Rachel Mars Presents THE WAY YOU TELL THEM Comedy Show, Now thru May 17

Rachel Mars has always relied on humour - in her latest solo performance, she searches beyond the gags. Turning the spotlight on the inner workings of comedy, The Way You Tell Them interrogates the desire and, sometimes uncontrollable, compulsion to be funny. What are we scared of? Where does the responsibility lie when going for a laugh?

Using real-life material, classic oral sex jokes and a wolf suit, Rachel weaves a thoughtful and provocative story that questions how we use and abuse humour. Directed by Fringe First winner Jamie Wood, this very funny and beautifully sad show arrives from sold-out performances in Brighton, London and Edinburgh.

The Way You Tell Them is both hilarious and moving as Rachel discusses the strange uses of comedy in her Jewish family and tells jokes as she journeys through the difficult ethical terrain of the joker. She asks where the buck stops and what happens when you choose to go beyond the easy gag.

Rachel Mars comments: 'My shows are often about human interaction and social behaviour. It's an analytical show. A sad show. A thinky show. And, after all, a funny show. I hope that it is both painful and joyous. A bit like life. But considerably shorter (See, there you go again brain, always with the jokes. Can't you cut it out for one minute?)'.

The Way You Tell Them will play the following tour dates:

Wednesday 12th February, Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds
Saturday 22nd February, Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate
Wednesday 26th February, The Arc, Stockton
Thursday 13th March, Contact, Manchester
Wednesday 19th March, Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester
Tuesday 8th - Wednesday 9th April, The Bike Shed, Exeter
Friday 25th April, Canada Water Culture Space, London
Saturday 3rd May, Machynlleth Comedy Festival, Machynlleth
Saturday 17th May, Norfolk and Norwich Festival

The running time is 1 hour (no interval) and the show is suitable for ages 14+ due to some strong language.

Rachel Mars is an established theatre maker and performer who specialises in witty, uncompromising work about the idiosyncrasies of human interaction. Her performances are intricately layered, combining perceptive and powerful writing with unexpected visual images. With charisma and humour she naturally puts audiences at ease, enabling her to pull the rug away exposing uncomfortable truths. Rachel has recently been commissioned by Ovalhouse, Fuel Theatre and Islington Exhibits. She has performed up and down the UK, including at Spill Festival, The Barbican, The BFI, Pulse Festival, The South Bank Centre and has featured on BBC 2 and 4.

Jamie Wood is a Fringe First winning director. He has devised work for national and international tours with artists including Caroline Horton, Toby Park (Spymonkey) Guy Dartnel and most recently with The Belarus Free Theatre and Chris Thorpe. He is an Associate Artist with Chris Goode & Company. In 2013 he was nominated for a Total Theatre Award for Beating McEnroe.