Sugar Bits are back with their riotous sketch show, Feminist Trash, and they are ready to wreak hilarious havoc on Melbourne once more. Nicola Pohl, Tessa Luminati, and Stephanie Beza are the three brains behind the operation - so perfectly in sync it’s almost unfair to the rest of us. Unsurprisingly, when asked to do an interview, they answered as a single, terrifyingly witty entity.
Both the group name and the show title are boldly chosen, feeling playful, ironic, and a little provocative, teasing out how the group’s identity is reflected in - or upended by - these names. "It genuinely comes from very shallow beginnings: Sugar tits, but because we’re sketch comedy, we do Bits! Sugar Bits! Whereas Feminist Trash was born from a tagline when flyering for our first show, Hit n Hope, where we would say to people 'this show is feminist trash'," they tell me. "It just caught on and became an idea we wanted to make a show about. Feminist Trash subverts the name Sugar Bits because the name is ultra-femme, but the way Feminist Trash is grotesque, stupid, and dark, can be seen as unfeminine or ugly, which happens to be the way we like to be femme!"
"We did start out with a fourth member, and we weren’t Sugar Bits back then," they reveal. "We were a group called SpudPuppy Productions, putting on a kids show. Our fourth member had to pull out for scheduling reasons and so Nic, who was acting as our director, jumped in and played their role. That’s when we discovered our dynamic. Every time we went to work on the children's show, we kept coming up with satire and material that wasn’t meant for kids. So after that project was over, we followed that thread of temptation and thus Sugar Bits was born."
Sugar Bits humour goes to gloriously strange places. I ask them about their process for developing ideas, and how they know when a concept is weird enough or too weird. "Our directors Sharnema Nougar and Liv Bell always say: 'If it makes you laugh, do it more!'. Some sketches come from the beautiful writing brain of Steph, and others come from improvisation that went so well that it made it into the show,"
"Weirdness is what happens when we're exploring, and there is a bit of a catharsis from being able to play with such abandon. But the key part to creating a show is finding our flow with each other and having the right people to help us make it. We take great pride in our years of knowing each other. Pair that with a directing team who can polish up our technique and writing, and you’ve got yourselves a bloody good show! And a concept is never too weird; in fact, our next show will only be weirder," they tease.
Feminist comedy can spark wildly different reactions depending on who is in the room. Sugar Bits haven’t escaped this, encountering some shockingly surprising - and occasionally terrifying - moments from the crowd. "OOOOH GOD YES! From dude-bros who looked like fish-out-of-water that ended up being the loudest laughers of the night, to the girlie pops on a Friday night out (our exact demographic) who watched the whole show with glazed over eyes, we get all sorts of responses! One time, Nic’s finger found itself in the mouth of a hot bisexual in the middle of a song called "The Feminism Left My Body When"..." they trail off...
Over the course of Feminist Trash’s run, they have been recognised with various festival and theatre award nominations and wins, a rare level of recognition for sketch comedy, particularly one that proudly calls itself 'trash', confirming that their glittering trash pile has earned its place. "THE TRASH PILE IS GLITTERING!" they laugh. "The 'trash' comes from us not taking ourselves seriously, and it’s a reflection of us prioritising play, foolishness, and silliness. Knowing that that we’re getting award nominations from that, doesn’t change that the show is rooted in trash, it just means that the trash element is resonating with people. We’re all trash and awards are strange, yet we love the attention!"
You can give these Sugar Bits all the attention during their two-week season at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from next month.
MICF QUICKFIRE FIVE
1. The most memorable audience reaction I've ever received is...
Stephanie: When I walked down the aisle of the audience playing an alto saxophone and someone, at the top of their lungs, screamed “YEEEEEEEESSSSSS”!
Tessa: When we spray the audience with water to “melt” them but they just open their mouths.
Nicola: My brother (who does NOT go to the theatre) genuinely liking the show.
2. A totally absurd award I’d win if it existed is …
Stephanie: "Most Determined to Become a Jack of All Performance Trades" - (she said, currently learning the cajon for a body & instrumental percussion show whilst at Adelaide Fringe performing in an improv show, and a drag show on top of Feminist Trash).
Tessa: "The Funniest, Least Funny Comedian Who Isn’t a Comedian and Hasn’t Properly Done Comedy". What is a clown? Get that Red nose away from me ahhhhhhh.
Nicola: "Sweatiest Player" (though that one might be a tough win).
3. The worst thing I have ever eaten is….
Stephanie: Oysters when I was seven. I was not ready for those saltwater boogers.
Tessa: Probably the meal prep I just cooked. Watery chilli with possibly undercooked beans…
Nicola: My ex.
4. One backstage ritual that makes me feel ready to get on stage is …
Stephanie: I eat an apple about 20 minutes before going on stage and do a very specific vocal warmup to make sure my voice is sitting where it should be.
Tessa: Having a yap…. then I need complete silence.
Nicola: Throwing away Steph’s apple core then listening to Tess yap.
5. If I could swap places with another performer for a day, it would be ...
Stephanie: Stephanie J Block - INCREDIBLE vocalist. She has performed on Broadway so many of the roles I would love to play one day; Grace in The Pirate Queen, Elphaba in Wicked, Judy in 9 to 5, etc.
Tessa: Alex from Wright&Grainger. I definitely want to get inside his writing mind.
Nicola: Either Stephanie Beza or Tessa Luminati because I must know what the hell is going on in there.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: The Motley Bauhaus, 118 Elgin St, Carlton
Season: 6 - 19 April | 8:20pm
Duration: 55 minutes
Tickets: $33 Full | $29 Conc & Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival
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