Ex Appeal Gala Fundraiser For Louise Reay Raises Over £13,000

Berk's Nest, Rabbit Rabbit and Amy Annette are delighted to announce that over £13,000 was raised at the Ex Appeal gala fundraiser held at the Lyric Theatre tonight in support of comedian Louise Reay.

The all-star line-up of comedians who performed in the gala included Sofie Hagen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Suzi Ruffell, Sara Pascoe, Steen Raskopoulos, Aisling Bea, Ed Gamble, Nish Kumar, David O'Doherty, Josh Widdicombe, Brett Goldstein, Lolly Adefope and Rachel Parris.

The gala showcased performances from some of the UK's finest comedians, from household names to rising stars, to raise funds for Louise's legal defence in the case being brought against her by her ex-husband. All profits are being donated to Louise's crowdfunding campaign.

On 30 January 2018, Louise was served with defamation, privacy and data protection proceedings by her husband, from whom she is separated. The claim is in relation to a comedy show that was performed in 2017. Ex Appeal is the only large-scale funding effort currently underway to support Louise and thus uphold comedians' freedom of speech. Further information on the details of the case can be found in the Go Fund Me campaign set up by Louise.

Comedian and documentary-maker Louise Reay has been performing stand-up since the age of 16. A fluent Mandarin-speaker, Louise has made a range of documentaries on social issues for the BBC and Channel 4, with a particular focus on China. She has written and performed in two live shows questioning our attitudes to language, immigrants and race: It's Only Words and Que Sera (??). She has been nominated for Best Comedy Brighton Fringe (2017), Brighton Fringe Tour Award (2016) and Edinburgh Fringe Groundbreaker (2016), and won the Adelaide Fringe Best Emerging Artist (Weekly Award, 2017), South Africa Arena Prize (2017) and Alternative New Comedian of the Year (2015), becoming a finalist for the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year (2015). Louise most recently performed the third instalment of her provocative trilogy on power and oppression, Eraserhead, at Adelaide Fringe 2018.

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