Karen Bartholomew

Short - @motormousecomedy
Long - below

Always a panache and understanding of the comedy beat, Karen has been writing and performing comedy characters for most of her career. Uni days saw stand-up and sketch based comedy and more recently, she's delved more into subjects which need shaking up with a lick of humour. A character based actress and deadpan stillness, her performance style is mirrored in her writing. She's itching to do return to this genre in every shape and form...so watch this space.

Karen writes for theatre, television and radio. She is currently writing a screenplay of her adoption reunion drama 'GIVING UP MARTY.' A recent hit at the Vault Festival, this production picked up rave reviews and received a nomination for the Vaults People's Choice Award.

The production's tour was cancelled half way through, with the outbreak of coronavirus. An Arts Council backed project from R&D to full production, Motormouse Productions hope to reschedule dates for 2021. The play is linked with adoption charities and drama workshops exploring identity within adoption. Her work has been supported by Arts Council England, Unity Theatre Trust, Kent Arts Investment Award and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. The production was also hosted by Paines Plough and Soho Theatre.

Not a writer to shy away from challenging subjects, her play GOD'S WAITING ROOM was a hit of the Camden Fringe 2016 and subsequent tour 2017. The play, a black comedy charters the relationship and rising tension between two sisters, as their mother faces impending death. An unlikely sibling relationship is tested and comedically opposed in their response and handling of a mother, who hangs on and on, within a terminal state. The play was spotted by 'Sick of the Fringe' and later commissioned by NHS for an honest slice of life and death, which undoubtedly is hard to face head on, comes to us all.

She's a regular writer at London's Player Playwrights and has received readings of her ludicrously fast paced comedy 'SPIN CITY,' her birthing comedy 'MOZART WITH THE MORRISONS, among monologues and sketch comedy.

Audio works include 'MUM & DAD TO BE & UNDERGROUND BLUES, produced by Wireless Theatre Company.

Her work has been shortlisted by Old Vic 12, Smith Scripts, Blackshaw Showcase Award, Bread & Roses Playwriting Award. Her plays have also been produced by Bootleg Theatre, Bootcamp Theatre, Paul Farris Entertainment, CommentUK. She is published with Wordsmithery.

In her spare time Karen rides a Ninja motorbike quite well (stabilisers are off!) and her favourite cooking is done in a ping!