Fringe 2013

I didn't really keep blogging through the fringe this year but here's a round up of what happened.

Total shows: 88
TV and radio appearances: 2
Articles published: 1
Reviews: some, generally good,
Awards: 1, **yay**
Arthur's seat climbed: twice
Fun had: lots.

So I did the following shows:

Aug 3th: Domestic Science, Calculating Comedy, The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Magic Faraway Cabaret, Midnight Hour
Aug 4th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, Fat Penguin Showcase, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, PBH ASC, Fat Penguin Late
Aug 5th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, Fat Penguin Showcase, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Spank!
Aug 6th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, International Federation of Comedians, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Magic Faraway Cabaret, Spank!
Aug 7th: Crunch the News, Big Comedy Lunch, The News At Kate: World Inaction, Soho Comedy Club, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Spank!
Aug 8th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, Edinburgh Must-Sees, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 9th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 10th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, Edinburgh Must-Sees, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, PBH ASC
Aug 11th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Magic Faraway Cabaret
Aug 12th: Free Tasters, Crunch the News, The News At Kate: World Inaction, Six O'Clock Club, Fat Penguin Showcase, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 13th: DAY OFF!
Aug 14th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 15th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 16th: Crunch the News, Calculating Comedy, The News At Kate: World Inaction, Comedy at New Town Bar, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Magic Faraway Cabaret
Aug 17th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Midnight Hour
Aug 18th: Domestic Science, The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 19th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, Six O'Clock Club, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, PBH ASC
Aug 20th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion, Magic Faraway Cabaret
Aug 21st: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 22nd: Free Samples, Big Comedy Lunch, The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 23rd: Calculating Comedy, The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 24th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion
Aug 25th: The News At Kate: World Inaction, The News At Kate: My Professional Opinion (extra show), Magic Faraway Cabaret (dance spot), Spank! (well... I went on stage!)

And I did see one act bragging he was the "busiest man in Edinburgh" after having racked up 76 gigs last year. I did over 90 last year and 88 this year. I guess us women mean something different by "busy"!

Two TV and radio slots. One very frustrating one on Sunday Morning Live (which I've written about elsewhere) and a BBC Ulster Talkback spot which I can't even remember what it was about!

One article, in Scotsgay: http://sgfringe.com/2013/08/21/fringe-free-speech/

Quite a few reviews, including (as usual) some very nice ones - four stars and "When it comes to political comedy, The News At Kate is the cream of the crop" from Broadway Baby - and the usual run of people angry that I dare to have an opinion - "gets a round of applause from a sympathetic audience, but you couldn’t call it comedy" and three stars from Chortle. Note that the Chortle review was also based on a preview I did on 7th July but has been published to look as if it was based on my show from 5th Aug. I did agree to have a reviewer at a preview (because it was fairly obvious I wouldn't get a review otherwise) but I didn't expect or suggest being dishonest about when it was done. It's pretty confusing because it references parts of the show that were dropped and/or dramatically revised in the intervening month. Various commenters pointed this out and also said nice things about the show in the comments section below the review but these were then deleted by the site owner, while angry comments from trolls saying I'm awful are left up.

All of which is small fry really - the bigger issue is the fact that I still get so few reviews. I bought a journalist coffee and took advice on my press release, rewrote it. He still didn't review me. The review site than ran the show after mine didn't review me. Scotsgay (who I wrote an article for) only reviewed my afternoon chat show. And still - ten years in this industry - never a review from a national paper.  Said journalist told me he was sorry but he had to cover "the newcomers", but I wasn't reviewed when I was a newcomer either!! Infuriating.

One award. Yay. Three Weeks Editor's Choice Award.  Link to citation here: http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/article/threeweeks-editors-awards-presented/ which rather made up for the lack of reviews...!

Highlights were:

(1) Being super-proud of my show, can't wait to tour it. Please suggest venues if you'd like to see it near you. And my lovely audiences, full of great ideas and joy.
(2) Amazing guests at my afternoon chat show. Patrick Harvie MSP, Martin Luther Stacey (Devine, NUS Scotland Women's Officer), Danny Vermont (from the US's Bill Maher show), Alfie Brown, Rebecca Morden (from Scary Little Girls theatre company), playwright Tom Watson (author of Sugar Kane), Sweets from NorthernXposure and PBH himself!
(3) Spank! The last night, the inevitable nudity. And getting to MC it with the despicable Marcel Lucont.
(4) Last night at Magic Faraway. Sand dancing with my boyfriend. Video to follow (sign up to my mailing list for the link when it comes, on the front page of my website www.katesmurthwaite.co.uk)
(5) All the lovely people I met and lovely visitors ... oh and GETTING AN AWARD!

Fringe Report

Well I'm on the East Coast train about ten minutes out of Edinburgh and missing it already. I didn't blog as much as usual this year, but here's a round-up of what happened:

Shows performed at:
Aug 2nd: Half Past Bitch, Funny's Funny
Aug 4th: Domestic Science, Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, The Comedy Debate Show, Midnight Hour
Aug 5th: Comedy Manifesto, Funny's Funny, The News at Kate 2012, Free Fringe Benefit
Aug 6th: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, Midnight Hour
Aug 7th: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, We Love Comedy, Midnight Hour
Aug 8th: Comedy Manifesto, Funny's Funny, The News at Kate 2012, Magic Faraway Cabaret, Midnight Hour
Aug 9th: Crunch the News, Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, PBHASC, Midnight Hour
Aug 10th: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, We Love Comedy, Midnight Hour, Funny Fillies, Spank!
Aug 11th: Crunch the News, Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, PBHASC, Midnight Hour
Aug 12th: Comedy Manifesto, Waverley Care Benefit, The News at Kate 2012
Aug 13th: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, Midnight Hour
Aug 15th: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, PBHASC, Midnight Hour
Aug 16th: Comedy Manifesto, Funny's Funny, The News at Kate 2012, Funny Fillies, Midnight Hour
Aug 17th: The News at Kate 2012
Aug 18th: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, The Comedy Debate Show, Spank!
Aug 19th: Comedy at Nandos, Funny's Funny, The News at Kate 2012, Spank!
Aug 20th: Comedy Manifesto, Funny's Funny, The News at Kate 2012, Funny Fillies, Magic Faraway Cabaret, Spank!
Aug 21st: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, We Love Comedy, Midnight Hour
Aug 22nd: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, Funny Fillies, PBHASC, Midnight Hour
Aug 23rd: London Is Funny Presents..., Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, Midnight Hour
Aug 24th: Comedy Manifesto, The News at Kate 2012, Funny Fillies, Midnight Hour
Aug 25th: What a Weird and Wonderful Festival!, The News at Kate 2012, Spank!
Aug 26th: Funny's Funny

Total: 90

Radio appearances: 2 (discussing the fringe on BBC Leeds and discussing 50 Shade of Grey on BBC 5 live), I also turned several down.

Note that last year I did 93 stage and radio appearances total and decided this year to take it easy...!

Articles published: 1 (London is Funny)

Reviews: 3, all four stars, all granted IN SPITE of the show discussing feminist topics! Still no national papers, no Chortle, etc.

Waterfights: 1 (won outright by myself and cabaret star Cherry Shakewell)

Re-elections to the Fringe Society board: 1

Highlights: Really happy with my show this year, always a treat when people come back to see it again.  Lovely flatmates and friends coming to visit.  Plus MCing Spank! was a joy, best party in town and it was my party, three times over, I do, literally, love it!

Low points: Sexism onstage and in reviews, and lack of reviews. Didn't get to do Political Animal or SetList despite asking and being recommended by all quarters. Campaign for next year starts here!

It's been a lot of fun. See you next year.  Now: SLEEP!

Reviewing the reviewers

I've had three reviews of my show this year (excluding bloggers and tweeters, etc), all of them four stars.  Here are some of the quotes you might see on next years flyers "the verve with which she articulates her views on our land is monumental" (Broadway Baby), " an inclusive and important narrative on our society." (ScotsGay), "an engaging personality and an eloquent speaker, it is little wonder that she is much in demand in the media" (one4review.com).

And here are some of the things I'm less likely to put on posters... "A left-wing, atheist, ultra-feminist comedienne performing a politically fuelled stand-up show sounds daunting to say the least. However, if you descend into the depths of Ciao Roma expecting a flaming, uneducated, soapbox rant about how all men are bastards and how David Cameron is almost certainly a reptile you will be pleasantly surprised" (Broadway Baby), "Nor is this a humourless hard-going lecture." (ScotsGay), "Don’t expect an all out assault on men" (one4review.com).

Seriously, there is not a single reviewer in the whole of Edinburgh (not even you, ScotsGay, I had higher hopes) who can hear the word "feminist" without immediately concluding that my show will be (1) not funny and (2) about how men are all bastards? Really? Frankly with that expectation doing the rounds it does explain why no other reviewers (national papers, Chortle, List, Fest, Skinny, where were you?!) came to the show... 

Of course it's tempting fate in many ways to complain about four-star reviews. I was really really proud of my show this year though, it was easily the best thing I've ever written, so you'll have to excuse me for wondering if someone had actually come to review it with an open mind or even a positive attitude towards women's rights and equality (I know!), I might have really deserved five stars?!

Edgy stuff

An article of mine about "edgy" male comics was published today on Edinburgh Is Funny.

Four Star Baby

So I finally got a review!  From Broadway Baby.  And it's fours stars and very enthusiastic, full of great quotes.  It starts like this:

"A left-wing, atheist, ultra-feminist comedienne performing a politically fuelled stand-up show sounds daunting to say the least."

Ha ha ha, perhaps someone who doesn't find such a show "daunting" would like to come (and give me five stars of course!). Or perhaps it might give some people an insight into how many women (and lovely leftie feminist men) feel when they go to a rowdy, laddy comedy show packed with sexist humour.

I might also "respond" that I don't think my opinions as expressed in the show are hugely risqué, The key ones expressed in the show are 1. There is no God, 2. A woman has a right to choose whether or not to have an abortion, 3. The House of Commons is alienating and elitist, 4. Selling off the health service is a bad idea.  But it's great that he's clearly saying even if you don't agree with me the show is enjoyable. He also says there is some joke at the end of the show so radical that people don't laugh at it.  To be honest I would remove or replace any joke that was consistently not getting a laugh, I think it's more likely I got the wording or the rhythm of it wrong that night.  I like to allow myself one joke that doesn't work per hour.  Ha ha ha.

But in general I am THRILLED with the review, you will be seeing me posting it up all over the place very shortly!

*I might point out that I don't really understand what "ultra-feminist" means - either you believe in equality for women or you don't.  But then I would call myself a radical feminist because as well as believing in equality I regularly get out there and do something about it!  So I'm not really taking issue with that, it's just a choice of word.

Here it is in full, in case the link is slow (can be buggy on mobile phones in my experience).

Taking the Kate

Broadway Baby Rating:

A left-wing, atheist, ultra-feminist comedienne performing a politically fuelled stand-up show sounds daunting to say the least. However, if you descend into the depths of Ciao Roma expecting a flaming, uneducated, soapbox rant about how all men are bastards and how David Cameron is almost certainly a reptile you will be pleasantly surprised - you may not entirely agree with Kate Smurthwaite’s strong views but there is no denying her comic ability and prowess.

Smurthwaite’s strength of material, delivery and tenacious rapport with the audience allow her to divulge her sometimes risqué opinions with only minimal danger of ostracising the crowd. Throughout the show there were many whoops of support from audience members who shared her beliefs but even the more politically passive and ignorant, a bracket I admittedly fall into, will find much to enjoy in her punchy and intelligent set.

It is easy to see why Smurthwaite is regularly invited onto debating programmes as the verve with which she articulates her views on our land is monumental. This is not to say that Smurthwaite is aggressive or unnecessarily intimidating. She is clearly brimming with passion about the issues she stands for but she communicates her indignation with an infectiously positive attitude. Even when she admits that she often feels her political campaigns are a constant uphill battle or deals with a particularly annoying heckler (as she did on the on the night I attended) her charm never wavers.

Some may still find Smurthwaite’s outright views a little tiresome and she did cross a line with her audience with one comment about pregnancy and abortion, leaving the room cold and silent for a moment. However, Smurthwaite’s comedy is good and she certainly deserves your attention - whatever your political standing.

Colour me paranoid

So just past halfway through the festival.  I'm really really happy with my show, it is without a doubt the best thing I've ever written.  But not a single review so far. Well I know I'm not the first performer to not get as many reviews as I'd like but lets just look at the numbers for a minute:

This is my sixth solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe.  None of them have EVER been reviewed in a national paper. And yes I sent out press releases and yes I took a lot of advice on how to write press releases, much of it from experts who write press releases for super-famous acts.

The UK's most-read comedy website Chortle has never reviewed a show of mine.  My page on there is loaded with vicious comments about how I am as funny as herpes. Note: there is an excellent joke about herpes in my show this year (although it relates to a side-point I don't always have time to make so apologies if I didn't do it when you were there!). It is met with contagious laughter (boom tish).

Two years ago I had no reviews at all for my show.  This was in spite of a stunt I pulled giving me what might well have been the largest audience ever for a joke at the fringe (I did a joke simultaneously broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live).  And, yes, I wrote and circulated a press release about that too.

Last year I hired a publicist who worked her socks off and got me onto a few of the smaller review sites (who for the most part LOVED me) and got The Scotsman to write that my audience thought mine was the best show at the Fringe but that they didn't get it.

Is it because there's no appetite for left-wing political comedy?  I'm not low on audiences, despite the "Olympics effect" my show has been at least as busy as last year.  The Guardian did take the time to review  Chris Coltrane's first one man show "Activism is Fun".   So why not my SIXTH?  Chris was disappointed to only get three stars.  I would walk across oceans for half a star... Footnote: Chris's show is great, and deserves at least twelve stars in my opinion.

Please - write that I am a fat ugly bitch if you want, that's what most of the internet thinks anyway apparently. But please SOMEONE come and review my show!

Now this is a dangerous thing to say as it is likely to send my many Internet trolls into overdrive and leave yet more torrents of offensive comments up where I can't moderate them.  I wouldn't say it unless I was desperate. However I AM desperate so here goes: if you have seen my show, please go onto the sites edfringe, Chortle, Broadway Baby, List, British Comedy Guide and add an enthusiastic comment about it, urge reviewers to come along. Or maybe someone would like to point out under The Guardian's article on political comedy at the fringe that, again, they've missed my work from their run-down of relevant shows and that after six solo shows they've not reviewed me. Thank you!

Other things to be paranoid about:

A few days ago my comedy notebook went missing from a show. Of course I assumed I had just misplaced it and tried retracing my steps to no effect. Today a box and a half (all that remained) of my flyers have been stolen from my venue.  No-one else's flyers are missing.  Mine were not even on the top of the pile - someone would have had to be digging through with the specific aim of finding mine and sabotaging my show.

Wherever I go in Edinburgh I seem to see signs advertising variable bill shows with all male acts listed.  I always apply for a spot if I meet people who book shows.  I'd love to do the big late night shows.  Only one of them books me.  I did Spank! last week and absolutely stormed the show in spite of an incredibly rowdy crowd.  No word from any of the others. I honestly can only conclude that I'm not paranoid, but that a surprisingly high proportion of people in this industry are pretty uncomfortable around outspoken, politically engaged funny FEMINIST women.

The two shows I would most like to do are Political Animal and SetList.  I don't think anyone could argue I don't cover important political issues well or that I have difficulty thinking on my feet and improvising. I've asked for spots on both to the point that I think I'm starting to be a nuisance.

If you go to these shows, or any others that have guest acts, please please please make a point of finding out who is in charge and asking them to book me. Again: thank you.

Edinburgh 2012

Well welcome back.  I hope you'll make it to my Edinburgh shows this year!  Here are all the details:

All these shows are free with a collection bucket at the end.

The News At Kate 2012 (my all-new solo show)
4th-25th Aug (not 14th) Ciao Roma restaurant, South Bridge, 8.20pm

Comedy Manifesto (my political panel show, guest host on 25th)
4th-25th Aug (not 14th) Ciao Roma restaurant, South Bridge, 3.15pm

Midnight Hour (late night variety show)
4th-25th Aug (not Sundays, guest MC on 14th) Canon's Gait, Royal Mile, midnight

What a Weird and Wonderful Festival (one-off show of true fringe stories)
25th Aug Voodoo Rooms 3pm

And I'll be doing lots of guest spots around the Fringe (actually I've done two already!) so keep an eye out for me, and feel free to request me, everywhere.  Thanks!