Kat Radley
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Kat Radley

Upton, Massachusetts, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2015

Upton, Massachusetts, United States
Established on Jan, 2015
Solo Comedy

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"Catching Up With Kat Radley, WICF 2011 Friars Club Award Winner"

By WICF Editor Liz McKeon

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. - Women in Comedy Festival


"Comedians I Now Know"

We checked out the fantastic comedy show Comedians You Should Know last night in Streeterville. For the price of a meal at most chain restaurants you can nab two tickets and see two hours worth of stand-up from up and coming comedians. We really enjoyed Kat Radley talking about her butt whole (you had to be there) and Megan Gailey making fun of her home state of Indiana. The intimate stage and seating area is in the back of Timothy O'Toole's bar (pictured below), which was quite busy for a weeknight. If you like comedy and need something to do on a Wednesday night check it out! - Chicago Crawl


"Five things I learned at the Women in Comedy Festival"

1. There are more seriously funny ladies in the comedy world right now then there have ever been before. Rachel Dratch, Morgan Murphy, Jen Kirkman and Kristen Schaal were among the headliners at the third annual Women in Comedy Festival (womenincomedyfestival.com) in Boston this past weekend, drawing sellout crowds and attention from industry and the press. 210 performers in 36 shows between Wednesday, March 9, and Sunday 13, sold more than 1,500 tickets on whole.

2. Things are going pretty well for women in comedy these days. In two panel discussions (I sat on one) on the state of the comedy industry in general and, in particular, the roles women are currently playing therein, industry and talent came to the conclusion that the glass ceiling is significantly higher than it was 15 years ago. And that the industry is better for it.

3. We want to see more of each of these performers: Kat Radley from L.A. (katradley.com), Kendra Cunningham (kendracunningham.com), Giulia Rozzi (giuliarozzi.com), Meghan O'Neill (magnettheater.com), Laura Grey (newyork.ucbtheatre.com), Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting (skinnybitchcomedy.com) and Somebody's in the Doghouse (somebodysinthedoghouse.com).

4. Why the festival is already in its third year and will continue to be a success: Quality talent and professional production are two clear reasons why WICF is successful and growing. Less obvious but more valuable is its ethos: The festival is about women doing, not women complaining.

5. Dudes are ladies too. Kurt Braunohler, Myq Kaplan and dozens of hilarious people who happen to have penises were also on the bill. I heard a similar sentiment from several guys: At the beginning of the festival, they confessed to feeling awkward about participating, but by the end they were hoping to be invited back next year. - Time Out New York


Discography

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Bio

Born and raised in Montclair, Virginia, Kat made her stand up debut by competing in Rooftop Comedy’s National College Comedy Competition as a student at the University of Virginia, where the public voted her into the Final Four, landing her a spot in the prestigious Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. Since then she has made multiple television appearances on FOX’s "Laughs" and will be filming an episode of "Stand Up and Deliver" at the 2015 Cabo Comedy Festival. She will be recording her debut album with Uproar Comedy in April, and has made multiple appearances in the Out of Bounds, Laughing Skull, and the Women in Comedy Festival. She was also a finalist in the Magners Comedy Festival and the World Series of Comedy. She was personally invited to perform in Tom Arnold’s "Laughing with the Stars" and has graced the stage of the world renowned Caroline’s on Broadway in New York. Kat has also won the notorious “Gong Show” at The Comedy Store in London.

 

Her talents extend beyond stand up into improv and sketch, which she performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade and IO West Comedy Theaters in Los Angeles. Kat earned the attention of media and audience alike at the Women in Comedy Festival in Boston where she took home the Friars Club Audience Award and was named a “Comic to Watch” by Time Out New York. Kat currently hosts her own YouTube talk show, “A Chat With Kat.”