At last! Comedy Store has an all-female weekend bill | In London AND Manchester for International Women’s Day

At last! Comedy Store has an all-female weekend bill

In London AND Manchester for International Women’s Day

It has taken 40 years, but the Comedy Store has booked its first all-female bills for its prestigious weekend shows.

The line-ups at both its London and Manchester venues over the weekend of March 7 to 9 are women-only affairs. And it is surely no coincidence that the Friday is International Women’s Day.

The acts booked are Laura Lexx, Angela Barnes, Kerry Godliman, Lauren Pattison, Gina Yashere, Suzi Ruffell and Jen Brister in London; and Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Judi Love, Abigoliah Schamaun, Lou Conran, Allyson June Smith, Judi Love and Bethany Black in Manchester. Sally-Anne Hayward plays Manchester on Friday and London on Sunday.

To see how far the venue has come, Chortle checked the listings from March 2012, which revealed that the Store booked no female acts for its weekend gigs – every show was all-male.

This year each weekend show has had at least one, and occasionally two women, on each bill. Though with four acts and a compere that is still just a shade over 20 per cent of the total bookings.

Published: 15 Feb 2019

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