This month I will be talking to different acts that are taking part in the Brighton Fringe Festival. Today I speak to Siân Docksey about the show Pole Yourself Together

Location: Brighton Spigeltent Bosco
Date: 29th May
Time: 15:30
Ticket Price: £10 Concession £8
Link: https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/sian-docksey-pole-yourself-together/

Hello! Tell us about your act ? 

I’m a pole dancing comedian: I do jokes and existential dread while hanging off a stick. This is a new show about trying to sort your life out while the world is on fire. But fun!

How did you come up with the name of your show that you are taking to the Brighton fringe?

The artistic reason I’d like to tell journalists and appear in Q&A’s: 

This show is about being stubbornly optimistic even when you don’t feel like it. Pole dancing has helped me a lot with that in my real life so I ended up writing an hour about it.

The honest reason:

My friend Charlie messaged me “pole yourself together!” as a stupid pun on WhatsApp just as I had to fill out my Fringe admin and it seemed like a good name for a show.

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

It’s a combination of stand-up, pole dancing and some more surreal stuff in between. I’ve been having a lot of fun finding ways to make pole dancing funny and like to mix things up!

What can people expect from your Brighton Fringe performance?

I’m going to tell you now that there’s a LOT of my bum on display and it’s a large, pasty orb so, I’d recommend sunscreen.

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?

I’m really stoked about the entire Weekend of Weird programme and especially excited for Lorna Rose Treen’s character comedy show.

How are the rehearsals going?

I’m making my body get used to pole dancing for at least an hour a day to prepare for the whole of August in Edinburgh so I am feeling productive but sore. 

Have you done the fringe before? What have been some of your favourite shows to date and why?

I haven’t yet! It’s my first time and I’m really looking forward to checking it out. 

What advice would you give to others who want to perform at Brighton Fringe next year?

Apply!

What are your three favourite things about Brighton?

1. The intimidating confidence of seagulls.
2. The lovely, fun and supportive queer arts scene.
3. When I got papped with my husband:

Tell us about your average day on a festival show run?

It depends on the festival: at the Edinburgh Fringe, during the day I’d do a bit of physical preparation for my own show, some flyering, try to eat a humungous bowl of pasta before getting onstage and then afterwards see as much other peoples’ stuff as I can. In Brighton it’s a one-off so after that I’ll dive into the festival and see what else is there.

Performing by the sea as well, that surely makes the fringe all that much more fun?

Yes – seawater is not recommended for pole dancing but I enjoy the added jeopardy.

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member?

Bimini from Drag Race! She’s an incredible pole dancer as well as all-round stellar queen so I would be incredibly stoked for her to see my show. And everyone reading this interview, you are my dream audience member and I would love you to buy a ticket. 

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?

I’m mainly on Instagram: @ siandocksey and you can come see the show for the full month in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival there too. 

And Finally finish this sentence – ‘you should see our show at Brighton Fringe because….

It’ll be the best pole dancing stand-up comedy show about dread by a queer Welsh-Armenian woman from Belgium you see all year!