Who is Stephanie Dogfoot?
Stephanie Dogfoot is a person from Singapore who gets restless easily and is constantly dreaming and scheming. This has led them into a variety of unusual situations. They are or have been a spoken word poet, a stand up comedian, an author, an editor, a salamander research assistant, a drag king, a drag queen and an educator.
Their inability to wait for gig opportunities and their passion for showing off their talented friends has led them to produce their own poetry nights, queer comedy shows and cabarets in Singapore. They find it difficult to walk past monkey bars without trying to climb them.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
Not much, because I would not be here if it wasn’t for choices I made in the past, whether right or wrong. But it would be nice if it was possible to experience different timelines so that I could see where my life would go, and pick the coolest direction. But maybe that would be the ultimate kind of greed?
I sometimes thinking about 2008 I turned down an unpaid position to spend a summer in a rehabilitating raccoons and baby bears in order to intern in an environmental law NGO in a city. It was that summer that I discovered poetry slams and my love for performing.
If I had accepted the wildlife rehabilitation job I may have never become a performer and would not have the life I have now. But maybe I would still be living my dream of working with wild animals? Much to think about.
Who inspires you and why?
I don’t think I have specific people who inspire me, because everyone is flawed, but my artist friends inspire me to keep making things. Activists in Singapore and around the world who stand up for what they believe in and take action despite facing massive risks inspire me to be more courageous and firm in what I believe in.
My parents volunteer, who volunteer with the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Singapore and inspire me to be more selfless and generous every day (while also inspiring me to learn how to avoid making their mistakes).
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
There are so many things I wish I could do or feel I should be doing to make a bigger difference in the world.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
I have a soft spot for Montenegro. About a decade ago I was on a road trip in a van with some hippies I had recently met. We were driving from London to a festival in Greece.
We got stuck in Montenegro for several days because the driver didn’t have the right paperwork to cross the border into Albania. This resulted in a lot of tension and shouting in our van and multiple people having meltdowns, including myself.
However, the country was very beautiful and many locals were very generous and welcoming to us, in spite of our messiness. While at our wit’s end looking for a place to stay, we ran into a woman who told us about a waterfall where we could camp for free. I would like to return there to experience it again, ideally while not staying in a van with eight people in it.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
There is an old theme park in Singapore called Haw Par Villa which was commissioned in early 20th century by the two brothers who developed Tiger Balm. It features hundreds of colourful, sometimes surreal, statues and dioramas depicting Chinese culture, mythology, superstitions, folklore and history.
This includes a cave featuring the nine levels of Taoist hell and the legend of the Monkey God’s Journey to the West, but also random things which have seemingly nothing to do with any of the above like (my favourite) a diorama of a massive bloody battle between rats and guinea pigs.
I love the place because it really makes you think about what the human mind is capable of imagining, the crazy stories that culture is capable of passing down over centuries, and how easy it is to blur the lines between history and myth.
What are you currently reading?
I am reading two books: The Faceless Thing We Adore (Page Street Press), the debut novel by my good friend Hester Steel, about a girl who joins a beautiful island commune that just happens to be a cult that may or may not practice human sacrifice.
I might be biased but it’s a book that really makes you think about what kinds of violence and cosmic horrors we are willing to accept in order to live a comfortable life. Its working title was Eat, Pray, Lovecraft. It is a wild ride that may ruin your faith in humanity.
To restore my faith in humanity, I am also reading the Door to Door Poet by Rowan McCabe, the true story of a poet in the UK who spent a year travelling around England knocking on people’s doors and offering to write poems for them, to surprisingly great results.
What are you currently listening to?
I’ve been listening to a lot the band Kneecap.
Happiness is?
Whenever I pet my dog and see my dog smiling at me while wagging her tail, I have a habit of saying “O happiness, O happiness” to her and although it’s mostly just a catchphrase to me and probably just a noise to her, in that moment it is worth remembering that happiness sometimes is just that.
What does the future hold for you?
Depending on the response to my show GOLD STAR BISEXUAL at the Melbourne Fringe, I may take the show to other countries, write a brand new show for next year or quit comedy altogether. Haha, jk…..unless?
Stephanie can be seen in Gold Star Bisexual – which will be presented at The Motley Bauhaus, from 13 – 18 October, as part of the 2025 Melbourne Fringe Festival. For more information, visit: www.melbournefringe.com.au for details.
Image: Stephanie Dogfoot (supplied)