Winners announced for comedian's bursary
Winners have been announced for "the inappropriately-named (and increasingly unwieldy)" Luke Rollason Memorial Memorial Bursary - an award set up by physical comedian and actor Luke Rollason to support new comedy creatives from alternative backgrounds bringing unusual work to the Brighton Fringe.
He says: "The prize for the winners includes the cost of their registration, £100 towards marketing, mentorship, as well as fizzy drinks and crisps of their choice. The runners-up will also have their registration costs covered and might get some crisps if they are lucky."
The winning applicants are:
Su Mi, presenting Banana Beard - absurdist sketch/stand-up debut from the BBC New Comedy Award nominee, "smashing stereotypes of what an 'Asian woman' can be".
Rosalie Minnitt, presenting Clementine - 'Bridgerton meets The Mighty Boosh in a superbly surreal one-woman character-comedy period romcom'.
Two runners-up were also chosen:
Ruth Hunter, presenting The Ruth Is On Fire - subversive So You Think You're Funny? finalist combines accomplished stand-up with horror-comedy puppetry.
Eppie Brilliant, presenting What's Your Favourite Song? - a raucous odyssey through musical history "from Teesside's trans songbird".
All four winners will be featured in an industry showcase on the 2nd June at Brighton's KOMEDIA comedy club, alongside selected shortlisted acts.
Applications were judged by Rollason (above) and a panel of professionals working in the comedy industry. This is the award's second year, with last year's winners including Freddie Hayes and Aruhan Galieva.
Luke says: "My unbearable vanity project is back to highlight the fantastically creative work being made on the fringes of the comedy industry. This will be the first year I haven't performed at the Brighton Fringe since 2017, and it looks like absolutely no one will notice. Thank you to these amazing acts for ensuring my legacy will be buried by brighter talents."
Luke Rollason can currently be seen starring in Disney+ series Extraordinary, "which is how we assume he is affording all of this".
Su Mi: Banana Beard will perform at The Actors Theatre on the 20th and 21st May. Tickets available here.
Rosalie Minnitt: Clementine will perform at the Rotunda on the 5th, 6th and 7th of May. Tickets available here.
Ruth Hunter: The Ruth Is On Fire will perform at the Caxton Arms on the 13th and 14th May. Tickets available here.
Eppie Brilliant: What's Your Favourite Song? will perform at Junkyard Dogs at The Round Georges on the 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th May. Tickets available here.