answer. Maybe I am a comedian first.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your personal history with religion without giving away the show?
I can try! I had a conversion experience when I was about 10 and decided that I was going to try to tell everyone about Jesus. The show is in some ways about the journey from that point, backwards (or forwards?) into non-belief. Other forms of spirituality make cameos too. It's a show about lying, being lied to, trust and forgiveness.
Why will people enjoy your show on Saturday?
They will get a WILD story and I will do weird ass characters for them. It's a highly unpredictable and deeply silly show, and we will all leave as best friends.
Tickets and details: facebook.com/herartopen.
Later The Lass will host musical duos The Mild Times at and Moonsign (free entry).