Get Into Comedy
Want to try stand-up in the North East? Felt Nowt helps new comedians get started and find their place in the local comedy scene.
Starting comedy can feel like a bit of a mystery when you do not know where to begin, who to speak to or how people actually get their first opportunities. We want to make that first step easier.
If you are based in the North East and thinking about giving stand-up a go, this page will show you how to get involved with Felt Nowt.
Tell us you’re interested
If you’re based in the North East and looking for your first few gigs, fill in the form below.
We use this to hear from new acts and let people know about suitable opportunities.
Long Live Comedy
Long Live Comedy has been part of the North East comedy scene for around two decades and has helped generations of comedians get their first stage time.
Chris Ramsey did his first gig at Long Live Comedy, along with many other North East acts who went on to build careers in comedy.
Felt Nowt now runs Long Live as a regular new-act and new-material night, continuing what it has always done: giving newer comedians somewhere to get on stage, try material and become part of the local comedy scene.
LEARN COMEDY
Felt Nowt runs comedy courses and workshops throughout the year, including sessions for complete beginners and for comedians looking to develop their writing or performance.
They do not run continuously, so keep an eye on our events and social media for upcoming courses and workshops.
There are many great books that tell you how to write and perform stand up comedy but Lee Kyle’s ‘How To Make A Stand Up Show’ is the only book that talks existing comedians through the creation of a festival show or stand up special.
If you want:
A stronger show
More confidence in it
A strong festival run
A cogent and hilarious special
A structured show
And a short cut through trial and error and bad previews,
This book can help.
Drawing on over a decade and a half as a working comedian and show director, Lee Kyle shares the methods, mistakes, and adaptations that have shaped his own career and the solo shows of many others.
Rather than offering generic motivation or rigid “rules”, the book focuses on how comedians can work with their own brains, instincts, and limitations instead of against them. It challenges commonly accepted wisdom around writing and structuring comedy shows, examining where rules are useful, where they fail, and how they can be bent or discarded altogether.
Available as a paperback (Postage to UK), Audiobook, pdf and kindle edition.
There are many great books that tell you how to write and perform stand up comedy but Lee Kyle’s ‘How To Make A Stand Up Show’ is the only book that talks existing comedians through the creation of a festival show or stand up special.
If you want:
A stronger show
More confidence in it
A strong festival run
A cogent and hilarious special
A structured show
And a short cut through trial and error and bad previews,
This book can help.
Drawing on over a decade and a half as a working comedian and show director, Lee Kyle shares the methods, mistakes, and adaptations that have shaped his own career and the solo shows of many others.
Rather than offering generic motivation or rigid “rules”, the book focuses on how comedians can work with their own brains, instincts, and limitations instead of against them. It challenges commonly accepted wisdom around writing and structuring comedy shows, examining where rules are useful, where they fail, and how they can be bent or discarded altogether.
Available as a paperback (Postage to UK), Audiobook, pdf and kindle edition.
HOW TO MAKE A STAND UP SHOW
Once you have been gigging for a while, the next problem is usually not finding another five minutes.
It is working out how all the bits become an actual show.
Felt Nowt’s Lee Kyle has written How To Make A Stand Up Show, a practical guide for comedians who want to turn a collection of material into a full-length show, festival hour or special.
The book draws on Lee’s experience as both a working stand-up and a director of solo shows, including his work helping North East comedians develop their first full-length performances. Chortle
It is about structure, purpose, what conventional comedy advice gets right, what it gets wrong, and how to make a show that works with the way you actually think and perform.
For comedians who already know how to do stand-up and are ready to work out what comes next.
There are many great books that tell you how to write and perform stand up comedy but Lee Kyle’s ‘How To Make A Stand Up Show’ is the only book that talks existing comedians through the creation of a festival show or stand up special.
If you want:
A stronger show
More confidence in it
A strong festival run
A cogent and hilarious special
A structured show
And a short cut through trial and error and bad previews,
This book can help.
Drawing on over a decade and a half as a working comedian and show director, Lee Kyle shares the methods, mistakes, and adaptations that have shaped his own career and the solo shows of many others.
Rather than offering generic motivation or rigid “rules”, the book focuses on how comedians can work with their own brains, instincts, and limitations instead of against them. It challenges commonly accepted wisdom around writing and structuring comedy shows, examining where rules are useful, where they fail, and how they can be bent or discarded altogether.
Available as a paperback (Postage to UK), Audiobook, pdf and kindle edition.
There are many great books that tell you how to write and perform stand up comedy but Lee Kyle’s ‘How To Make A Stand Up Show’ is the only book that talks existing comedians through the creation of a festival show or stand up special.
If you want:
A stronger show
More confidence in it
A strong festival run
A cogent and hilarious special
A structured show
And a short cut through trial and error and bad previews,
This book can help.
Drawing on over a decade and a half as a working comedian and show director, Lee Kyle shares the methods, mistakes, and adaptations that have shaped his own career and the solo shows of many others.
Rather than offering generic motivation or rigid “rules”, the book focuses on how comedians can work with their own brains, instincts, and limitations instead of against them. It challenges commonly accepted wisdom around writing and structuring comedy shows, examining where rules are useful, where they fail, and how they can be bent or discarded altogether.
Available as a paperback (Postage to UK), Audiobook, pdf and kindle edition.
WORKSHOPS & COURSES
Already performing?
If you’re already a comedian based in the North East, you can join the Felt Nowt co-op.
Membership connects you with the wider Felt Nowt community and gives you access to opportunities, support and projects aimed at helping North East comedians develop and get more from the local scene. It also means being part of an organisation run for the benefit of the comedians involved, rather than simply being on a promoter’s mailing list.