Mark Nicholas set up Laugh-Able Comedy to champion disabled and neurodiverse comedians. Here, he explains what Laugh-Able's already achieved, and his hopes for the future.
We had a wonderful deaf performer who did his whole set in sign language to demonstrate the barriers he faces by putting up the opposite barriers to a largely hearing audience. It was incredibly funny and eye-opening for everyone involved...
Laugh-Able is an award-winning disability and mental health-led comedy night I set up in east London seven years ago. It was a response to meeting a number of other up-and-coming disabled comics on the circuit who would regularly complain there was no accessible comedy night in London for newer comics entering the scene.
I'd started as a comic just before that, performing my first show at the Comedy Pub [now the Coach House] in Piccadilly. Since then I have performed for some of the top comedy clubs across the country including the Glee Club, Backyard Comedy Club, Just the Tonic, the Comedy Store... I also regularly perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in 2023 I won a Disability Champions Award for my work with other disabled artists during the Festival.
A physical disability can be an obstacle to budding comedians due to the fact a lot of venues are not wheelchair accessible. In terms of neurodiversity, quite often a lot of comedy clubs don't have quiet spaces for neurodivergent comics to self regulate. There are unwritten rules in a comedy night that are not clear for autistic artists, for example, expectation on what to do before and after a performance in terms of social interactions with promoters and other comics.
Laugh-Able is, proudly, the antithesis of that — and my advice to someone with a disability who wants to get into comedy is to apply! We run regular free workshops and comedy nights specifically tailored for people with disabilities.
Being a disabled or neurodivergent comic can be quite freeing. A comedian with paraplegia called Joshua Robertson came on in his electric wheelchair and opened his set with: "Last week I took my driving test. Turns out I can't drive... because I'm colourblind!"
Comedians have told me that Laugh-Able is a friendly, inclusive — and thoroughly enjoyable — night, full of laughs, giggles and heartwarming moments. We need more nights like it.
Comedy has made huge inroads over the years in terms of accessibility, and people like Rosie Jones and Chris McCausland are a testament to that. However there is still so much more that needs to be done, especially at grassroots level. It's still so hard to enter and progress in comedy if you are a disabled act. Once you get to the top — like Rosie or Chris — budgets become bigger which means more can be done to create a wholly inclusive environment.
I hope to run Laugh-Able nights up and down the country, and to run a nationwide competition for disabled acts.
The next Laugh-Able show is on 16 September at Wanstead Library. Robin Ince headlines.
