Fem de la Festival 2025
Thu 22 May to Sat 24 May
Help with our fundraiser!
Fem de la Femme called, and you came…so much so that we can’t fit you all through door! Soo, we have some very exciting news for you…drum roll please… this spring we are launching – Fem de la Festival!
Fem de la Festival brings you 3 whole nights of all your favourite women comics downstairs at the Everyman. The crème de la crème of Fem de la Femme will be performing 5 utterly hilarious shows, plus some open mic mayhem on our final night.
The Fem De La Femme women comedians will be taking over downstairs at the Everyman from Thu 22 May to Sat 24 May 2025, with stalls from female led businesses too. We are also offering Find Your Funny Workshops that are open to all and a Q&A panel session for all those women trying to navigate the industry.
Thursday 22 May – Double Bill
Tickets £12
Katie Gill-Williams – Lorraine Hoodless
7.45pm Double header show featuring Katie and Lorraine
Katie Gill-Williams
“Endearingly friendly and gregarious” (Chortle) Katie has performed across the UK including Machynlleth Comedy Festival in 2022, and this year. Katie also features in series two of The Learners for BBC Radio Wales. And was a finalist in Frog and Bucket World Series, 2022.
“Katie is remarkable. She managed to nail the material, confidence and warmth of a pro comic in ten gigs when most take ten years. Joke heavy and joyful stand up packed with smart observations.” – Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Katie Presents – Take me to Church
Can all the women that have faced adversity help Katie through the hardest year of
her life so far?
And is too soon to do a comedy show about upheaval, heartbreak and breakdowns just a few months after the events? Yeah probably, fun to watch her try though innit.
Lorraine Hoodless
Lorraine Hoodless is building towards her fifth Edinburgh fringe festival. Energetic, incredulous delivery of observational and self reflective funny stuff. ‘well written funny material’ ‘thoroughly deserves to be seen’ one4review. Wildcard Amused Moose New Comedian 2020, and Semi-finalist British Comedian of the year 2021.DINK feedback 2024 Edinburgh Fringe
Lorraine Presents – Good Girl
Lorraine has conformed, fit in and been a good girl. Kind of…it’s only when she got a puppy dog, she realised what it is to be conditioned by society. Wildcard Amused Moose New Comedian 2020, and Semi-finalist British Comedian of the year 2021.
One4Review 4****
‘Finding the funny wherever she goes’
‘Fertile imagination, funny, clever writing and endearing persona to keep her audience well entertained’
Allyson June Smith – Little Miss Sunshine
9.30pm Little Miss Sunshine
Canada’s Allyson June Smith is Little Smith Sunshine! If you have had the pleasure of seeing her perform then you know the feeling of Allyson’s presence. You leave her shows feeling like you have made a new pal. Allyson has been a fish out of water for the past 10 years in the UK, now finally feeling like a proper Brit and settled in Manchester she looks forward to her first UK Tour. A self-confessed “over sharer” this show will inevitably serve up a potent observational cocktail of wit, bite and shame.
Allyson June Smith is courageously self-deprecating, her comedic gift is making every room, whatever the size, feel like an intimate group therapy session. That intimacy is at the heart of Allyson’s magic as a comedian. She has received multiple nominations for Best Female Stand-up at the Canadian Comedy Awards
“Simply one of the funniest comedians I’ve ever worked with,” Jason Manford.
“Assuredly self-deprecating… hilarious comedian” The National (UAE)
“Ultra likeable and versatile” Now Magazine (Canada)
Other A-listers Allyson has been called to share the stage with include Katherine Ryan, Stewart Francis, John Bishop, Stephen Merchant, and Samantha Bee (The Daily Show).
Friday 23 May – Double Bill
Tickets £12
Maxine Wade – The Newlywed
7.45pm The Newlywed
This is the story of how Maxine was meant to get married but didn’t. Find a plus one and be prepared to laugh and cry at this dark and deeply personal debut hour. Til Wed Do Us Part.
‘One of the most emotionally shattering but empowering hours I’ve ever seen in my life’ – Blizzard Comedy
Maxine has won Best Breakthrough Act at the Yorkshire Comedy Awards 2023, regional finalist in BBC’s New Comedy Award, finalist in Hull Comedian of the year 2023 and Chortle Student Comedian of the Year semi finalist 2024. She was chosen as part of this 2024’s ‘Best in Class’ showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe, where she received a 4 star review, and won the Edinburgh ISH Comedy Award Panel Prize. Recently she was in the Beat The Frog World Series Final in November 2024 and won Best Performance of 2024 in the Notts Comedy Awards.
She has been Tour support for Rachel Fairburn and Tatty McLeod. Described as “Riotously funny” – EdFringe Review and “Victoria Wood meets Joan Rivers with Maxine Wades rip roaring Yorkshire humour you’re in for an absolute treat” Jack Gleadow
Josephine Lacey – Autism Mama
9.30pm Autism Mama
Welcome to the world of a mother, caring for a pubescent teenager – who happens to be autistic.
A fascinating and hilarious stand-up show about a single mum guiding her autistic son through the first stages of puberty. Expect visual aids, balloons, and a heart-warming insight into the relationship between a mother and her son. A show not to be missed.
***** WhatsonStage
**** The Guardian:
**** The Scotsman
****Chortle
****The Observer
“The idea that to get people to listen, you first make them laugh, might have been made for her. Her timing is perfect. It is quite unlike anything you’re likely to see – and absolutely unmissable” – WhatsOnStage
“Heartwarming and hilarious” – ReviewsGate
“Lacey’s lovely presence wins the audience over immediately. Brilliant, heartwarming and hilarious” – West End Best Friend
“No other performance is likely to resemble Autism Mama. This is a tender, crystal clear, cheerfully indecent, and wickedly humorous show – a loving quality” – The Guardian
Josephine has been described as One to watch 2023 by Chortle and was also a Nominee Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2023.
Saturday 24 May
Find Your Funny 2 Hour workshop – 11am & 3.15 pm
Find your Funny workshops are creative, comedy and laughter workshops for women to explore their comedic voice, develop their self -confidence and simply be silly in the company other like – minded women.
We invite you to take some time out to play and explore. Finding our funny to tell our stories can sometimes be incredibly powerful, empowering and even healing. The workshops offers you the opportunity to take a break, laugh a lot and tap into your inner comedian in a very supportive and encouraging environment. So whether you’re interested in getting up on stage or you just want to have a bit of fun this workshop is for you. No experience necessary!
There are two workshops available on Sat 24 May 2025, 11am & 3.15pm
“I never would have thought I’d do a minute of stand up, but Claire gently led us through the various exercises, until you didn’t really realise you were being funny in front of other people” Past participant of Find Your Funny Workshop
Q&A on breaking into stand-up comedy 1.30pm
A panel of veteran comedians discuss the ups and down of working in comedy as a woman with tips and hints on how to progress in the industry, so whether you are doing stand up for fun or your keen to go pro, come along for some inspiration and networking. Panel TBC.
Saturday 24 May – Double Bill
Tickets £12
7.45pm Open Mic – Best of the Rest from the North West
An hour of comedy chaos from local comedians (sign up info to be announced)
9.30pm Samantha Day – Generation Wars
Multi Award Winning Comedian, Samantha Day, exposes the particular madnesses of each generation as she explores relationships, money, body image, pronouns and so much more. Are the stereotypes about boomers and millennials true? And why are Gen Z so anxious? This show will reveal all – and make you laugh as the audience competes to prove that they are in the generation which is “most right about everything”!
A huge hit in Edinburgh, and comedy festivals around the UK. “When you are born shapes you even more than your family background.. And unlike any other gameshow, winning a point for your generation seems to matter to people. They want so badly to be right. But none of us is right. We are all unhinged in our own generationally-specific way and we have every reason to love each other – it’s a heartwarming and interesting conclusion after a fight every time.”
“Just brilliant”, Arthur Smith
Samantha has won several awards including:
Not So New Comedian of the Year – Finalist (2024)
Amused Moose Award Nominee – Edinburgh (2023).
New Comedian of the Year (2022) – Winner – Southport Comedy Festival
Leicester Square, new comedian of the year – Finalist (2022)
Best New Act, Bath Comedy Festival – Finalist (2021)
Manfords New Act of the Year – Semi-Finalist (2020)
“The real deal, a fresh voice tempered by a life full of square peg experience” – Nick Page