We caught up with this growing powerhouse in the SOUTH AFRICA comedy circuit that is Ms Kate Goliath , who is behind the comedy trio called GOLIATH & GOLIATH to get some nuggets for those who want to know what it takes working behind the scenes in the business that is Standup comedy.
1. How Long have you been involved in the Comedy Industry and for how long ?
I started working in the comedy industry in 2012 until now so going on 4 years, I'm a toddler!
2. Why comedy and how did you get involved in the industry?
I love the entertainment industry and have only really worked in the sphere of entertainment providers etc. Comedy chose me, well Jason and Donovan needed help to manage their diaries and their jobs i was in-between job ideas and it was the perfect fit, i had also just become a mom so working from our home office was just what i needed.
3. You are married and have kids how do you balance marriage , family and work ?
I am not married, LOL. i live with my partner and father of my children yes, but i call him my husband from time to time!
I actually have no idea and ask myself the same question at least 3 times a week, i guess it comes firstly from a love of everything and everyone in my life, if you love something or someone unconditionally its terribly easy to give the best you can all the time.
With out the sugarcoating though i would say it literally is just about balancing everything, my days are full and busy but i have set times for everything and everyone, Ryan (husband boyfriend) and i have developed a routine for the children and that helps us divide time between them and with each other, which is most important. With out Ryan i wouldn't be able to survive. my support structure is incredible and if urgent matters come up or if i need to work at night and Ryan is travelling my mother steps in and takes care of the kids.
4. You work with some pretty amazing women in Comedy. Why do you think there are few women in comedy ?
Women in comedy are so amazing! Diverse, cultured, intelligent and HILARIOUS.
I think its just difficult to break into the arena, i don't think its because boys don't want to let girls play i think its because girls are afraid in a way. Don't get me wrong i am not trying to make us seem weak but with most male dominated professions especially one where you are meant to speak your mind but the minute a woman uses profanity eyebrows are raised and she becomes a whore. They are afraid that the audience is waiting for 'male humour' this is silly because we should be laughing at funny things in general.
that being said there is a more welcoming mind in the audience and woman can sometimes get away with so much more than their male counterparts.
I think that many female comics are making it easier for others trying to break into the scene by also not being overly profane and by just being funny and talking about relatable issues facing us as women in todays society.
I recently watched a international show at the Montreux Comedy Festival and of the 3 ladies on the lineup not one of them had the same material or tried to fit into a certain stereotype, they all got huge laughs and were from countries so different from Africa and each other.
I think in the next few years there will be a change though, there has already been a great increase of woman only shows and line ups and the female comedians already working are making a good example for younger ladies wanting to get on stage.
5. What advise would you give a woman who wants to be a comedian? Do you think there is a need for more female comedians in the industry if so why?
I don't only think we need more female comedians but just more female voices and mentors. at the end of the day woman have a totally different way of finding solutions and executing plans ect than men, so the mix would be good for everyone.
My advise is to be strong, don't take no for an answer and keep on getting up, comedians in general are quite emotional beings, they are more sensitive than most people. so be strong enough to not let the remarks and criticism from the audience as well as your peers stop you from getting back on stage and polishing your materiel.
Don't let one bad set determine your career, every comedian dies, and should do so in order to develop the set that can be told to chinese tourists in Russia and still get laughs.
PRACTISE, use your peers, family, people on the bus anyone who will listen to run over your ideas, not do the full routine per say but at least gather insight from all angles before completing the thought. You never know who will be in the audience and experience is the best way to gain the confidence to talk about something and to get people to understand and feel comfortable by you being comfortable when talking about it.
Talk and workshop with other comics as much as you can, go to as many shows as you can even if you are not booked to perform, watch others on stage and ask lots of questions, comedians love talking about how they came up with gags.
Relax, not one person in that audience is out to get you, even the drunk guy yelling, he is just drunk and you can tease him until he sobers up you have everyones permission. just breathe in and out and have FUN, if you are getting on stage to tell jokes its only because you want to make people laugh so doit!
7. Tell us a principle you live by in the business of comedy?
My most important principle in any business is Transparency. Open and clear communication always saves the day and the dollar. start there and everything falls into place as it should.
Being on your toes is essential too as anything can happen at any time, don't think about time think about adding to your brand at any given moment especially when you need your brand to grow and become recognisable.
8. You and your team are in the process of opening up your very own Comedy Club in March 2016 , you have already been running very successful comedy nights around johannesburg .what would you say was were biggest challenges to date and how have you faced them?
There aren't major problems besides getting people to come and watch, we have to constantly promote and talk about our gigs so that people know they are happening, we generally have really low budgets so we rely on social media to market our shows, but have found that word of mouth has been our greatest asset, if you produce the right show they will come, as Jason says ' If you build it they will come' but they have to know its happening.
Another issue we have in Johannesburg is venues, there are thousands of restaurants but we are so picky about the set up of the venue for the show so it can take a while to find the right venue if your current venue closes or cannot accommodate you, the setting definitely determines the show a few simple rules will make sure that every show no matter how full is a success. Always remember that the size of the show does not determine the amount of laughs you will get, some of our best shows were for tiny audiences and those patrons always walk away with so much more. Ideally a theatre is best but they can be pricey for a weekly show.
The Club is going to be so great for the industry as it is creating another platform for comedians to get on stage and grow as well as opening new stages for brand new comics who need open stages. South African comedy needs this, and we need to work really hard to make sure it benefits everyone.
I started working in the comedy industry in 2012 until now so going on 4 years, I'm a toddler!
2. Why comedy and how did you get involved in the industry?
I love the entertainment industry and have only really worked in the sphere of entertainment providers etc. Comedy chose me, well Jason and Donovan needed help to manage their diaries and their jobs i was in-between job ideas and it was the perfect fit, i had also just become a mom so working from our home office was just what i needed.
3. You are married and have kids how do you balance marriage , family and work ?
I am not married, LOL. i live with my partner and father of my children yes, but i call him my husband from time to time!
I actually have no idea and ask myself the same question at least 3 times a week, i guess it comes firstly from a love of everything and everyone in my life, if you love something or someone unconditionally its terribly easy to give the best you can all the time.
With out the sugarcoating though i would say it literally is just about balancing everything, my days are full and busy but i have set times for everything and everyone, Ryan (husband boyfriend) and i have developed a routine for the children and that helps us divide time between them and with each other, which is most important. With out Ryan i wouldn't be able to survive. my support structure is incredible and if urgent matters come up or if i need to work at night and Ryan is travelling my mother steps in and takes care of the kids.
4. You work with some pretty amazing women in Comedy. Why do you think there are few women in comedy ?
Women in comedy are so amazing! Diverse, cultured, intelligent and HILARIOUS.
I think its just difficult to break into the arena, i don't think its because boys don't want to let girls play i think its because girls are afraid in a way. Don't get me wrong i am not trying to make us seem weak but with most male dominated professions especially one where you are meant to speak your mind but the minute a woman uses profanity eyebrows are raised and she becomes a whore. They are afraid that the audience is waiting for 'male humour' this is silly because we should be laughing at funny things in general.
that being said there is a more welcoming mind in the audience and woman can sometimes get away with so much more than their male counterparts.
I think that many female comics are making it easier for others trying to break into the scene by also not being overly profane and by just being funny and talking about relatable issues facing us as women in todays society.
I recently watched a international show at the Montreux Comedy Festival and of the 3 ladies on the lineup not one of them had the same material or tried to fit into a certain stereotype, they all got huge laughs and were from countries so different from Africa and each other.
I think in the next few years there will be a change though, there has already been a great increase of woman only shows and line ups and the female comedians already working are making a good example for younger ladies wanting to get on stage.
5. What advise would you give a woman who wants to be a comedian? Do you think there is a need for more female comedians in the industry if so why?
I don't only think we need more female comedians but just more female voices and mentors. at the end of the day woman have a totally different way of finding solutions and executing plans ect than men, so the mix would be good for everyone.
My advise is to be strong, don't take no for an answer and keep on getting up, comedians in general are quite emotional beings, they are more sensitive than most people. so be strong enough to not let the remarks and criticism from the audience as well as your peers stop you from getting back on stage and polishing your materiel.
Don't let one bad set determine your career, every comedian dies, and should do so in order to develop the set that can be told to chinese tourists in Russia and still get laughs.
PRACTISE, use your peers, family, people on the bus anyone who will listen to run over your ideas, not do the full routine per say but at least gather insight from all angles before completing the thought. You never know who will be in the audience and experience is the best way to gain the confidence to talk about something and to get people to understand and feel comfortable by you being comfortable when talking about it.
Talk and workshop with other comics as much as you can, go to as many shows as you can even if you are not booked to perform, watch others on stage and ask lots of questions, comedians love talking about how they came up with gags.
Relax, not one person in that audience is out to get you, even the drunk guy yelling, he is just drunk and you can tease him until he sobers up you have everyones permission. just breathe in and out and have FUN, if you are getting on stage to tell jokes its only because you want to make people laugh so doit!
7. Tell us a principle you live by in the business of comedy?
My most important principle in any business is Transparency. Open and clear communication always saves the day and the dollar. start there and everything falls into place as it should.
Being on your toes is essential too as anything can happen at any time, don't think about time think about adding to your brand at any given moment especially when you need your brand to grow and become recognisable.
8. You and your team are in the process of opening up your very own Comedy Club in March 2016 , you have already been running very successful comedy nights around johannesburg .what would you say was were biggest challenges to date and how have you faced them?
There aren't major problems besides getting people to come and watch, we have to constantly promote and talk about our gigs so that people know they are happening, we generally have really low budgets so we rely on social media to market our shows, but have found that word of mouth has been our greatest asset, if you produce the right show they will come, as Jason says ' If you build it they will come' but they have to know its happening.
Another issue we have in Johannesburg is venues, there are thousands of restaurants but we are so picky about the set up of the venue for the show so it can take a while to find the right venue if your current venue closes or cannot accommodate you, the setting definitely determines the show a few simple rules will make sure that every show no matter how full is a success. Always remember that the size of the show does not determine the amount of laughs you will get, some of our best shows were for tiny audiences and those patrons always walk away with so much more. Ideally a theatre is best but they can be pricey for a weekly show.
The Club is going to be so great for the industry as it is creating another platform for comedians to get on stage and grow as well as opening new stages for brand new comics who need open stages. South African comedy needs this, and we need to work really hard to make sure it benefits everyone.