Meet 2021 Stage Award Finalist Louisa Keight!

Picture of Funny Women

Funny Women

The Funny Women Awards judges loved northern comedian Louisa Keight’s interpretation of how the north is portrayed in films and TV at the Grand Final this year. We caught up with Louisa to talk about making it to the final, character comedy and pre-performance nerves!

Funny Women: How did it feel to perform at the Funny Women Awards final?

Louisa Keight: God, it was good. Validating! Like the equivalent of someone sitting me down and saying “Yes. You’re good at stand-up comedy. It wasn’t a bad idea to dedicate your life and relationships to this pursuit.”

I also weirdly wasn’t that nervous for most of the day. I think it’s because I knew it was always going to be a room full of people who want to see me do well. Who rocks up to the Funny Women Awards, folds their arms, and says “Ok girls, impress me”? It helped that all the performers were so lovely and supportive – backstage was a room full of the nicest ever people just hyping each other up.

I did have a bit of a wobble immediately before, though. Devastated to say that this involved sitting in a corridor listening to Miles Davies and texting my ex a quote about the nature of politics from a podcast I’d recently listened to – I’m a parody of myself.

FW: How did you get started in comedy?

LK: Upsettingly, a man told me I was funny. I did a student-written play at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016 and spent so long riffing off my castmates that I decided to write some of the jokes I was saying out loud down. I showed the sketches I’d written to the student who’d written the play (and was quite prolific in my University’s comedy scene at the time) and he was like, “These are really good.”

That gave me the confidence to audition them for the comedy society, the Cambridge Footlights. I became a regular in Footlights shows, put on a sketch show with the original cast of that play, and from there, I made it onto the Footlights committee. After graduating I moved to London and started doing a few character comedy monologues here and there. Under the creative eye of two of my closest friends (and two girls from that original Edinburgh play) I put together a 45-minute character show which I am proud of but will likely never see the light of day again.

This is because about a year ago, I had something of a crisis and essentially decided I hated everything I’d ever written. Burned it all down, started fresh with stand-up. I feel that stand-up has a lot more freedom – ad-libs work better, it’s easier to play around with structure, react to what’s going on in the room, move on from jokes that fall flat.  And I absolutely love it.

FW: What inspires your comedy material?

LK: Most of what I think about every day is sex and death. So there’s always that.

FW: What would you say to anyone considering entering the Awards next year?

LK: Do it! Even if you think you’re not good enough. I am not trying to be modest or coy when I say I genuinely did not expect to even get to the semi-finals. Truly. And when I got to the semi-finals, I’d already mentally written off getting to the finals before I even started my set. Do it, do it, do it.

FW: And lastly, who are your favourite funny women?

Oh god. In no particular order, Catherine Cohen, Shaparak Khorsandi, Mae Martin (although they’re non-binary), Katherine Ryan, Patti Harrison, Meg Stalter, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, and my friend of ten years Beth Edwards – she’s not a comedian but she’s always made me cackle.

Photo credit: Steve Ullathorne

Check these out

From the Funny Women Team

Review: Natalie Palamides, WEER

If you were expecting WERE to be a romantic romcom, forget it! Any new show from Natalie Palamides, best known for her outrageously bold clowning style, is now a media-worthy attention- grabbing theatrical event. Deservedly so.

Read More »
Get notified when registration opens

Comedy Shorts Award Entry Requirements

The deadline for registration for the Comedy Shorts Award has passed.

Funny Women NextUp…Comedy Shorts Award

Are you a budding Director? Producer? Screenwriter? Are you collaborating with friends to make a funny video? Then we are looking for YOU!

If you have a short film or sketch that you think is hilarious, then enter your work for our Comedy Shorts Award to be in with a chance of winning some life-changing support and mentoring from comedy professionals.

WHAT KIND OF FILM ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

A 1- 6 minute film that can take the form of anything comical. It’s a great opportunity to show us your creative flair and have fun!

WHO CAN ENTER?

This award is open to all women filmmakers and content developers. The film must be an original narrative created, produced and devised by a woman, or women, although male cast and crew members are allowed.

ARE THERE ANY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR MY FILM?

Yes – we require all films to be 6 minutes or under, to be entirely original dialogue, to not feature brand logos and most importantly, to only use music with the written consent of the performer and/or publisher either personally or via the PRS system https://www.prsformusic.com/ .

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH MY FILM?

We will broadcast selected entries on our Funny Women YouTube channel and social media (so keep an eye out) and the top 10 finalists’ films will also hosted on a dedicated Funny Women Comedy Shorts Awards page on our website. We will also broadcast the final 3 entries as part of the grand final night.

HOW IS IT JUDGED?

Films are judged for production, concept, delivery/performance, creativity, writing and overall funniness. The top 10 films are then viewed by an independent judging panel of top television and film industry professionals who will choose one overall winner and two runners up. The final three will be invited to attend the grand final in London on the 23rd September.

WHAT CAN I WIN?

2021 Funny Women Awards Prizes

The deadline for registration for the Comedy Shorts Award has passed.

If you need further information please contact us here