Perched in a corner of the intimate, grungy space that is the upstairs of Whelan’s, I could observe the pre-show buzz of DU Comedy’s event, Hysteria: Women in Comedy. One of the main mid-week features of the long-awaited Trinity Arts Festival (TAF), the night was the product of three weeks’ worth of comedy workshops which had encouraged female comedians to the stage. The event page had given little away, promising an all-female line-up and a tantalising, if finite, free bar. Doors opened at 7pm and I was happily surprised to find the space filling rapidly by only quarter past the hour.
The preparation that had gone into the event was obvious: what seemed like hordes of organisers milled about, making the final touches, all sporting the distinctive TAF t-shirt with its minimalist, geometric lightbulb logo. Photographers were on the prowl throughout the venue, with fleeting camera flashes lighting up the dusky, low-ceilinged space. By 7.30pm the bar was open, noise levels were rising and the atmosphere of excitement was palpable.
Just before 8pm, MC for the night Sophia McDonald hopped up on stage to get the ball rolling. Immediately, she set the “girl-power” tone of the night, opening with a comment on just how brilliant and deserving of worship women truly are. We were told that the performers were all set to lose their “comedic virginity”, with the implication that we weren’t to be too harsh. McDonald pitched the gathered crowd of twenty-somethings against, what she termed, the “RTÉ generation” – the nagging Irish parents who think women would be far better off making a little less noise.
With this sentiment, the first special guest of the night was introduced: stand-up comedian previously seen on The Republic of Telly Joanne McNally. McNally commanded the crowd from the moment she stepped onstage and had them in stitches within moments of beginning her set. This ensured that the event got off to a roaring start. McNally’s complete and utter lack of self-consciousness, coupled with a “no filter” approach, made for a boisterous time. If you can imagine the kind of laughter that has you clutching at your sides and gasping for breath, then you will understand the energy that she managed to create.
From relationships gone sour to online dating and the pressures of a bikini holiday, there was a predominant theme to McNally’s set: the highs and lows of a young Irish woman’s day-to-day life. This was further explored in a Q&A session, in which McNally described her experience of the comedy world. Taking no prisoners, McNally was quick to point out the difficulties faced by women in comedy, saying that “women don’t get booked” and they “definitely use it against you”. However, while acknowledging the difference in the reaction towards female comics, McNally stressed that the scene is changing and that she wants her material to be accessible to both men and women. Finally, McNally was asked for her opinion on the effect of digital technology in the arts, a question that will apparently be put to every speaker during the week-long TAF. McNally was clear: for her, technology is a distraction from her work and altogether “a pain”. She suggested that we regain a touch of mystery in our lives, rather than living them online.
With this section of the evening concluded, Trinity’s own budding comedians took over. First up was Jane D’Altuin, whose set confronted the “myth of the gender binary”. From Catholics on the ferry to France, to father-daughter bonding, D’Altuin’s focus was family, not least her little eight-year old brother and his particularly hilarious discoveries. Next up was a short but fearless parody of female YouTube fitness fanatics from Anjali Sundaram, followed by Sheila Naughton in her stage persona as “Jezzy K”. Dressed in a tracksuit, hoops and elaborate pigtails, Naughton railed about overflowing Tinder inboxes and putting up with her “ma”. She ended with a no-holds-barred rap, detailing a typical night out in Dublin’s very own Copper Face Jacks.
Karon McGill was next, letting the audience in on a series of anecdotes on her adventures as an au pair in Madrid last summer. Second to last was Ashling Buggle with a sequence of quirky remarks on surviving the monotony of public transport, Russell Brand’s enlightening theories and 6ft Freudian bouncers. Last but not least was Eve McDonald, who brought us back full circle to the theme of the night: good old-fashioned feminism. With that, what turned out to be a delightful evening wound to a close, the organisers making sure to thank the Trinity Equality Fund for its support.
The night provided a space for a fusion of comedy and the arts, highlighting the diversity of this year’s TAF programme. As we move into the second last day of the festival, it can be said that DU Comedy have most definitely set the bar high for the remaining events to come.
