A global roundup of comedy shows centering women
Screw waiting ’till shoulder season to travel, summer’s here! My favorite thing about traveling is the opportunity to do stand-up in a new city. It’s easy enough to Google “local comedy clubs” and “open mics in my area” and “sexy singles near me,” but I like to go one step further and search for all-women shows.
There’s nothing like killing it on stage in a safe space, with a captive, like-minded audience. That’s why I’ve put together this roundup of all-fem standup comedy nights happening around the world for you to check out and hopefully, plan your next vacation.
So why wait? It’s time to level up and take your comedy career global with these fellow funny fems!
Festrogen Festival, Luxembourg
Luxembourg’s first women-centric comedy festival was founded by five comedians who wanted to build a safe space for “smart and sassy” kindred spirits to perform and hone their skills through workshops and showcases. According to its website, “Festrogen came about as a means to an end–needing more women and queer people to take the stage as standup comedians. And guess what? It worked.” The festival is now running in its fourth year.
Bitches in Stitches, Hong Kong
After selling out 30 consecutive shows in its first two years, Hong Kong’s first and only all-gal stand-up comedy troupe continues to prove that when it comes to closing the gender gap, it totally pays to be a bitch.
Full disclosure: I founded this group when I lived in Hong Kong and handed the business over to Jenna Hudson when I moved back to the Philippines. So, obviously, I’m obsessed.
“Comedy allows me to control my own narrative; to turn life’s tragedies and hardships into laughter, so it’s important that I can help bring that to other fem comics by giving them a space to perform and tell their stories,” said Jenna.
Clit Comedy Club, Germany
Mari Volar and Anshita Koul will be the first to admit that they founded the Clit Comedy Club out of sheer desperation.
According to them, there simply wasn’t a comedy space in Cologne that was English-speaking, openly feminist, and radically inclusive. The solution? A two-woman theatrical comedy show, “The Clitoris Act”, starring Mari and Anshita, which has since made its rounds in 23 cities across 10 different countries.
“We wanted to have a space that was inviting and suitable for us–and others like us–where audiences would not be worried about being the butt of the joke,” said Mari.
Lady Boses, Philippines
No, “Boses” isn’t a typo. “It means ‘voice’ in Filipino,” said Jeannie Laccay, one of the Lady Boses’ founding members.
As the only paid female comedians in Manila’s burgeoning standup scene, the six-woman group started out by bouncing jokes off each other, eventually started a podcast, and then began producing shows for women.
“We want people to hear our side of the story, to give them the whole bite of the female perspective,” said Jeannie. “Filipino ladies aren’t only , we can also stand in front of an audience, tell jokes, and be funny too.”
Yeah The Girls, Australia
This weekly standup showcase of Sydney’s most hilarious comedians who happen to be women (and okay, maybe a male ally here and there) brings the thunder down under, in the form of raucous laughter filling the basement of The Chippo Hotel. Its lineups have featured some of Australia’s most notable comics–such as award-winning TV personality Geraldine Hickey–and up-and-coming performers.