Alice-India: Be Brave! (or whatever) is the 45 minute guide to friendship and being normal from
comedian, writer, and podcaster Alice-India. In their show Alice-India aims to answer the question they’ve wanted to ask for a long time: “How did you get so many friends?” And to a lesser extent, “Hang on…am I weird?” This is a show for anyone that’s felt like they can’t quite crack the unspoken rules and codes of friendship and the social minefields of getting to know someone. If you’ve ever felt like the only one without The Script, this is a show for you. We spoke to Alice-India about feeling like a hangovers, and being priced out of the Fringe and feeling like a gremlin.
Funny Women: Tell us about your show.
Alice-India: This is a 45-minute show about feeling like a gremlin, trying to connect with others -especially girls – and not knowing if you’re doing it right. It’s about not knowing the right level of enthusiasm to use and whether it’s ok to be so honest. It’s for anyone who came out of the pandemic going “oh no, not all of this again.”
FW: What inspired this show in the first place?
AI: I started putting this show together in 2019 when I felt bulletproof under the title: Sorry I’m So Great or Whatever. The format and structure are essentially the same, but I don’t want to give too much away. I think perhaps what’s different about the show now is that we are all different. I’m not bulletproof anymore, and I’m questioning whether I ever was. I think it’s still a happy and relatable show, but I’ve had to be a lot more self-reflective this time around. I’m really happy about it though.
FW: How does it feel to be returning to a ‘back to normal’ Edinburgh Fringe?
AI: Whilst I think the break has been good, I am so happy to see an in-person Edinburgh again. Seeing my material through the eyes of audiences I might never reach the rest of the year is such a special feeling. I get to spend time with acts I don’t get to see very often and the opportunity to see acts I’ve otherwise never heard of. Some aspects I’m not too pleased to see “back to normal” are the way working-class attendees are being priced out more than ever and the lack of proper accessibility for
disabled acts and audiences. I hope more is going to be done in the future to make the Fringe more accessible to working class and disabled people.
FW: Have you got any tips for comedians going up to the festival for the first time?
AI: However long you are here, take it slow. It’s so easy to get pulled into the daily drinking, I know I’m struggling to get to bed before midnight, but there are so many opportunities and you don’t want to miss out because you’re hungover. Equally, try and see at least one show a day that isn’t your best pal. You might end up discovering an act that completely reshapes how you view comedy.
FW: Who are the funny women are you hoping to see in Edinburgh this year?
AI: So many! Acts I’ve not seen before like Bella Hull and Rachel Fairburn. I’m excited to see Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Lou Sanders, Micky Overman, and Helen Bauer. I was pretty devastated to find out I clashed with Sikisa and Harriet Kemsley, as well as missing out on tickets to see Sophie Duker. There are so many brilliant women at the Fringe. The Tron is doing an all-women line up so you have to get down there if you love seeing women smash a gig to pieces.
Alice-India: Be Brave! (or Whatever) is at the Wee Room, Three Sisters at 20:45 until 28th August. For tickets visit EdFringe.com
