The 13th Women in Comedy Festival closed last night with the announcement of the recipients of its inaugural awards. Laura Lexx’s show Slinky won ‘best show’ and Ariel Hebditch ‘best newcomer’ for her debut Skeleton Out of the Closet.
The other nominees were -
Best Show
Grace Mulvey - Tall Baby
Alex Stinger - Happy Hour
Bella Humphries - Square Peg
Best Newcomer
Molly McGuinness - Slob
Zana Fejzic - Chameleon
Caitriona Dowden - Divine Comedy
The awards were sponsored by Jason Manford and his Manford’s Comedy Clubs. The winners will receive cash prizes of £500 each.
The festival included nearly 80 shows spread across Manchester venues. Now in its 13th year the festival goes from strength to strength in supporting cis women, and those who identify as women, in the comedy industry.
The Women in Comedy Festival was founded in 2012 by Hazel O’Keefe who at the time was running the all-female comedy club Laughing Cows and who is now a patron of the festival. Jessica Toomey, Director of the Frog and Bucket Comedy Club and FAB Comedy Management now runs the festival alongside Aimee Perry; employing the same ethos Hazel began it with.
The actor Maxine Peake is a patron for the festival along with comedians Jo Enright, Isy Suttie, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Dana Alexander and Susan Calman; and Funny Women founder Lynne Parker.
