Live Comedy Association
Championing grassroots live comedy and the people who make it happen.
The Live Comedy Association (LCA) is a UK-based Community Interest Company and the only membership organisation for people working in grassroots live comedy. We represent over 1,600 members across the country - comedians, promoters, venues, festivals and the people behind the scenes - in an industry that contributes over £1 billion a year to the UK economy.
Our recent wins are: hosting a Parliamentary drop-in event to bring grassroots live comedy to the attention of MPs from across the house; setting up the Stand Up And Give fund - the only active crowdfunding campaign raising money to support our sector; securing business rates support for live comedy venues; producing Live Comedy Day in partnership with BBC Radio 4; and giving evidence in Parliament to the Women and Equalities Committee on the experiences of women in the sector.
Right now, we're calling on MPs to formally recognise grassroots live comedy and back the support our sector needs to thrive. Write to your MP now.
And our Hardship Fund is currently live, offering emergency support to comedians and promoters in urgent financial need.
Support
The LCA is here to support the people who make grassroots live comedy happen. We run training and development webinars, networking events and members' workshops. We publish the annual UK Live Comedy Sector Survey (produced with the Centre for Comedy Studies Research) the definitive independent picture of how our sector is really doing.
We created Live Comedy Day, the UK-wide celebration that puts our venues, clubs and performers in the national spotlight and raises the profile of the whole industry.
And we put resources behind our members: our free Funding Application Service strengthens bids to Arts Councils, the National Lottery and beyond, while our Hardship Fund offers emergency support to those in urgent financial need (see Resources in menu).
Representation
The LCA is the united voice of the UK's grassroots live comedy sector, making sure comedians, promoters and venues are heard by government, parliament and the wider creative industries.
We work directly with ministers, MPs and civil servants to win recognition for live comedy as a vital art form and to open up funding that's too often been out of reach. See our current five asks of government below.
We keep fighting for the recognition, investment and support that grassroots live comedy deserves.
Our Five Asks of Government
Recognise grassroots live comedy within policies alongside grassroots live music.
Include live comedy in discussions around VAT on tickets, business rates reform and support for freelancers.
Support independent research into the size, economic contribution and regional distribution of the live comedy sector.
Explore extending the live music arena levy model to include live comedy.
Consider undertaking a fan-led review of grassroots live comedy and its long-term sustainability.
