Thao Cao's comedy career was born out of fear. Several years ago, the Sydney stand-up was working in a corporate admin role when she found herself paralysed with terror in a staff meeting. \"I had to speak in front of about 15 peopleand I was stuttering and shaking,\" she says. <\/p>\n
To build her confidence, Cao signed up for public-speaking courses, and noticed she enjoyed making audiences laugh. <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Previous slide Next slide <\/p>\n
Little monsters go Gaga at Coachella, a Survivor contestant causes outing outrage, The Castle and Star Wars celebrate anniversaries and The Fate and the Furious smash a box office record <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Late night TV show hosts have a field day after the US President hosted his first Easter Egg Roll. <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Court and Duncan fail to rack up the points with their roast lamb dish in the My Kitchen Rules Quarter Finals. <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
The Feed look at whether the social attitudes of Millennials have or haven't changed over time, and why it matters. From The Feed on SBS Viceland, 7.30 weeknights. <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Australian author Adam Wallace had 'no idea' his book, How to Catch the Easter Bunny would be read at Donald Trump's first Easter Egg Roll. <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Pop star Lady Gaga finds a cure for movie budget blowouts: instead of paying for extras, just charge fans for the privilege of being in her new film A Star Is Born. <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Police investigating the death a year ago of pop star Prince found numerous opioids scattered around his home but appear not to have identified where or who supplied the dose of fentanyl that caused his death. <\/p>\n
Play Video Don't Play <\/p>\n
Manu tells the Seafood King, \"If you were sitting here tonight, you would take this apart!\" at Josh and Amy's instant restaurant, Longshore Drift. <\/p>\n
Little monsters go Gaga at Coachella, a Survivor contestant causes outing outrage, The Castle and Star Wars celebrate anniversaries and The Fate and the Furious smash a box office record <\/p>\n
Now, after three years of positive reviews on the Australian comedy circuit, she's performing on May 17 at Sydney Comedy Festival (April 24 toMay 21) as part of the \"Fresh\"line-up of emerging talent, with her show Appropriately Inappropriate. As the name suggests, Cao's humour wades into delicate territory racism associated with her Vietnamese background (her family emigrated to Sydney when she was two), cultural and gender issues, and her own insecurities. <\/p>\n
\"I've only ever had one person walk out,\" she says cheerfully, \"but I am politically incorrect and I find humour in subjects that are not normally funny.\" <\/p>\n
She shares the Fresh line-up with other women who venture where others fear to tread. Frida Deguise draws material from her experience as a Sydney Muslim woman, finding laughs in traditionally divisive subjects, and Sophie Long's preoccupation with gothic horror mythology makes for gloriously dark humour. <\/p>\n
Fear and comedy are natural bedfellows, Cao says, and perhaps more so for female comedians, who have had to fight harder over the years to break in. \"It wasn't so long ago women couldn't even get into Toastmasters, where I did my speaking courses,\" she says. \"It's been tough.\" <\/p>\n
As for her own jitters, they're vanquished almost. \"I still get nervous. But if you're not taking risks and you're not afraid, you get bored.\" <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Here is the original post: Thao Cao's comedy career was born out of fear. Several years ago, the Sydney stand-up was working in a corporate admin role when she found herself paralysed with terror in a staff meeting. \"I had to speak in front of about 15 peopleand I was stuttering and shaking,\" she says. Continue reading
\nBold women join Sydney Comedy Festival's emerging talent - The Sydney Morning Herald<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"