5 Questions with Annie Louey
Annie Louey is a comedian, radio host and now marriage celebrant. She started doing stand-up as a teenager and became a National Finalist in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Class Clowns competition.
Since then, she has appeared in the Herald Sun, the Age and on triple j's Good Az Friday. She has performed around Australia and internationally, at the Edinburgh Fringe and New Zealand Fringe festivals. Her latest show, Annie Louey’s Big Break, explores the growth that happens after a big break-up.
No.1
Tell us more about Annie Louey’s Big Break. How did you begin to conceptualise it?
This is my third solo show and it combines stand-up, storytelling and physical comedy.
There’s never a good time for a break-up, but I was dumped on the opening night of my Comedy Festival show last year. For comedians, the festival is one of the most exciting but also stressful times of the year.
The show I was performing then was called Before I Forget: about memory, lost objects, and finding my dad’s old photography from when he migrated from Hong Kong to country Victoria in the 1950s. I couldn’t even tell the audience about what a wreck I was because it seemed so out of context to the show.
So I gathered all of my thoughts, shelved them for a while and now I’m unpacking them for a brand new show.
No.2
How did you get your start in comedy? Was there a turning point?
The short story is that I entered the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Class Clowns Competition as a teenager.
The long story is that I became a burns survivor when I was 16 and it made me 1) very depressed and 2) motivated me—because I felt we could die at any moment. I thought: let’s enter a comedy competition because you might die on stage but heck, you won’t die for reals, so what have you got to lose!
Making it to the national final got me hooked on the rush of making audiences laugh but there weren’t many avenues for an underage kid to pursue from that point onwards. My parents were certainly not taking me to a bar late at night so I could perform.
But in 2017, when I was feeling most uncertain about whether or not comedy was for me, I set a goal for myself. I was going to do 50 gigs that year, and if I didn’t make progress then I would quit trying forever. (Yep, I was immature and over-dramatic back then!)
The gigs ranged from five-minute spots in dingy bars to doing a full show at the Melbourne Fringe for six nights. After that, I picked up on the mental baggage that was holding me back. Turns out, you have to keep showing up, and then progress is inevitable.
No.3
You were meant to perform the show at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which ended up getting cancelled due to COVID-19. But you’ve luckily managed to receive funding to move the show online. What benefits, challenges and/or surprises did you discover while transitioning to the livestream format?
Annie Louey’s Big Break was meant to show over 22 nights at the Chinese Museum, in a small 40-seater room with a tiny stage. It’s an incredible, historic venue but thanks to COVID-19, I’ve inadvertently scored myself a much bigger space with a stage that’s huge in comparison.
As it’s only going to be for one night now, there’s naturally a lot more pressure because it’s both the debut and the finale. Normally I would film my shows on the final Friday or Saturday night when I’ve had lots of practice and there’s a full audience. Instead, I’ll only have about 10 invited guests and crew members.
I also ran into some hurdles with obtaining copyrighted music, as the rules are much stricter when it comes to online streaming. My director Liz Skitch suggested using a live musician instead. And that’s when I asked my friend Miranda Hill to come on board. We met through doing Chinese classes for adults about five years ago. Our Chinese skills are now pretty poor but creativity is at an all-time high!
No.4
What inspiration or sources do you usually find yourself reaching for when writing a show?
I’m most inspired by the things that happen to me in my life, and by chatting to friends. I’m a big believer in life imitating art. What happens in real life is so much funnier than anything I can make up.
No.5
What can we expect at Annie Louey’s Big Break?
It’s going to take a totally different direction compared to my past stand-up shows. We’re talking costume changes, fake blood, and a kazoo.
I’m really excited to be making use of all the cool technology we have on hand at Stupid Old Studios where we’re filming. For example, when you tune in to the live recording, you’ll be able to use the chat function to comment during the show. Afterwards, we’ll be answering questions in the exclusive Q&A session with my director and I.
Finally, if you can’t make it to the show, it will be kept online permanently so you can stream it at your convenience.
Annie Louey’s Big Break is streaming live online on Sat 20 June, 8PM via Stupid Old Studios.
Buy tickets here now.