Were you one of the audience members who voted for Kat Radley at last year's Women in Comedy Festival? Whether you saw her and loved her, or sadly managed to miss her, she's one to watch. We caught up with Kat to see how the past year has treated her.
WICF: How did you get started in comedy?
Kat: When I was in college at the University of Virginia, Rooftop Comedy started their National College Comedy Competition. I had been secretly writing jokes and thinking of trying stand up, (I had also been secretly stealing food from the dining hall in tupperware), so when I heard they were coming to UVA for the contest, I decided to enter it. I ended up doing pretty well. I made it to the final four and won a trip to their 2008 festival in Aspen. And yes, the beer there does in fact flow like wine.
WICF: What advice do you have for working comics and for comics who are just starting out?
Kat: Define "working comics." I think it really comes down to hustle. When I moved to Los Angeles and decided to really "go for it" in comedy, I told myself that I would say yes to every opportunity that came my way. Whether it be submitting for a festival, doing a show in a bowling alley, or going on a “date” with a 51-year old "agent," you never know what might come out of it (herpes).
Also, be nice and friendly to everyone you meet, even if they are weird and annoying. Not because it's the right thing to do, but because someday they might be super successful and you can ride their coattails. At least, that's what my mother taught me.
WICF: What was your experience at WICF 2011 like?
Kat: WICF 2011 was awesome. I love the Boston scene. All the comics there are so friendly and supportive, at least they are to out-of-towners. It was also great to take advantage of some of the workshops and panels that happened throughout the weekend. I always learn so much from my fellow comics.
I think it's especially great that there is a festival specifically designed to showcase and promote female comedians. Comedy is definitely still a man's world, and I use the word “man” in the loosest terms.
WICF: How’s the Friars Club show working out?
Kat: The Friars Club has been great in working with me to figure out a date. It’s tough because I live across the country, so it’s been hard coordinating a good time I can make it out there.
I think it will probably happen this coming spring. I can’t wait! I think the award has helped me. I've included it on applications for other festivals and showcases, and I have been accepted… we’ll say it’s all because of the award. It hasn’t been as helpful picking up guys. Whenever I bring it out to bars, men throw around ridiculous words like, “pretentious,” and, “crazy,” and “You can’t drink that in here. This is a grocery store.” I don’t get it.
WICF: How was the Magners Stand-Off?
Kat: The Magners Festival was so much fun! The shows were great and I made it to the finals. There were a lot of really strong comics competing, and I’m sure the judges agonized over who should win, but they ultimately did not pick me. Matt D. won, and he totally deserved it. He killed.
I still consider myself a winner because I got to drink free Magners all weekend, and I won $50 on a Patriots scratch ticket. Call me crazy if that doesn’t beat a trip to Scotland.
WICF: What are you up to now?
Kat: Currently I am living in Los Angeles, teaching high school kids by day and doing comedy by night. Yes, you’re right. I am just like a superhero.
I’m actively working on my stand-up, but I am also a part of an improv team and a sketch group. I have no problem staying busy.
Keep up with Kat via her website www.katradley.com, on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can see her perform in the WICF 2012 show "Beards and Broads, Hosted by Matt Kona" on Friday, March 23 at 9 PM at Grandma's Basement.
Kat made her stand-up debut by competing in Rooftop Comedy’s National College Comedy Competition, where the public voted her into the Final Four, landing her a spot in the 2008 Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. Since then she has performed in the 2010 World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas, on Tom Arnold’s Laughing with the Stars at the Laugh Factory, and at clubs and colleges across the country. She won second place in the “Funniest Comic in SoCal Contest” at the Jon Lovitz Club and she performs improvisational comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. She also writes and performs in a sketch group with other LA comics. Last spring, Kat got the attention of media and audience alike at the Women in Comedy Festival in Boston where she took home the 2011 Friars Club Audience Award. She also performed in the 2011 Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin and the 2011 Laugh Track Festival in Denver. She was just recently a finalist in the 2012 Magners Comedy Festival.
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