Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
Hello! I’m Sophie, a comedian. I like Scotch whisky, late-night dancing, spicy food and bland men.
How would you describe your show?
I’d describe my show Venus as absolutely worth the money, honey.
Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
I genuinely didn’t realise it was optional.
What differentiates it from other festivals?
Edinburgh Fringe gets into your bones, you breathe it in every morning and shit it out at night. It’s beautiful and exhausting and all-encompassing and unique.
What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?
When I saw Josie Long live for the first time, she was so good I think she probably changed my body chemistry. But I’ve always loved being a little wisecracking weirdo, so stepping into the industry wasn’t strictly intentional – I just kept doing it in increasingly professional scenarios.
If you didn’t have your current job, what would you probably be doing?
I’d be an assassin for hire – like Jodie Comer's character in Killing Eve. Speaking six languages, wearing couture and blowing bad white men’s brains out.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
See above.
What is your earliest childhood art memory?
I remember watching the Big Attacks on Art Attack and thinking it was some kind of wonderful witchcraft.
Do you ever feel any pressure to be a social commentator, or constantly update material to respond to events?
Occasionally people want me to be a Woke Black Woman for hire, but my comedy’s not a manifesto or an instruction manual for well-meaning white people! Listen to academics, activists, on the ground organisations – and follow legends like Lowkey, Afua Hirsch, Ash Sarkar, Dr Annabel Sowemimo, Mollie Goodfellow.
Equally, do you think there has been a shift in public sentiment that has affected your work?
Nope.
Describe the last year in 5 words or less?
I keep having romantic misadventures.
If you could work with anybody, from any point in history, who would you pick and why?
Josephine Baker. I feel she was very much the Rihanna Fenty of the 1920s.
Why would a performer opt to do either a ticketed event or participate in the free fringe? What are the benefits and limitations of both?
Free fringe is lovely cause there’s no financial impediment to people walking into your show - people who might not otherwise take a punt will rock in because they’re not being made to pay at point of entry. But, depending on your venue, you may be performing at the bottom of a well, in a broom cupboard, inside some Amazon Prime packaging.
Paid Fringe generally has more rooms of a professional standard and can mean the audience feel more invested in what they’ve come to see – plus, they’ve usually done some research on you! But demographically, it’s not always that diverse – young people and people with less disposable income can get priced out. Luckily, this year, initiatives like Fringe of Colour are popping up to try and tackle some of these problems.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?
Make sure you have all kinds of safety nets: emotional, financial, literal… to stop you going out of your mind when the going gets tough.
When and where can people see your show?
Pleasance Courtyard, 7pm, every damn day of the Fringe.
And where can people find, follow and like you online?
Catch me @sophiedukebox on Instagram and Twitter. I'm a prolific bitch who'll be popping up on various podcasts - check out GrownUpLand on BBC Sounds in particular if you like the sound of the sound of my voice.
You can see Sophie Duker: Venus at Pleasance Below from 31st July – 25th August at 7pm. For tickets, please visit www.edfringe.com
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