Giving the current circumstances many a comedian is now unable to perform live, and clubs have had to close, and so both have had their only way of making money taken away from them. That’s clearly all rather bleak and then some but a good few are coming up with ways to earn money, from fundraisers to setting up Patreon accounts, performing on Twitch and even using Ko-Fi to pay for the odd couple of coffee, and the following is an A-Z guide to supporting the struggling comedians out there. Please note: We’ve only just set up this page, and many more fundraisers / comedians details will be added soon.
Latest Update:
Angel Comedy – Rather upsettingly this superb venue is in danger of closing with their only having enough money to survive until the end of May. If this was to happen it’d be enormously depressing as they’ve showcased some amazing comedy over the years, so if you can afford to donate, even as a one-off, the comedy world would truly benefit from it. https://www.patreon.com/join/angelcomedy
Sarah Bennetto – Sarah delighted us when we saw her as part of This Is Your Trial last year, and can be supported via Ko-Fi – https://ko-fi.com/sarahbennetto
Paul Duncan McGarrity – Is one of those really fantastic comedians you get these days, who also has a Ko-Fi page. https://ko-fi.com/paulduncanmcgarrity
Rob Mulholland – Has a patreon where during the crisis all funds will be donated to The Trussell Trust- https://www.patreon.com/Robmulholland
Lulu Popplewell – Lulu’s another superb comedian who has a Ko-Fi page – https://ko-fi.com/lulupopplewell
Katie Pritchard – Katie’s can be helped out via Ko-Fi. https://ko-fi.com/katiepritchards?fbclid=IwAR0voHIR-5VwVHY4glDOstB2L4dR7PWpVEFqT3wg_qsWumH-uKOXXO8O41g
John Luke-Roberts – Has made us laugh more than 96% of human beings on this earth, and can be helped out via Ko-Fi too. ko-fi.com/jlukeroberts
The Delightful Sausage – This superb sketch duo have a patreon you can support here: https://www.patreon.com/TheDelightfulSausage?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=creatorshare
Allison Spittle – This hilarious comedian who made us laugh a huge amount at a Quantum Leopard gig earlier this year can be supported via Ko-Fi too. https://ko-fi.com/alisonspittle
Thom Tuck – You can buy this lovely comedian / member of The Penny Dreadfuls a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/turlygod
Previous Updates In A Handy A-Z Format:
Comedy Gives Back – This American site supports comedians who are struggling either financially or mentally. https://www.comedygivesback.com/
Mike Birbiglia – Is doing something all a bit special by performing with the likes of John Mulaney, Roy Wood Jr, Gary Gulman, Jacqueline Novak, Nikki Glaser, and Maria Bamford to raise money for the staffs of comedy clubs that are currently closed because of COVID-19. https://www.tipyourwaitstaff.com/
Ian Boldsworth – The comedian formerly known as Ray Peacock offers up a fantastic selection of podcasts on his Patreon page, along with info on the Parapod movie and various other bits and pieces. https://www.patreon.com/ianboldsworth/
The Stand Comedy Club – Are producing live shows each Saturday night, and you can donate on the site to help the club survive, as well as to help out the acts performing too. https://www.thestand.co.uk/donate
Police Cops – Have just set up a Patreon page where depending on what you pay you can stream one, two or all three of their shows, I adored Badass Be Thy Name a ridiculous amount so have signed up for the £10 a month tier so that I can see their first two shows. https://www.patreon.com/policecopscomedy
Barry Dodds – The co-host of the Parapod Podcast is also on Patreon, and if you donate you can receive a number of extras including photos and videos, untold tales and other mysterious things – https://www.patreon.com/barrydodds
Tiernan Douieb – The man behind the really excellent Partly Political Broadcast – https://www.partlypoliticalbroadcast.tiernandouieb.co.uk/ – can be supported via his Ko-Fi here: https://ko-fi.com/parpolbro
David Earl – Has been running his own Patreon for a while now and has a whole host of exclusive podcasts and other bits and pieces that I’m told are hilarious. https://www.patreon.com/DavidEarl
John Henry Falle – Aka The Story Beast, is performing on Twitch – https://www.twitch.tv/thestorybeast – and telling funny / scary stories, while if you want to buy him a cup of coffee you can do so here. https://ko-fi.com/thestorybeast
The Guilty Feminist – You can support the makers of this superb podcast on Patreon and depending on the tier you select you will get a number of fantastic rewards here. https://www.patreon.com/guiltyfeminist
The Stay At Home Festival – Robin Ince is curating this mix of live shows and podcasts, and you can donate on the site with the proceeds going to those comedians who have been hit hardest. https://cosmicshambles.com/stayathome
Objectively Funny – This superb company based at The Albany in London is currently receiving donations to help it stay afloat, along with the option to buy tickets for future gigs or buy merchandise. https://fixr.co/event/10949111
Alistair Green – Is making some very funny videos during the lockdown, and you can support him here: https://ko-fi.com/alistairgreen
Bec Hill – This incredibly talented comedian who has impressed us an enormous amount when we saw her at both Quantum Leopard last year and previewing her show this year has a Ko-Fi page. https://ko-fi.com/bechill
Steve Hill – You can support Steve using Ko-Fi, with further details here: https://ko-fi.com/aroundtheworld
Hoopla Improv – Making the most of a bad situation, Hoopla, the UK’s first improv theatre, are injecting comedy into the current crisis with online improv classes catered for all those on lockdown. Using the ever-popular Zoom people can video call their way into one of many drop-in sessions, bringing improv to the living-room-turned-home-office, with online classes proving in high-demand! Packed with 100s of games from their regular courses, as well as interactive scenes, the focus is on having fun and letting yourself go in this troubled time – surviving lockdown through improv. https://www.hooplaimpro.com/online-drop-ins
Sooz Kempner – Sooz has put her most recent Edinburgh show online, and you can also see her fantastic new Eastenders videos too, among many other very funny things. https://www.patreon.com/SoozUK
Ian Lane – Is one of a number of fantastic comedians creating new content on Twitch, and if you enjoy his work you can donate to him on the site itself. https://www.twitch.tv/ruffledbricks/
Josie Long – This amazing comedian who does a lot for charity definitely deserves some herself. https://ko-fi.com/josielong
Eleanor Morton – This superb comedian can also be found on Twitch – https://www.twitch.tv/eleanor_morton and you can buy her a coffee too – https://ko-fi.com/eleanormorton
Joz Norris – is also doing one of those ko-fi, and if donate £3 he’ll send you a recording of his most recent show “Joz Norris Is Dead. Long Live Mr Fruit Salad”. https://ko-fi.com/joznorris
NextUp – Have set up a Just Giving page to help support a number of comedians, which at the time of writing has already raised an incredible £81,000 – but that shouldn’t stop you from donating given the amount of now unemployed comics out there. https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hecklethevirus – and they’ve also created the #HeckleTheVirus page here with further information as to how support comedians.
Acting For Others – A fundraising page that supports actors both comedic and dramatic, as well as those who work behind the scenes. https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/actingforothers
Mandatory Redistribution Party – A podcast about radical left ideas created by comedians Sean Morley and Jack Evans, new episodes are released weekly and you can support it here. https://www.patreon.com/mandatoryredistributionparty
Katie Pritchard – Has both a Ko-Fi and a Patreon, so you can either choose to help her just the once, or on a monthly basis, with the latter seeing her offer up podcast episodes, artwork and more. https://ko-fi.com/katiepritchards / https://www.patreon.com/katiepritchards
John Robertson – The acclaimed creator of The Dark Room, you’ll receive a message or a song that roasts you if you buy him a coffee – https://ko-fi.com/robbotron – and he’s also performing on Twitch too. https://www.thejohnrobertson.com/livedates/
James Ross – One of our favourite people in the industry, James runs the superb Quantum Leopard comedy night, and you can support him by buying his excellent full length show Leopardoptera here: https://gumroad.com/l/Leopardoptera
Paul Rose – The creator of Digitiser is also on Patreon, with all donations going toward not only the upkeep of the site and new written material, but also the creation of new videos too. https://www.patreon.com/Digitiser2000
Kate Smurthwaite – You can download her show Clit Stirrer for just over a fiver, which is a bargain and then some. https://gumroad.com/l/ksclit?fbclid=IwAR2lfr6qzEUSPk198Rkwmlxcmk9hkb8Cd3KpHdKkgfIZA_nnTREb0SIAQew
Andrea Spisto – Was due to perform her show at the Soho Theatre in March but sadly it didn’t go ahead, hopefully it will be rescheduled but in the meantime you can donate money to her via paypal – https://www.paypal.me/dre663?locale.x=en_GB
Questing Time – Is London’s funniest Dungeons and Dragon’s show where comedians play the game live on stage, and while they can’t perform the show’s creators can be supported here – https://www.patreon.com/questingtime
The Trussell Trust – Are supporting a number of people in this time of crisis, and Mark Thomas has made his show NHS@70 available to download in exchange for a small donation, with Richard Herring, Rachel Fairburn and Adam Buxton having done the same thing too. More info is here: https://www.gofasterstripe.com/
Rice To Meet You – An all kinds of lovely comedy podcast about Asian culture from Evelyn Mok and Nigel Ng, the Patreon for it is here: https://www.patreon.com/ricetomeetyoupod
If you know of a comedian, venue or company who needs help, or are one yourself, please message us using the Contact Form below.
Alex Finch.
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