29 August 2017

How to Fringe 2017: Elyce Phillips

Elyce Phillips
I write and perform with sketch comedy group Bess County
Past reviewer for Squirrel Comedy

The First Annual (Doris to insert) Festival
15–23 of September
Club Voltaire

Bess County. Photo by Jesse Vogelaar

If you could invite anyone to your show (and you knew they would come), who would it be?
We’d love it if Grant Denyer came along. He’s the official muse of Bess County.

SM: Grant D talks on Twitter. See Brianna Williams’s How To Fringe; am I really going to talk to him again? Maybe he'll come. Let's do it. Tweet @grantdenyer. #GetGrantToBessCounty
  
Melbourne Fringe in three words?
Exciting, Experimental, Excessive-consumption-of-hot-chips-by-me.

A favourite Melbourne Fringe memory.
Going to see the Impossible Showcase in 2014. Seeing Demi Lardner suddenly leaking fake blood from her mouth as part of the Bryn Adams Duo remains one of the funniest things I have seen at any festival, and my partner and I still tell each other we’ve got “Big ol’ horse thighs” thanks to Alasdair Trembley-Birchall’s guided meditation. It’s on again this year and you should definitely check it out.

What is your experience as an independent artist being part of the Melbourne Fringe?
This is my first time as an artist at Melbourne Fringe! My experience so far has largely been terror-based nausea. And excitement! And excitement-based nausea!

What makes the Melbourne Fringe unique?
It’s a terrifically inclusive festival and a wonderful place for artists to get their start. You can test the waters, do something weird and you’re not restricted by genre.

What’s your advice for choosing what to see in the Melbourne Fringe?
Go and see at least one artist you’ve never seen before! I’ve stumbled on some of my favourite acts by hanging around after a show and seeing whatever was next at that venue.

Do you think there’s a better system than star ratings for reviews?
Star rating systems are a load of donk. Read the reviews, listen to what your mates are saying about shows and keep an ear out for word of mouth.

Five shows/events that you will not miss at the 2017 Melbourne Fringe.
Ghost vs Skeletons by Rose Bishop and Josh Chodsiezner
Naughty Hands: Signs of love, lust & insults
Stuart Bowden: When Our Molecules Meet Again* Let’s Hope They Remember What to Do *Probably In Space
I’m Here by Hit By A Blimp
Woah, Alyssa! 1