In a recent article published by comedy website Chortle, we came out top for featuring more female comedians at Komedia Comedy Club shows than any other major comedy club nationally (at a ratio of 60:40).
Chortle’s analysis compared the Friday and Saturday line-ups from September 2024 until November 2024 at 12 major comedy clubs across the country. They found that the vast majority included just one woman on a four comic bill and that, very rarely, did women outnumber men.
Past and upcoming female stand-ups who have performed at Komedia Comedy Club include Nina Conti, Jen Brister, Zoe Lyons, Maisie Adam, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Rachel Fairburn, Shazia Mirza, Olga Koch, Rosie Jones, Laura Lexx, Sara Barron, Helen Bauer, Jo Neary, Sikisa, Amy Gledhill, and Thanyia Moore.
At Komedia Brighton, we aim to provide diverse bills across all of our comedy shows – from Komedia Comedy Club to new talent showcase Comic Boom and queer & alternative comedy club Down The Hatch – and take an intersectional approach to line-ups. This means we don’t just take gender into consideration, but also racial diversity, a varied age range, and platforming people with disabilities, queer performers, and acts from a range of socio-economic backgrounds.
Hal Branson, from leading comedy production company Little Wander, who programme Komedia Comedy Club alongside us, said: ‘Little Wander is pleased that this important conversation is happening – while acknowledging that it’s disappointing and frustrating that it needs to. It has been a privilege to work with Komedia Brighton over the last few years and we would like to thank the incredible staff, artists, and audiences that make the club so special. There is still plenty to do and we will strive for continued improvement across all of our line-ups”.