Tag Archives: stand up

The Upside of Being a Support Act

Being a support act seems to be a rite of passage for some comedians; that first step before you take the plunge and go on tour yourself. It showcases you to a bigger audience, although there is always the danger, particularly if the comedian you are supporting is a major star, that you walk on […]

MY Comic Life – Operations, Morphine & Pulling Gigs

Recently comedy took a backseat thanks to an infected abscess which led to an unexpected stay in hospital and an operation under general anaesthetics. This mini misadventure highlighted several things for me: the NHS is bloody fantastic; there is generally no time off in comedy: and when push comes to shove the comedy world is […]

10 Ways I Survived the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

This year was the first time I’d taken a show up for the entire run of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and, to be perfectly frank, I wasn’t looking forward to it. To be even franker, I was dreading it. For those of you not in the know, the Edinburgh Fringe is where hundreds of comics […]

You’re Not Entitled To A Gig

Running a comedy night – even for a short time – is an interesting exercise if only to ascertain how annoying some comics can be. Annoying ticks can vary from cancelling last minute (just a few hours before an out-of-town gig via text is always a favourite); or deciding the gig is far too small […]

MY Comic Life – On the Road

Part and parcel of being a comic is travelling. Primarily because there’s a hell of a lot of it. If you can’t bear the thought of driving/sitting on a train or (depending on how well your career is going) on a Megabus for hours so you can have the pleasure of performing for 20 minutes […]

MY Comic Life – Edinburgh Festival, Slips of the Tongue and Throwing Up

Recent events include me doing a particularly bad job at recognising people at the Edinburgh Festival; ending up on a drip in Cardiff and inadvertently putting my foot in it when it came to raising money for a good cause. Latest most ‘Maureen’ moment has to be during my recent stay up in Edinburgh, where […]

MY Comic Life – Maureen Moments, What’s in a Name and Judging Your Performance

Most ‘Maureen’ moment this year so far must be whilst on a mini tour of the Netherlands and Germany. In Cologne, I stayed at a rather small hotel and in the morning was making the most of having a German breakfast by helping myself to loads of meat. It was only once I’d piled all […]

10 Things Not to Say to a Stand Up Comedian

This list is not exhaustive by any means but here are some common topics to avoid when talking to a stand up comedian. On no account tell us a joke. It’s bound to be one that’s been doing the rounds for years; we – along with everyone else – will have heard it before; it’s […]

MY Comic Life – Comedy Festivals, Prague, Luxembourg & Being Ripped Off

Comedy Festivals – with the notable exception of Edinburgh – can be fun, particularly when you’re there for a couple of days. Normally when you gig abroad, you fly in (as I’m not a morning person that usually means an early afternoon flight); on arrival you get picked up, taken to a hotel with just […]

New Female Comedians Riding The Wave

When I first started running comedy nights featuring all-female line ups around 5 years ago I wasn’t exactly spoilt for choice. Quality wasn’t a problem but the quantity just wasn’t there. Invariably it meant a quick turnaround of comics. This wasn’t ideal and is particularly problematic for clubs such as mine where a large percentage […]

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