While we head off to take part in the very first Women in Comedy Festival UK in Manchester this coming Thursday, its namesake festival in Boston USA Women in Comedy Festival has just opened for applications. Such festivals share our aims of promoting women in the comedy world and I am personally delighted that the market has expanded and grown for women across all genres of comedy – performing, writing, producing and directing.
On Thursday, 24th October I will be at The Lowry in Salford Quays producing a show of award winning comedy from this year’s Funny Women Awards and running a taster workshop which includes some techniques for kickstarting a career in comedy and some insights into what it’s like to work in the industry. Even if you don’t want to be a performer, you may want to write or produce shows and it’s a great opportunity for us to outreach to anybody who’s thought about comedy but not quite taken the plunge!
As well as the workshop Thursday will be a bumper day of Funny Women performing too, with the overall winners of the Funny Women Awards 2013. Twisted Loaf – Libby Northedge and Nina Smith – will demonstrate exactly why they took first prize with their quirky double act that switches between dialogue and sketch. They are joined by Awards runner up Katie Lane and finalist Dotty Winters and we are also proud to present Alex Maher with an excerpt of her hilarious show Hope and Gloria – which won our first ever Best Show Award, a brand new nomination category that we introduced to the Funny Women Awards this year. The show will be hosted by the very talented Rachel Fairburn who herself made it into the final of the Funny Women Awards in 2008.
I look forward to meeting you!
Lynne Parker
For more information about the Boston Women in Comedy Festival click HERE!
For more information about The Funny Women Showcase and Workshop click HERE!
Pictured: Top – Alex Maher in Hope and Gloria, bottom – Rachel Fairburn
