This Thursday 21st March, the US’s annual Women In Comedy Festival begins, and runs until Sunday 24th March. The festival is now in its fifth year and continues to take place all across Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We’re very excited that Funny Women will be appearing at WICF this year, with Executive Producer and founder Lynne Parker leading a workshop and discussion on Sunday 24th of March. How The Brits Do It will be an opportunity to gain some insight into Funny Women’s journey – having started eleven years ago with the Funny Women Awards, the business has now expanded to cover an increasing variety of workshops and master-classes, an annual programme of shows, events and panel discussions and an ongoing commitment to showcase female talent and support emerging artists.
Lynne will discuss the road to success in the British comedy industry – including how to find an agent, get gigs and perform – as well as touching on her own experiences of taking Funny Women to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. How The Brits Do It will be a valuable chance to look at the differences between British and American humour, and the ways in which cultural differences affect the process of creating and showcasing comedy.
As our lovely readers will know, as an organization, Funny Women seeks to emphasise the importance of humour in everyday life as a form of self-expression that can build confidence and enhance relationships, even if you don’t perform professionally. Lynne’s session promises to be a fantastic addition to a WICF lineup that seeks to support all those interested in the comedy industry, regardless of gender, age or ability.
The Women in Comedy Festival was created by Michelle Barbera and Maria Ciampa in 2009, and expanded to include co-producer Elyse Schuemran in 2010, and previous Head of Public Relations Hillary Buckholtz came onboard as Co-Producer, along with experienced writer and performer Michelle McNulty. The WICF’s aim is to close the gender gap in comedy – giving talented women (and men!) a platform, with submissions for shows and workshops open to all those who wish to apply.
As well as allowing audiences to see a varied programme of comedy of all genres – stand up, sketch, improve and more – it also remains a valuable way for industry professionals to scout some incredible talent and a chance for those in the comedy world to develop professional networks. The 2013 Festival will include panel discussions and workshops, which are open to the public and aim to promote a dialogue between comedians and shed some light on the creative and business side of the industry.
If you’re lucky enough to be Stateside we strongly advise checking out what should be a tremendously successful fifth year – however we’ll be following updates on Twitter and checking out the Festival website HERE to ensure we don’t miss out back here in the UK!
How the Brits Do It will take place at 11.30am on Sunday 24th March at the Improv Asylum. For more information, click HERE.
Pictured: Shoes that fly the flag!
