Women in Comedy Festival returns to Manchester

In 2008 when Barack Obama was announced as President of the United States of America there was a quick assumption made that this would put an end to racism. A black president would automatically halt the mouthbreathers of the country from hating anyone based solely on the colour of their skin.

In 2013 a similar sea change was felt in the world of comedy when Bridget Christie’s feminist treatise on the engendering of the inanimate, A Bic For Her, was announced as the winner of the coveted Foster’s Comedy Award. All of a sudden everyone in comedy stopped perceiving jokes coming from the mouth of a lady as lesser than those spewed from the mouth of a man. Roy Chubby Brown and Jim Davidson immediately exploded, unable to cope with a comedic landscape equal in its gender topography.

Of course, none of this is true. Racism is still rife in America and the rest of the world, and Messrs Brown and Davidson are still peddling their backward acidic stylings with impunity. Women are still marginalised in the arts, especially in comedy where the old adage of ‘women can’t be funny’ is trotted out all too often by those hoping to add another pane to the glass ceiling. The focus is more on the content of their wardrobe than that of their mind; they are judged on the weight of their bodies rather than their words.

Working to offset the balance of male to female comedians, the Women in Comedy Festival now enters its third year of promoting female talent in the Northwest and beyond. This year the festival boasts turns from Mae Martin, Birthday Girls, this month’s Spotlighter Sophie Willan, and many more.

Instead of giving yet another white man’s opinion on the plight of the female of the species, we thought we’d ask some of the people involved in the festival both past and present – comedians Hayley Ellis, Kiri Pritchard McLean, Jana Kennedy, Harriet Dyer, Rachel Fairburn and Evelyn Mok, and comedy producer Alex Hall – to have their say on women in comedy.

The Skinny: Why do you feel the Women in Comedy Festival is important?

Hayley Ellis: When it's still commonplace in an office to  hear people use the phrase "I don't like female comedians" I think it's important that we show that female comedy isn't a genre. The festival has a wide range of amazing comics who are incredibly funny and also happen to have a vagina.  Plus I need to stop temping in offices with idiots who say such things. 

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: It's great to have a whole festival devoted to women performing in comedy because next time someone writes an awful piece called 'Where are all the women in comedy?' we can throw this brochure in their face. 

Also, from a purely business point of view there is a market and an audience for this festival. Plenty of people are tired of going to comedy clubs and watching four white men in their forties. I think audiences are after a more reflective experience.

Jana Kennedy: I think it is a brilliant platform for women to present their work. The audiences tend to be quite mixed so there is clearly demand and interest in female comedians. It allows people to see lots of different work, made by women, hosted by a brilliant grassroots festival, in Manchester, a city where shit gets done!

Harriet Dyer: It showcases a wonderful amount of talented women in comedy and it'd be great if the dunderheads that still believe that women are not funny would have a gander to see how ludicrous that is. But I suspect they'll be too busy being idiotic.

Can you give an example of the sexism you’ve faced in comedy?

Rachel Fairburn: I've had the old "Can't have two women on the bill" comment from a couple of promoters. Which is odd, because a lot of lineups tend to be all male, so there's no worry about having more than two men on. Some promoters seem to be under the illusion that women only talk about the same things, which is bizarre. Either that or they are scared we may synchronise and attract bears and sharks, thus putting the punters in peril.  

Evelyn Mok: Mostly it's well-meaning audience members who tell you about their preconceived ideas about women not being funny but that you are an exception to that rule. Classic complisault.

HD: This'll sound odd but I actually forget I'm a woman until shizz like this happens – when there's a large audience and the moment the compere announces my name (which is clearly female) you hear a chorused groan. My favourite was when I was following another female comic and heard from an audience member, "Aw no not another fucking woman!"

Everyone's got their own taste in what comedy they like but I think with male comics sometimes people tend to go, "Ah his stuff's not for me," whereas with female comics after they've heard material that hasn't been up their street they'll be a bit more like, "Eurgh this is why I don't like female comedians blah blah blah blah."

Do you believe that things are getting better for women in comedy?

HD: I think there'll always be idiots, so the wonderful comics (that happen to be female) just need to keep representing as they are and anyone that doesn't like that can go suck a bag of dicks. 

K P-M: Yes and no. I think audiences are more progressive than the industry in many ways. I think there is a genuine appetite on the circuit for more diversity from the voices we hear on stage. However, I think TV needs to catch up with radio where there's no need for explicit quotas and there's loads of women on comedy shows being brilliant and no one seems to be nervous about it. 

Alex Hall: Yes, but there's still a long way to go. I've heard of shocking examples of sexism both from audiences and (sadly) within the industry, but in recent years the tide does seem to be turning, so to speak.  

RF: Definitely. I think attitudes are changing, I think it's about time really. When you consider that in America some of the top comics are female like Amy Schumer and Tina Fey, it's time we caught up.

HE: With people like Hazel O'Keefe (Women in Comedy Festival director) around, comedy is all good. Although if she stops booking me she is defo a sexist.

EM: Yes. Sexism is an -ism that is being actively dealt with in our society and it is reflected in the comedy industry. And one day, hopefully soon, we ladies in comedy won't need to answer questions about it anymore.

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Evelyn Mok is at The Whiskey Jar, Mon 19 Oct, 8pm

Hayley Ellis is at Gullivers, Wed 21 Oct, 8pm

Harriet Dyer is at The Whiskey Jar, Wed 21 Oct, 7.30pm

Rachel Fairburn is at The Whiskey Jar, Wed 21 Oct, 10pm

Jana Kennedy is at Gullivers, Thu 22 Oct, 8pm

Kiri Pritchard-McLean is at The Castle, Fri 23 Oct, 6.30pm

You can find the full festival lineup at womenincomedy.co.uk