Giulia Galastro on the success of Open Comedy

Giulia Galastro is a shining light on the current Scottish comedy scene, with fingers in many pies. One such pie is the lo-fi hit Open Comedy, a weekly award-winning open mic night which she runs in the heart of Leith.

“It was actually my ex-partner and good friend Jacob Henegan who first had the idea to start Open Comedy. Having moved to Edinburgh from Australia in 2021, Jacob found the Scottish comedy scene still recovering from the pandemic. With limited chances to perform at established comedy clubs, he thought starting our own night would be a way to get stage time, as well as hopefully form a little comedy community.”

When local coffee shop Artisan Roast opened a new branch on Leith Walk, Giulia and Jacob stumbled upon the perfect venue for their new night. Starting in February 2022, Open Comedy has quickly established itself as an inclusive home for new comics and new ideas.

“We were very keen from the outset to create a kind and friendly atmosphere. I think we’ve been very lucky that the night seems to attract genuinely lovely people who want to come and watch it. We also discourage the acts from doing anything racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise exclusionary, which I think contributes to a generally inclusive feeling. It was also really important to us that the venue be wheelchair accessible, which is not the case for the majority of comedy venues in Scotland.”

Two Chortle Awards followed swiftly afterwards (Best Open Mic Night, Scotland, 2023 and 2024) – a clear sign of how well-loved the night is across the country. When Galastro heard the news, she was delighted: “I put a lot of work into the night, so it means a lot that people seem to like it.”

The show’s inclusiveness also seems shaped by Galastro’s own stand-up and compering style, describing it as “friendly and tired?!” “My background is in hospitality, and my instinct is to try to make people feel comfortable and at home – this is not the sort of night where the compere is going to pick on people and ridicule their profession, or their shirt.” So don’t worry – you can definitely sit in the front row!

One show a month has dedicated an all-female, trans and non-binary lineup (Open Comedy Mango), a jewel in Open Comedy’s crown and a favourite of acts and punters alike. When asked whether the Scottish comedy scene is improving, in terms of gender representation, Galastro describes the still too-often all-male lineups as a “multi-headed hydra of a problem”, with each issue feeding into another. “Who is encouraged to try comedy in the first place? Who has the audience on their side from the second they step onstage? Who feels supported to grow and keep going with comedy despite the inevitable setbacks? Who has the time and energy to pour into a largely unpaid hobby to turn it into a career? It’s complicated, and gender intersects with race, class, disability,” and other marginalised statuses.

But Open Comedy isn’t the only string to her bow. Galastro’s also heavily involved in Monkey Barrel’s flagship alternative comedy night, The Other Show. Nestled in a Saturday late-night slot, she describes the bi-monthly gig as a place where “a cluster of Scotland’s funniest weirdos come together to make a show.” Highlights for her have included stand-up and improviser Mara Joy’s channelling of the late great wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage, Soup Group’s joyful clowning antics, a five-minute one-woman Christmas Carol from Charlie Vero-Martin and Maddie Fernando taking a pregnancy test live on stage. It sounds like chaos of the very best kind.

At any gig though, there are a few performers she loves to share a bill with, knowing they will always light up a lineup. They include Ayo Adenekan, Tom Joyce, Paul McDaniel and Steph Browne. The current acts on the Scottish open mic scene sound, well, pretty sound. “Basically, we are blessed to have a lot of good and funny folk come and perform.”

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Open Comedy, every Tuesday, Artisan Roast Leith Walk, 7-10pm, free (Open Comedy Mango, last Tuesday of the month)

The Other Show, every second and fourth Saturday of the month, Monkey Barrel Comedy, 10pm, £5

@giulia_galastro on Instagram