The Power of Experience and being ‘not so new’

On Friday I competed in the final of the ‘Not So New Comedian Of The Year’, the artist formerly, and less flatteringly known as ‘Old Comedian of the Year’. Run by the lovely people behind Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy; the competition is open to anyone over 35 who has been performing for 5 years or more, and not making a living from comedy.

I worked my way through the heats and semi-finals which featured a rich and varied range of the world weary, aged from 35 to pensioner, with mixed experience – from those doing it for the love, to those still working to try to convert it into a career. 

From my point of view, it really demonstrated the value of a life lived when it comes to writing comedy; whilst the finalists nodded to some universal topics like dating, they solicited squawks of laughter for lesser walked paths, from living alone past a certain age to surviving cancer. 

There were four brilliant women in the final alongside me, Samantha Day, Kelly Ford, Georgia Thorp and the eventual worthy winner Siobhan Dodd (pictured below), which felt progressive before a toe even got on stage.

There is a very specific kind of man that would roll his eyes immediately at this idea and mutter something about not being interested in jokes about periods, but he could take a day off on Friday; all of us spoke to different experiences, and whilst there was a thread of navigating the world as a woman, the breadth of topic was vast and no punch was pulled from cosmetic ‘tweakments’ and motherhood to being asked who the man is in a same-sex relationship. No two sets were the same. 

The audience laughs, which were plentiful, came with shouts of agreement and groans of understanding, and it reminded me of the powerful value and catharsis of seeing yourself and your life represented on stage. 

A common post on comedy forums, particularly those for women, and a common question I’m asked in real life, is it too late for me to start comedy? As someone who did my first ever white knuckle five minute open mic at the less-than-tender age of 35, I can say with complete confidence that whatever point in your life you are, there will never be a better time to start than now and there is no such thing as too late. Check out Funny Women’s workshops and courses where I began my comedy career.

Whilst it might seem intimidating when a lot of comedy coverage seems to focus on hot young people, older comics have a huge amount to offer the scene. Audiences come in all shapes, sizes and ages and they want to see themselves in the material – there is a reason Michael McIntyre is such a smash hit, we all love the ‘that’s me, that is’ comics that make you elbow your mate with you, or share a video to your socials. 

So if you were waiting for a sign to start doing comedy, this is it. We need as many strong women’s voices and their experiences as possible to continue to challenge the notion that we can only talk about one thing. We, as humans, contain multitudes, and there is value in all our stories. 

Vix is performing her 4* Edinburgh Fringe show ‘Antihero’ for one last time at Wandsworth Arts Fringe on Sunday 16th June at 1.30pm, and you can get a brilliant bundle deal to see the magnificent Ada Campe directly afterwards. All the booking details are here.