Please click on the link below to catch footage of the fantastic comics who have made it into the Funny Women Final. To catch them in all their five-minute glory, make sure you buy tickets for the 20th September.
http://www.youtube.com/user/FunnyWomen#p/u/9/2UPdOViDlQE
Sarah Hendrickx
“I’ve always wanted to perform. I had my daughter when I was 19, so the unsociable hours and travel involved wasn’t an option for me. My children are older now, so it’s my turn.
I manage an adult Asperger syndrome project and also my own autism/AS training business. I have written 5 books on AS and speak at conferences on this subject.
I have only been gigging for 8 months and am totally delighted to have got to the final of Funny Women. I feel women have to work harder to be taken seriously in comedy and hope that I can help challenge any outdated notions that women can’t be funny.”
Iona Dudley Ward
Lyn the Confidence Coach
“Studying a degree in Dance and Visual Art (at The University Of Brighton), allowed me to experiment with my passion for writing, performing and devising comedy. During which I won first prize for Brighton Festival’s 2004 “Window Dressing” competition (getting dressed and undressed in a comedy fashion in a shop window). Which strangely, considering I almost got arrested for it – gave me the impetus to pursue a career in comedy!
I’ve been performing solo character comedy regularly for almost four years on the London comedy circuit and presented a couple of solo shows at Edinburgh Festival 2007 and 2009 (as part of PBH’s Free Fringe)… I’ve found the funniest compliment and simultaneous back handed insult from men to be: “Women aren’t usually funny but you really made me laugh”. Cheers I think.
Making the final ( said in a x.factor contestant stylie) is industry recognition for what I’ve been working very hard at and believing in for the last few years and will hopefully give me the opportunity to leave my soul destroying (call centre) day job behind me and enjoy doing what I really love, writing and performing character comedy!”
Abigoliah Schamaun
With an extensive background in theatre and improvisation, Abigoliah is a poised and articulate comedian who shames her mid-west upbringing with her blue (yet persistently dainty) material. As the only young stand-up yogi in the business she combines organic humor with an open heart Chakra. She has performed in venues all over New York City and London. She also took, her one-woman stand-up show “Beacon of Health and Fitness” to the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. www.abigoliah.com
Helen Arney
“Before I started performing I spent years working in classical music radio. Not an obvious place to find inspiration for musical comedy, but for me it was a daily feast of wonderful music and eccentric characters which sometimes appear in my own quirky songs and stories. Less recently, I studied Physics at university and that love of science and discovery, suppressed for so many years, comes out to play in my lyrics.
Getting into the final is yet more proof that “geeks shall inherit the earth” – a terrifically proud moment for comedy, music and science fans everywhere.”
Jess Fostekew
I started stand up in January 2008 having been a writer, improviser and comedy actress for three years, totally ignoring my law degree. I fell horribly in love with comedy and have done nearly 400 gigs in my first two and a half years.
“Her gags crackle with energy and genuine commitment to
conveying emotions” Spoonfed.
Gemma Whelan
Gemma Whelan as Chastity Butterworth
Gemma stood-up for the first time while she was at University, performing her first gig at The Kings Head in Crouch End. She found it so intensely nerve-wracking that it took her six years to do her next one. She is now (a little) more calmly, gigging her way around London, and last year won The Lions Den Champion of Champions Comedy Trophy with her character Chastity Butterworth.
As an actress, Gemma most recently appeared in The Wolfman with Anthony Hopkins. She is completely thrilled to be in the final, ‘Funny Women is the ultimate competition, it’s the one every female comic aspires to appear in, I’m delighted!’ she said.
Julia Clark
“After uni, I spent two years doing youth work. In 2008 I moved to Australia and started working as a legal secretary by day, comic by night. In 2009, I got picked for Comedy Zone, a showcase sponsored by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
I then became a refular on the Sydney circuit, featuring at the Sydney Comedy Store’s 2009 Best of British Season and in the Wicked Women comedy nights. Since moving home, it’s been a steady slog, as I’ve worked to stand out on the UK circuit. Getting this far in the Funny Women Awards has given my confidence a massive boost at the when I needed it the most.”
Thankless Child
Liz Black and Freya Slipper met while they were at Edinburgh University as members of the 21-year-old improv troupe, The Improverts. Over the course of four years, they performed in the troupe’s term and fringe time shows, and both girls served as director. They started writing comedy together in 2008 and took Thankless Child to the Edinburgh fringe as an hour long sketch show at Pleasance in 2009. Since then, both girls have done regular stand up gigs separately and continued to work on other projects together, including co-writing another sketch show at the Edinburgh fringe in 2010, Charmed Forces.
Rachel Parris
Rachel has been on the stand-up circuit around 6 months. She started her career as a classical musician before moving into theatre, improv and finally comedy. She began in comedy doing short-form improv with the Oxford Imps and was an original member of the long-running London improv show Scenes From Communal Living, in a cast including Rob Broderick and Ben Van Der Velde. She also reached the final of the Improv Theatresports Cup 2010 alongside Rob and Jessica Fostekew and has appeared in several sketch shows in London, Oxford and Edinburgh, including alongside Tom Rosenthal in award-winning comedy play Bare Dollar with The Marvellous Dorians. This year she has moved into musical comedy and character stand-up, performing all over London and Funny Women is her first comedy competition – she is incredibly excited to be in the final!
Alison Thea-Skot
Tiff Mason, Vocal Coach Extraordinaire
Alison first started writing comedy with a sketch group called Triple Threat. They performed their spoof reality TV show at the Gilded Balloon in The Edinburgh Festival in 2007. Since then she has performed her own solo character comedy.
As well as being a comedienne Alison is a professional actress and has been heard as a singing Dalek in Doctor Who on BBC7 radio, a moment she treasures. She is vocally ecstatic about making the final of The Funny Women Awards with her character Tiff Mason, especially in their biggest year so far, an indication that the ladies are in full comedic force!
