Women will own the stage on Friday 2 February, as The Nine's first international all-female comedy night comes to the Belgian capital for an evening of fun and laughter.
Hosted by Belgium's first female-focused members' club The Nine, the event – which sold out in 48 hours – hopes to challenge the male-dominated stand-up comedy industry and give women a voice.
The evening's host and MC will be British scriptwriter, performer and comedian Kym Nelson, who has been in the business for two years (alongside her full-time job as Editor-in-chief at the European Policy Centre).
Nelson trained with leading comedy coach Jill Edwards and French master clown Philippe Gaulier but admitted to The Brussels Times that making her way into the industry has had its challenges. "When I first started I always found that I was the only woman on the line-up and all the male comedians would just talk about porn. And I used to think: 'is that all these men have to talk about?'"
The last gig she did in London featured just two women on the line-up. "But in Brussels, the ratio of men to women is worse. And women are intimidated by the fact it's all men – hence the show!"
Nelson approached Georgia Brooks, founder and CEO of The Nine – Belgium's first female-focused members' club, named after the nine muses of the ancient world – with the idea of an all-female comedy night. Brooks was thrilled: "We had been wanting to do a comedy night for a long time, especially because many of the English-speaking shows in Brussels are very male-dominated."
Brooks is a passionate advocate for women's rights and gender equality. "What's more amusing than being a woman in the modern age? Not much."
Sold out in 48 hours
A diverse, international line-up was created with ten women including Nelson, ranging from newcomers and experienced comedians to musicians and even a former dominatrix. The event sold out within 48 hours of going live.
The pair then decided to organise a second comedy night on 1 March, which also sold out. "It just shows that there is such a huge market for this. You can see people are desperate to have this outlet for female-focused conversations and spaces," Brooks stressed.
"In comedy – like in life – the stage has been set by mostly male designers, actors, producers, directors. If you look at many of our cultural touchpoints, from Monty Python to Saturday Night Live today, they are mainly driven by male writers and comedians. But women are hilariously funny. Maybe our jokes or perspectives are different, but that doesn't mean they are any less amusing or worthy."
Delia Tou (Left), Helen Johnson (Centre) and Niamh Moroney (Right). Credit: Bxleir Studio
Brooks added that women are so often the butt of the joke: the blond jokes, the period jokes, jokes about wives or mothers. "It's not a welcoming environment. Why would you want to come into this sphere? You're a step behind already. You're having to fight twice as hard for 10% of the recognition or pay. Women are not offered the same opportunities as men for the same job, task or responsibility."
The public event is one of The Nine's many events, discussion, workshops and screenings and "ties in perfectly with what the organisation is trying to achieve in terms of gender equality and championing women's voices."
"Women are the biggest punchline in society right now, so it's good that we are trying to turn the tables."
The Nine's comedy shows on 2 February and 1 March are already sold out, but more dates will be released soon. The club is also putting on a performance of 'Carnage' on 24 and 25 May with an all-female cast and production team. Find all the upcoming events here.
Credit: The Nine
