Well, we are the experts, right? With many a comic coming through our doors over the years, we often get asked by people looking to become stand-up comedians themselves: “How do you break into stand-up comedy?”.
The truth of the matter is, there’s really no set way to “break in” to stand-up. Many comics over the years have stumbled and fallen into it, whilst others have grit their teeth and done endless small-scale gigs before finally catching their big break. It really just depends on your situation, your audience, whether people find you funny or not. To be honest, it’s not for everyone.
But, in the interest of getting you started in the world of comedy, or scaling up your talent, here are a few events/workshops we run here at Komedia, as well as people we partner with, to help you on your way!
Jill Edwards Comedy Workshops
For over 25 years Jill Edwards has been running some of the most successful comedy courses available in the UK and is a leading comedy coach. We are lucky enough to run our monthly night of new comedy, Comic Boom Comedy Club (first Thursday of every month!) in association with her.
Jill has trained some of the UK’s top comedy writers, performers and award-winning television comedians, including Romesh Ranganathan, Shaparak (Shappi) Khorsandi, Shazia Mirza, Francesca Martinez, Jimmy Carr and his agent Hannah Chambers as well as Brighton’s own Seann Walsh and Angela Barnes. Writer Toby Whithouse and bestseller Jenny Colgan.
Her weekly (and weekend) comedy courses, which take place here at Komedia, are designed for all levels of experience, from absolute beginners to people with a little familiarity with the stand-up comedy circuit. So, whether you want to try out the world of stand-up or are looking to improve your skills, you can always start with a Jill Edwards Comedy Workshop.
Comic Baby Boom 
From Jill’s courses, we run a variety of events at Komedia which feature her pupils. After joining her comedy workshop you’ll be given the opportunity to take part in her Comic Baby Boom. working your way up from there to be a part of our regular Comic Boom!
New Act Night
Our New Act Night sees the latest fledglings from Jill Edwards Comedy Workshops take the stage for the very first time. Similar to the Baby Boom night, Jill’s pupils will take to the stage for their first performance, and get to experience the limelight on stage with a proper audience!
Komedia New Comedy Award
We hold our Komedia New Comedy Award competition annually, in association with Jill Edwards and Arts Journalist Victoria Nangle. Submit your entry (criteria apply) and see if you make it to our semi-final and then finals! Should you win, you’ll get to be Komedia’s New Act of the Year, with past winners including Michael Akadiri, Sam Williams, and Andrew Fox. You’ll not only win the title but also a prize – a handmade award to put on your mantelpiece, a bottle of fizz and a spot at Comic Boom Comedy Club!
What a way to break into stand-up comedy!
