The local comedy scene is finally listening to what its audience wants Take three femmes with a passion for stand-up comedy and what do you get? Proper answer: A night of fun and laughter led by the troupe of Bitches in Stitches. A slightly improper answer: Crazy, riot, unhinged realness. Now I’ll admit I had to do a double take when I first heard the term “all-female and all-queer comedy show.
” The concept was foreign to me, and I’ve only watched predominantly male comedy shows in Manila, with one to two female acts in the lineup. And that’s what piqued my interest. Maybe I’ve become accustomed to the stage being held by males that I don’t really know what it can look like.
I met Fran Ayala-Rock, Cristina Sebastian, and Veronica Litton to see what these bitches are up to. The early years: Bitches in Stitches Hong Kong Stand-up comedy started out as a hobby for Ayala-Rock. She was living in Hong Kong for 13 years as a marketer when she finally listened to her friends and gave stand-up a chance.
And you guessed it—it was love at first open mic. She immediately fell in love with the craft but also experienced the challenges as a female comic, such as the discrepancy between the number of male to female comics and the lengthy wait time for talent fees. In 2021, Ayala-Rock, along with her co-founder, Dannie Higginbotham, decided to start Bitches in Stitches with the goal to produce an all-female comedy show.
Propelled by her passion for stand-up comedy and the des.