Comedy at the Taproom Showcase 2023

Reading's first ever independent comedy festival will take place between Friday 19 May and Sunday 21 May 2023. Tickets £15 or attend for free with your Reading Comedy Festival Pass.

The Comedy at the Taproom Showcase 2023, the biggest event of the festival, takes place at Double-Barrelled Brewery on Saturday 20 May between 7:30pm - 9:30pm.

Headlining the show is Marcus Brigstocke (replacing Zoe Lyons) with support from Sara Baron.

The Comedy at the Taproom Showcase 2023 will be followed by the Festival's Offical Afterparty which will last until 12am. 

Advance - £15.

Festival Pass - £30

Lineup subject to change. Timings may changes slightly as we finalise the festival schedule.

Please note you may need ID to get into Double-Barrelled Brewery.

Marcus Brigstocke

Marcus Brigstocke’s talent was noted early on in his career in 1996 when he won the BBC New Comedian Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He is now regarded as a major comedy, writing, and acting talent, performing stand-up nationally to sell-out audiences on tour.

Marcus has notched up an impressive list of TV credits including his role as team captain on Argumental (Dave), and host of The Late Edition and I’ve Never Seen Star Wars (BBC Four). Other appearances include; Live at the Apollo (BBC One), Have I Got News for You (BBC One), Mock the Week (BBC Two), QI (BBC Two), Sorry, I’ve Got No Head (BBC One), The Late Edition (BBC Four), and The 11 O’Clock Show (Channel 4).

Sara Barron

Sara Barron is one of the fastest-rising comedians of her generation. Since her 2018 debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, she’s starred on shows including Live at the Apollo (BBC), Would I Lie to You? (BBC) and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC).

A powerhouse live act, Sara’s two stand-up hours, For Worse (2018) and Enemies Closer (2019) have sold out at both the Edinburgh Festival and at multiple runs in London’s Soho Theatre. She was nominated for ‘Best Newcomer’ at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and at the Chortle Awards, as well as receiving rave reviews from publications including The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Evening Standard and The Scotsman.

Sara’s further television credits include 8 Out of 10 Cats (C4), Hypothetical (DAVE), Richard Osman’s House of Games (BBC), Alan Davies’ As Yet Untitled (DAVE), Roast Battle (Comedy Central) and Hello, America (Quibi). On radio, her credits include appearances on The News Quiz, The Now Show, and Woman’s Hour on Radio 4 and she co-created and co-hosts the hit Succession recap podcast Firecrotch and Normcore which has previously featured guests including Jesse Armstrong, Self-Esteem, Chris Addison and Lorraine Kelly.