Stand Up Tragedy presents...

Stand Up Tragedy presents a double bill of hour long spoken word shows which look at issues around gender.


What About the Men? Mansplaining Maculinity:

Dave Pickering takes us on a personal journey through gender as he tries to explain masculinity both to you and to himself. Part true storytelling, part TED talk and part apology, the show looks at how the patriarchy hurts men too; how the patriarchy has hurt him, and how he has hurt people because of patriarchy. Drawing on an anonymous survey of 1000 men, feminist theory, internet memes and his life experience, Dave will explain the conclusions he has come to after 33 years of trying to make peace with being a man.

The #ManSurvey which was started as research for the show has become a thing of its own: http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

Content note: This piece will talk at times about violence, sexual assault and bullying.

Cookie note: Dave will not be accepting your cookies for this show, but he will offer you cookies at the end.

About Dave Pickering:

Dave Pickering is currently a freelance storyteller. His drama series Numbers, written for RethinkDaily, was nominated for the Sony Radio Awards in 2009. He runs a live night and podcast called Stand Up Tragedy. He co-wrote and produced the Cbeebies Radio Series, Ministry of Stories featuring Jenni Murray. He is a part of the Spark London team, hosting their Hackney true storytelling Open Mic. He has run workshops on podcasting both independently and for Pod Acadamy, and given talks about podcasting. He writes and produces music. He writes for the page, the screen, the stage and for himself. Before he went freelance, he worked for the library service, first as a library assistant and later as an Early Years Library Outreach Worker, a job he did for 5 years until it was cut in 2014.


Howl of the Bantee:

'AJ McKenna is one of those rare writers capable of making even British audiences launch to their feet with an ever so polite 'f*ck yeah!' Her intelligence is rare, her eloquence is almost unparalleled, her poems are crucial.' - Sophia Walker, BBC Slam Champion, Winner: Best UK Spoken Word Show 2014

Does banter have a bodycount? AJ McKenna thinks it does. In Howl of the Bantee the Superheroes of Slam finalist and former Deputy Editor at So So Gay magazine explores what it's like to be on the receiving end of prejudice disguised as 'banter', to be reduced to a label, a slur, or a punchline, and shares her own story of resistance and those of others who have chosen to fight back.

About AJ McKenna:

AJ McKenna's poetry film, 'Letter to a Minnesota Prison', was produced by Apples and Snakes (in association with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation) as part of Architects of Our Republic in 2013. Her first one-woman show, Howl of the Bantee, premiered at the PBH Free Fringe in Edinburgh this August. She recently completed Public Address: The Soapbox Tour, a national tour produced by Hannah Silva for Apples and Snakes. She is a former Deputy Editor of the online LGBT magazine So So Gay, and regularly writes for feminist pop culture blog Clarissa Explains Fuck All and Vada magazine.