At last year’s Faversham Fringe, I stumbled across Caroline Madds’ work in progress show Buzzin’ on a spare Friday evening. Faversham is very close to where I live in Canterbury and when the festival is on, I like to catch as many performances as I can, supporting artists of all genres. Caroline happened to be performing in the early evening slot at the Alexander Centre and I had a blast watching her talk about tinnitus and TK Maxx. I was immediately impressed by the relatability of her comedy and was keen to hear how the show would evolve. Skip forward to this year and the comedian is headed to the Brighton Fringe for two performances. Ahead of Caroline’s shows at The Caxton Arms, I had the opportunity to hear more about Buzzin’ and what inspired the performer to get into comedy.
How did you get into comedy?
I’ve always loved comedy – from saving my student loan to buy League of Gentlemen DVDs and doing impressions in class. An English teacher wrote in my school report that my impression of Cilla Black will unfortunately stick with him longer than was needed. My parents were not impressed, but I was gassed: my first review! However, as a young working class woman in Lincoln, I didn’t think it was something you could do.
Then a few years ago, I was living in London and had been thinking about giving it a go. At the same time I got introduced to someone who was doing stand-up; they thought I was funny and told me about the open mic comedy scene. True to millennial types, I did a comedy course, led by the funny-to-the-bones Logan Murray. I was ready for my big comedy moment, then the world locked down. Comic timing is everything. In 2021 I had done a few real-life gigs and landed in the final of the renowned competition for new acts: Gilded Balloon’s ‘So You Think You Are Funny?’ at the Edinburgh Fringe. It was still social distancing [at the time] so there was a small audience wearing masks and the air conditioning unit drowned out my flat Lincolnshire vowels, but I still loved it and from then on I haven’t stopped.
If you were to sum up your comedy style in one word, what would it be and why?
Heart. It’s stand up full of heart really. It’s joyous, it plays about with the silliness of life, like when you have a couple of carafes of wine as you feel all fancy at a small plates food pop-up, then you have to desperately wriggle out of a 100% polyester jumpsuit in a portaloo, whilst semi-naked thinking… is this a metaphor for the patriarchy or have I had too much Pinot? A bit like that really. Essentially we’re going to have a good time for an hour.
What inspired you to create a stand up show centred on your experience of tinnitus?
I genuinely thought I could cure my tinnitus, and was propelled by an insatiable hope. There’s so many paradoxes with it, that it can really skew your perception. I ended up meeting a guy who wore a wolf fleece in a Morrison’s car park late one night, as he was selling dodgy ear candles that promised relief. That’s a dangerous thing to do, as it’s never safe to meet anyone who thinks it’s okay to wear a wolf fleece.
Ultimately I really wanted to write the funny out of the experience; we all have ears, when was the last time we checked they’re okay? The show really brings together that time in my life, as I crashed into my mid-thirties with a new buzzin’ in my ears, trying to navigate it all when the women around me were trying to find their authentic selves and all I wanted was to find silence whilst self soothing in Zara.
Buzzin’ is titled as a WIP (Work in Progress). How are you finding trialing the material on audiences across the UK?
Every show helps me to find out more about the shape of it, like carving a sculpture with live feedback from strangers – although, that would be a weird art class. The audiences have been great across the UK as I work it out; from the sequencing of the show to the technical side and of course how it lands. I had a BSL interpreted performance at Leicester Comedy Festival which was really insightful for developing the accessibility side of the show too. I’ve loved chatting to audiences post-show, you don’t have to have tinnitus to understand or enjoy the show. One couple who came along in Nottingham said it was better than the pork pie making workshop they had been to that day, so that’s going on the poster.
To what extent is the material changing as you perform at different venues and festivals?
Each show is an opportunity to build on the last. Since the first WIP a lot has evolved in terms of exploring different avenues, adding [to the material] and editing out. I’m looking forward to it developing more across the shows as I head to Edinburgh Fringe.
What do you hope audiences take away from the show at this year’s Brighton Fringe?
A belly full of laughs, an awareness of the perils of TK Maxx for women in their 30s and an acquaintance with their own cochlea.
What are you most looking forward to, performing at this year’s festival?
I love Brighton Fringe, audiences are always up for a good laugh and bring the atmosphere. I’d be chuffed if you can make it to my show and kick off your afternoon! Where else can you see some amazing comedy and have a cornetto and chips on the beach straight after?
As a Funny Women Semi-Finalist, what would be your top tip for any women or non-binary comedians hoping to enter the world of stand up?
Don’t overthink it (because I did). Find your nearest open mic, sign up for 5 minutes and then sign up for another. If it’s not for you it’s a funny story, but if it is for you, it could be the start of a different story. Either way you’ll have a laugh and you can never have too much of that.
Join Caroline for an afternoon of laughter at Brighton Fringe
As you can probably tell from this piece, Caroline is incredibly passionate about comedy, naturally funny and I wish her all the success for her time at Brighton. It is also exciting to hear that Caroline will be heading to Edinburgh later this year. You can catch Buzzin’ at Half A Camel – The Caxton Arms on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May. Performances start at 1:45pm and tickets are free / PWYW (Pay What You Want).
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
Comments