From Alan’s dad jokes to real comedy! Afraid but failing forward anyway - This week we bring you Maria Shehata, a multi-award-winning Egyptian-American comedian based in London who has been featured on Showtime's Bridging the Gap, Comedy Central's The Watch List, Dave Channel’s Comedy Guide to Life, Comic Relief’s viral Modern Dating Horror Stories, and BBC’s Period Dramas and Breaking the News. Her writing has been featured in Modern Love in the New York Times, Comic Relief, and BBC Radio 4. Maria was shortlisted as Top Five Best New Acts at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe and showcased as Pick of the Fringe at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe and she’s featured in the upcoming, season 2 of Comedy Central Live.

She’s about to go on tour so be sure to follow her on Instagram and TikTok and her website.

• Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance.
• More about Heather via @heather_ vickeryandco on Instagram and Threads, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files
• More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

EPISODE TAKEAWAYS:

• Maria grew up in Columbus, Ohio as a shy kid that never spoke up and was terrified of public speaking.
• She always admired comedians and how they captured the audience.
• Baby steps are the key to anything and everything you may want to be successful at.
• She surrounded herself with comedy in everywhere possible, expect performing, for a long time before she actually went on stage.
• The win was just showing up on stage.
• Stand-up can be lonely but she tests things out at small open mics and getting feedback from other comics.
• Fear is based on the unknown. Once you have experience and information the easier it is to show up and do big things.
• Preparation is everything in Standup.
• Connections and friendships make a massive difference when building a career in comedy.
• Failure is not trying. Everything else is learning.