{"id":181908,"date":"2021-07-26T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T04:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/?p=181908"},"modified":"2024-11-20T19:37:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T11:37:26","slug":"bitches-in-stitches-francesca-ayala-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/bitches-in-stitches-francesca-ayala-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch Bitches in Stitches as they tackle Hong Kong\u2019s gender bias, one joke at a time"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019re into dark humour and adult cartoons<\/a>, or values of feminism, empowerment, and body positivity<\/a>, these baddest (and best) bitches will get you in absolute stitches \u2013 while giving you some food for thought, too.<\/p>\n

So, since we all need some comedy in our lives right now<\/a>, we had the pleasure to speak with Francesca (Fran) Ayala, one of the co-founders of Bitches in Stitches.<\/p>\n

Meet Bitches in Stitches and its co-founder, Francesca Ayala<\/h2>\n

Hey, Fran! Thank you for chatting with us. Could you tell us about the journey of Bitches and Stitches?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve been doing stand-up comedy since 2018, but, to my knowledge, there hasn\u2019t 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\u2019t an actual group that put up shows consistently. So, after some discussions with Dannie Higginbotham<\/a>, a fellow comedian I\u2019ve 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\u2019s so much female talent in the local comedy industry. Yet there\u2019s a discrepancy between that and the amount of attention female comedians actually receive. Thus, we wanted to improve this situation of gender bias.<\/p>\n

Moreover, we think it\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019ve met in previous shows.<\/p>\n

And above all, who wouldn\u2019t wanna laugh?! There\u2019s a pandemic right now; we\u2019re all looking for a little more joy in our lives.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Bitches in Stitches (@bitchesinstitcheshk)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n