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LOOK FOR THE WOMAN FESTIVAL RETURNS TO ROSEMARY BRANCH THEATRE FOR THE THIRD YEAR

21/2/2025

LOOK FOR THE WOMAN festival of female & femme clowning & comedy returns to Rosemary Branch Theatre for the third year this March. The much loved venue, on the border of Hackney and Islington, has been run by women for the last 29 years.  The festival celebrates Women’s History Month, by putting female humour on full display with a  lineup of comedians, clowns and comics. 

Artistic Director Laura Kileen comments:

"'Cherchez la femme' is a somewhat cheeky French phrase. It embodies a cliché of detective pulp fiction: no matter what the problem, a woman is often the root cause. However, to many of us this could be stated conversely: no matter the woman, there is often a problem she is having to solve. And usually, with a good dollop of humour.

We’re here to look at the past, present and future of performance and all that female and femme creators can make of it. Come to the Rosie this March to celebrate, interrogate, and above all, laugh your head off!"
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Some of the highlights include a first look at new work by Lorna Rose Treen (Dave’s Joke Of The Fringe, ★★★★★ Observer, Telegraph), a free event run by LA-based clown Natasha Mercado and many more shows from internationally acclaimed stand ups and creators.

Full details and tickets are on the Rosemary Branch website here

List of shows:

THE DIRTY THIRTY - IWD SPECIAL

March 7th, 9pm & 8th, 7pm

The Dirty Thirty is the livest of live theatre. Each weekend Degenerate Fox premiere new scripted works in an 

ever-changing menu of theatrical delights, all set right here at the Rosemary Branch Theatre on the day you are 

watching them. These plays could be anything - current affairs, games, dances, songs, dramatic monologues, 

comedic scenes, audience participation, feats of strength and stuff there isn’t a name for yet.

Degenerate Fox - The London Neo-Futurists - are talented performers, writers, directors and theatre-makers from across the globe, some of whom are LGBTQIA+ and disabled. They have been performing their signature show, The Dirty Thirty, as the  resident theatre company of the Rosemary Branch Theatre since April 2017. They have performed at Pleasance Main Space, edfringe, and Camden People’s Theatre.

LORNA ROSE TREEN: WORK IN PROGRESS

March 7th, 7pm

Award-winning, comedy-killing (The Sun), former-Cadbury World-working character comedian Lorna Rose Treen is trying out a bunch of new bits. And who knows, maybe one will win the next Dave’s Joke Of The Fringe? (They probably won’t) .

Creator and star of R4's Time of the Week. Telegraph’s Top 5 Comedy Shows 2023. Chortle’s Best Sketch Act 2024. Chortle’s Best Newcomer 2023. Funny Women Awards’ first-ever double winner (2022).

‍“The most fun a person can have in a room featuring folding chairs” ★★★★★ Observer

“One of the most exciting young comics around” ★★★★★ Telegraph

“I laughed so much I violently bit my tongue” Independent

SOFT CLOWN JAM - FREE EVENT!

March 12th, 7pm-9pm

A playful exploration of physical comedy, sensitivity, and earnestness. This is a space to experiment, take creative risks, and connect with others in front of an audience. Whether you're a seasoned performer or trying something new, join us for an evening of laughter, absurdity, and artistic discovery. 

Performers are invited up in small groups to improvise together, guided by live prompts from LA-based clown and director Natasha Mercado (as seen on The Joe Schmo Show and [adult swim]). All are welcome! Everyone is invited to come hang out to watch and/ or perform for any and all of it.

#1 SON

March 13th & 14th, 7.30pm

LA clown Natasha Mercado invites you to a mass that’s equal parts holy and horny — hosted by God’s sexiest son, Father Greg Orian. Experience a religious awakening like no other. Desire and devotion. Sacred, yet profane. It's like church, but with "smash or pass" revelations about lust, lies and living with your demons... As seen on The Joe Schmo Show and [adult swim].

“Ridiculously funny” ★★★★ The List UK

“Think Drake, but slimier” ★★★★ The Skinny

"Fearless and Completely out of your mind" -David Shiner, Co-Creator of Cirque Du Soleil

THE BEST WOMEN I KNOW

March 16th, 7pm

The Best Women I Know is a comedy celebrating the women in our lives, and the diverse and often absurd experiences of being a woman in today’s world. Join us for a series of comedic sketches and poetry in which we encounter the many faces of women: from dog-mums to dictators, agony aunts and witches, old enemies, new acquaintances, and everything in between. The show platforms the writing and performing talents of women with comedic and poetic backgrounds to bring a rich range of styles and experience. 

TAMSYN KELLY: WORK IN PROGRESS

March 18th , 8pm

Continuing her life’s theme of total chaos, Tamsyn moves to Glasgow to live with a guy she’s known for four months. Struggling to make friends and fit in, Tamsyn goes to see a psychic for reassurance that it will all work out, but instead gets the opposite.

“Hilarious” Independent

★★★★★ Lost in Theatreland

★★★★ Funny Women

CANDACE BRYAN: MILF (MOM I’D LIKE TO FIND) WORK-IN-PROGRESS

March 19th, 7pm

Long distance situationships. Exile in Paris. Unrequited sexts. Shroom trips. Foot fetishes. American standup comedian Candace Bryan was having a wild year, when one night she came face to face with someone unexpected and began to question everything.

In her new work-in-progress show MILF: Mom I’d Like to Find, Candace tells this story and shows that no matter how far and fast you run from your past, it can define you in unexpected ways.

In her sly, deadpan style, she pokes fun at modern dating, maternal relations, life in late capitalism, gender norms, and her own toxic masculinity.

“Maximum laughs” — British Comedy Guide
“Well funny…immediate approachability” — The Mumble
“A global talent” — her visa

TALL TALES & COCKTAILS

March 20th, 7.45pm

An evening where standup comedy & storytelling collide. A cast of female and femme comics will be entertaining an adult audience with crazy tales from their personal experiences with a wicked & comical twist.

THE MAGIC LADY

March 23rd, 7pm

A haphazard showbiz loon enters the Magic Circle after years as a glamorous assistant, stepping out of the shadows cast by famous magicians and into the spotlight to tread the boards once more! It's a faux magic comedy show featuring puppetry, camp surprises, body popping, levitation, exorcisms and hypnotism.

“Deliciously daft” The Guardian

“An electric performer” ★★★★ Everything Theatre

SMALL GIRLS WITH TALL ENERGY

March 26th, 7.15pm

Chantel Nash started performing stand-up comedy half way through 2022 and her effortless charm is winning over audiences one postcode at a time. She has reached the finals of both the So You Think You’re Funny? and BBC New Act competitions last year. Samira Banks is an exciting new comedic talent of middle eastern heritage. She has been making waves on the UK circuit since bursting onto the scene winning the prestigious So You Think You're Funny? Competition in 2023.

AYOADE BAMGBOYE: BREAKING MY SILENCE

March 26th, 9.15pm

A curious look from one of the greatest minds of Nigerian descent - Ayoade Zahrah Bamgboye is finally breaking her silence, because if it is to be said – so it be – so it is.

F*CK AROUND, FIND OUT

March 27th, 7.30pm

F*ck Around, Find Out - the new writing night that does just that. With a twist. 

This March, four writers will have a short extract of their new material performed in front of a live audience. They (the audience) will then vote for the piece they want to see more of – the one that they didn’t want to end. The winner will come back again at a future FAFO for a longer performance, alongside three new pieces, and the game goes on. Are you in? Expect daring, audacious comedy, 10/10 acting, and all in all, a great night out.

WHO TOLD YOU TO BE SMALL

March 28th, 7pm

After a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, artist Beth Knight brings her show Who Told You To Be Small back to London. It’s a story of tackling her demons with painting, comedy, and a jab at the patriarchy.

Glasgow-based artist Beth Knight used nude self-portraits to overcome the shame she held about her body. She started small, painting herself in an unflattering light crying, and showing that painting to the world. Piece by piece, she put her loathing about her looks on blast, with each painting becoming larger and more intimate. It culminated in a pop-up gallery using wall-sized advertisement space in the London Underground, with her painted nude portrait standing 5 and a half meters tall for the world to see. She tackled the misogyny around the standards of beauty that kept her hiding her body for decades by diving into the fear with art and laughter. 

Beth received her Master of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In 2023, her paintings have gone on to be included in the Ruth Borchard Self- Portrait Prize exhibition and were in the pre-selections for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters competition. After launching her stand-up career in London last year, she’s performed in top comedy clubs, including The Billy Murray, Monkey Barrel, and The Stand. Now she’s blending her paintings and comedy into an hour show about her fight with internalised patriarchy.

★★★★ ... This show is an example of why the Fringe is wonderful (the show is wonderful too). —One4Review

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The Rosemary Branch

Theatre. Pub. Kitchen.

2 Shepperton Road

London, N1 3DT

An award-winning theatre & pub.

Anthony Simpson-Pike said: “I can’t wait to get started on working with game-changing writers that are the lifeblood of Theatre503 and I am honoured to build on Lisa’s rich legacy of supporting bold and diverse new writing. Theatre503 holds a vital and unique place in the industry, and in my heart, as the national theatre of debut plays. I have always been inspired by the breadth, ambition and innovation of the stories I’ve seen here. It is a vital space for artists to dare to write their boldest work and for audiences to see plays they couldn’t see anywhere else."

Anthony joins the company in February 2025, overseeing the final stages of the 2025 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award (to be announced in Spring), the next steps towards opening the 503Studio at Nine Elms, and programming his first season of work - to be staged from 2026 onwards.

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