The ladies of Bitches in Stitches may be fiercely and fearlessly funny, but they also mean business about giving a voice to the female community in Hong Kong.
What makes you laugh? We bet these ladies do. Bitches in Stitches is a six-member female comedy troupe based in Hong Kong, and girl, have they been the talk of the town. With tickets sold out for almost all of their most recent shows, the group has been slaying the local comedy scene with their candid stories and down-to-earth personalities. Above all, these amazing women are here to give a voice to the female community. Whether you’re into dark humour and adult cartoons, or values of feminism, empowerment, and body positivity, these baddest (and best) bitches will get you in absolute stitches – while giving you some food for thought, too.
So, since we all need some comedy in our lives right now, we had the pleasure to speak with Francesca (Fran) Ayala, one of the co-founders of Bitches in Stitches.
Meet Bitches in Stitches and its co-founder, Francesca Ayala
Hey, Fran! Thank you for chatting with us. Could you tell us about the journey of Bitches and Stitches?
I’ve been doing stand-up comedy since 2018, but, to my knowledge, there hasn’t been an all-female comedy troupe in Hong Kong that caters to the female market. While there have been standalone events with an all-femme lineup, there wasn’t an actual group that put up shows consistently. So, after some discussions with Dannie Higginbotham, a fellow comedian I’ve known for years, we co-founded Bitches in Stitches in March 2021. Our goal was to broaden the audience scope and to make the comedy scene in Hong Kong more inclusive. After all, there’s so much female talent in the local comedy industry. Yet there’s a discrepancy between that and the amount of attention female comedians actually receive. Thus, we wanted to improve this situation of gender bias.
Moreover, we think it’s important to cater to an audience that relates to our brand of humour, i.e. female or feminist comedy. As a female comedian, finding the right entry point in an all-male lineup can be difficult. If we want to talk about inclusivity and representation in the comedy industry, then it’s important for us to create a safe space and community where female performers can connect with their audience (and vice versa). So, we formed Bitches in Stitches after reaching out to a few other like-minded female comedians whom we’ve met in previous shows.
And above all, who wouldn’t wanna laugh?! There’s a pandemic right now; we’re all looking for a little more joy in our lives.
How did you go into comedy?
I’ve always been interested in comedy, but I didn’t become an actual comedian until 2018 when I ended a seven-year relationship. At that time, all my friends were like: Girl, you need a hobby. So I got on Tinder and soon I was sharing all these ridiculous anecdotes about the expectations of women and the dating scene in Hong Kong with my friends. And they said to me: This is actually funny – some of it is kinda sad, but okay. So, I went to an open mic night and I haven’t looked back since. Although there have been good and bad nights, I’ve found comedy to be such a refreshing outlet for me. As a branded content producer before, and having worked in marketing, PR, and journalism, it feels nice to finally be able to write something for myself.
But life (obviously) isn’t all fun and games for comedians either. What are some of the challenges you and your group have been facing, and how have you been coping with them?
Addressing the gender gap, tackling the issue as a group, and carving out a space for ourselves aren’t the easiest tasks. But, despite not having much paid advertising, everything has actually turned out surprisingly well. We’ve been able to collaborate with venues and we’ve had great word of mouth buzz. Also, there’ve been supportive teams and allies, such as the guys at Bobby’s Rabble, our first performance venue. Not only have they given us the opportunity for a regular show, but the tickets have all been sold out!
Having said that, our biggest challenge is getting everyone together for a meeting. Most members of Bitches in Stitches have full-time jobs and we have parents in the mix, so there are different schedules that we have to work around. Otherwise, it’s been going well. We’ve been able to harness the combined talents of our diverse group of female comedians: Asher Chan is a photographer; Morrigan Anthony is an educator; Rose Rage has had 15 years of experience in comedy; Bianca Lau has performed in NYC… We’re like the Power Rangers together.
Could you tell us what’s a day in the life of a female comedian in this city?
I can’t speak for all female comedians, but the typical process of producing or performing in a show in Hong Kong would involve – first and foremost – going to open mics, which happen around thrice a week in this city. This is because attending open mics is the best way to get a temperature check for the jokes we’ve just written. Not only can we observe the audience’s reaction to our timing and material, but we can also obtain feedback from fellow comedians. Furthermore, promoters often attend these open mic events as well, so we may land a chance to be booked for shows.
What’s one biggest misconception people have about comedians?
The biggest misconception people have about comedians is that we don’t take our jobs seriously. In fact, we’re some of the hardest working people out there! From producing and writing, to attending unpaid gigs and getting just five minutes on stage – this is not a job we do for the money. It’s for our passion to make people laugh and to share joy. Just because we’re goofy and our goal is to make people laugh, they often think comedy is not a serious craft, but we do actually put in a lot of effort.
What does comedy mean to you, and how does it help you communicate?
To me, comedy is a clever and powerful form of self-expression, and an avenue to help the audience uncover new perspectives. By talking about familiar and relatable topics from a different point of view, we can shine a light on issues that are less widely discussed while not shoving a message down people’s throats. Most importantly, I love comedy because it just feels fucking good to make people laugh!
Every member of the troupe has lived in different places around the world. What are the charms of Hong Kong to Bitches in Stitches?
Honestly, I don’t think forming a group like Bitches in Stitches in any other place in the world would’ve happened as easily as it has in Hong Kong. This city is very diverse, but it’s also very concentrated. Because the local comedy scene isn’t huge, it’s easy to meet people and to connect with them.
What are the future plans for Bitches in Stitches?
On top of continuing to perform at different venues on the regular, we want to open things up. Right now, we have the six of us as regular members, but we also want to showcase other female comedians in Hong Kong by giving them this platform. In fact, we’re making a start with this tomorrow as we bring fellow female comedian, Kate Hu, onto my first headliner show! This will be the beginning of something new and we’re excited to continue this sort of feature and rotations for the months (and years) to come.
Follow Bitches in Stitches on Facebook and Instagram to find out about their latest gigs. Psst – there’s a huge one coming up on August 6 at Lambda Lounge, complete with DJs and cabaret dancers. Get your tickets here or at the door.
