Jess Nicks is a performance artist, coach and practitioner of silliness. She is bringing her debut one-woman show ‘Bitch on the Mic’ to the Brighton Fringe in May!
What have you been up to?
Surviving a near death experience and lots of bad health since – BUT it was this that kicked my butt onto the stage so I am grateful. Three sell-out mini shows in 2025 at SweetFest…so I took the concept into development.,
Swotting up on skills at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama – 3 month evening course with Hannah Ballou and doing Elf Lyons Clown and Bouffon 4 day masterclass. All to help with the crafting of B!TCH ON THE MIC
What’s ahead for you then?
A run of shows (the preview has already SOLD OUT) with plans to tour the UK in 2026/27. The dream of Edinburgh definitely has legs.
How did you get into comedy?
Honestly? I was training to be a life-coach (permission to roll your eyes granted) and during the module about marketing, this idea popped into my head that my inner critic was a bitch….and suddenly words of a book came pouring out of me – 65k of them that miraculously were pitched at Penguin Business back in 2019. They told me it’s not a no, but we don’t like the word ‘bitch’ and also please go and build your business. I built the business. Glad I didn’t take the advice on the word bitch though!
Part of that proposal I recorded an audio demo of a chapter of the book called the cast of Bitches. It was very silly with lots of different voices and music to illustrate the tone. This was the foundation of everything that was to come…it just took the dance with death for me to FINALLY do something about it!
Tell us about your comedy style?
Like playing hopscotch with clown, character, story-telling and in-all physical comedy. It took me a while to realise I am actually a Performance Artist, rather than strictly comedy.
What’s your show about and where can we see it?
It’s an inner critic showdown. I tackle all the shameful things we don’t say out loud for fear of judgment and being ostracized. I become all the characters that hijack my brain when my inner critic takes over. There’s a whole cast of bitches – one for every emotion in life! Which is great for me – a never-ending supply of material. You can see it at The Rotunda on Regency Sq 23-25th May at 3.45. The preview on May 7th is already SOLD OUT!
Where do you get your inspiration from?
The dark side of my brain. The issues my clients come to me with (without breaking confidentiality. They tend to be universal issues many women struggle with). My lived experience of complex trauma. Posts I see on the socials about what women are strugg;ling with
What do you think makes great comedy?
When someone is so embodied and connected to their performance, I am so connected to what they are expressing, I just love it. When people break the ‘rules’ eg when Peep Show set the tone, when Fleabag blew the tone up. I love it when a performer isn’t afraid to lean in and keep pushing to see how far they can take the performance / joke
Any advice for those starting out?
My advice would be don’t listen to your inner critic bitch who says not yet / you’re jokes aren’t good enough / it’s not the right time. Challenge those thoughts and ask WHY THE HELL NOT. The time is always now.
What’s next for you?
I have ADHD – I’ve got the next 5 years of theatre with 3 shows planned in my brain, haha. My current show will get a name change to B!CTHES as I tour the uk. I am also starting to write a show about the sh*t show that is having reproductive health issues (and other chronic and allergy related illness). And of course there’s the menopause to tackle – I am 45 and in the middle of peri, collecting material as the days go by.
Who are your favourite Funny Women?
My fascination with this world started with Deborah Francis White and her Guilty Feminist Podcast which introduced me to countless funny women. I’m obsessed with Elf Lyons and her style of making memoir-style performance into something hilarious and meaningful. And across the pond, I’ll never forget how astonished I was when I first saw Eliza Schlesinger’s Elder Millennial. She’s been a big inspiration for me.
How does it feel to be performing your show at the Brighton Fringe?
IT FEELS AMAZING. As a woman stepping into the world of performance art and comedy at the tender age of 45, I’ve had some interesting bitches (and demons!) to confront. As my material names all the things that women are secretly thinking, i think my work quickly garnered a reputation as its so relatable. It feels great to have been a permission slip for other women to have a laugh at themselves and to let go all the unhelpful stories they have about themselves
What do you love about comedy?
WOW it’s like I am connected to SOURCE. It’s like a summoning of the inner child for an pic no-rules playtime. I think very quickly in multiple layers of sound, image, texture, feelings….giving myself permission to do this within the parameters of creating a ‘performance’ has been extremely rewarding. It’s definitely what my soul has been calling me to do for a long time. I used to be a ‘promo producer’ in a previous career-life so story-telling has always been part of my creative life.
You can get tickets for ‘Bitch on the Mic’ here.
And you can follow Jess on socials here.
