Kathy Maniura: Comedy Performances – Paper Straw, Smoke Alarm, Cycling Man
Kathy maniura: On Arctic Foxes, Edinburgh Fringes, and the Art of Bombing
Table of Contents
Comedian Kathy Maniura shares her experiences with unexpected festival audiences, disastrous open-air gigs, and the challenges faced by marginalized performers in the comedy circuit.
A Festival Surprise
Maniura recalls a especially memorable gig at a small festival last summer.Sharing the bill with fellow comedians Rosalie Minnitt, Lorna Rose Treen, and Emily Bampton, she found herself performing after a presenter delivering an earnest lecture on arctic foxes. “Getting into drag in the cold backstage area of the tent listening too the lecture I thoght, ah – they may not be in the mood for absurd character comedy after this,” Maniura admits. “How wrong I was! The audience were fantastic, and all the more wonderful for defying our expectations.” This experience highlights a key aspect of stand-up: the inherent unpredictability of audience reception. “That’s a pro and con of the job – you never know quite what you’re going to get until you turn up for a show,” she notes.
the Royal Mile Mishap
When asked about a gig so bad it’s now funny, Maniura recounts a performance on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The open-air stage, a popular spot for acts to showcase snippets of their shows during the Fringe, proved to be a challenging venue for their alternative sketch comedy. “What does well on that stage is juggling and a cappella singing, not alternative sketch comedy,” she explains. Maniura performed a solo, wordy parody song in the rain, a performance that saw the small crowd quickly disperse. Her comedy partner, Derek Mitchell, found the situation amusing, while the only remaining audience members were Maniura’s parents, huddled under an umbrella.
Challenges in the Comedy landscape
Maniura addresses some of the persistent issues within the comedy world. She points to the prevalence of unpaid and poorly paid gigs, frequently enough requiring performers to cover their own travel expenses. The Edinburgh Fringe, while a significant rite of passage, is becoming increasingly inaccessible due to its high cost, posing a barrier for working-class comedians. Furthermore, she highlights the lack of accessibility in many comedy spaces, which can be male-dominated, predominantly white, and located in less convenient venues like basements or upstairs pubs. These factors create significant disadvantages for comedians from marginalized groups in an already demanding industry.
Toxic Advice and Creative Pursuits
Reflecting on the worst advice she’s received, Maniura recalls a prospective agent who dismissed her if she held onto a day job she enjoyed, labeling her a ”hobbyist.” Maniura strongly refutes this notion, stating, “Actually, creative work doesn’t have to be torture, and I think the idea that creative brilliance is born of hardship and that you have to give up everything to pursue your dreams is actually pretty toxic.” She emphasizes that a fulfilling day job can coexist with creative passion, and that the belief that suffering is a prerequisite for artistic success is harmful.
The Power of ‘Trying and Failing’
The most vital lesson Maniura has learned from her stand-up career is the value of “try and fail!” She asserts that the only way to improve as a comedian is through consistent practice and exposure to live audiences. “The only way you get better at comedy is by saying a joke out loud, in front of peopel, and seeing what happens,” she explains.Overcoming the fear of failure is crucial, as Maniura concludes, “Once you’ve bombed a decent number of times, you learn that dying doesn’t actually mean dying.”