EMMA award winner Ria Lina will debut her first solo show at the Brighton Fringe Festival, 5-24th of May at the Laughting Horse @ The Hobgoblin. Shows are 5, 6, 7, 17 and 24 of May at 9.30pm.
Having struggled to get to the top her whole career, not because she isn’t funny or talented, but because nobody can quite pinpoint her USPs (Unique Selling Points), she’s decided to explore what it is like to NOT have a pigeon-hole. Of mixed-race (Filipina-German), born in Britain, raised abroad, and suffering the curse of the Oriental: to look 12 until the day you look 90; it’s been a challenge to get people to take her seriously. Using a combination of stand-up comedy and song she explains that it’s not easy being multi-faceted when the world wants to digest you in three simple words.
Winner of the EMMA Award for Best Comedienne 2003, Ria Lina makes an impact with her dry wit and bawdy ukulele songs. Having been a regular in stand-up comedy for the past 12 years both in the UK and abroad, she returns to the circuit after a short family break. Recent projects include writing for the Ladyboys of Bangkok 2010 “Fantasy & Feathers” tour, and writing/acting for a comedy sketch show for ITV2 (Meet the Blogs). In the past, Ria has written and presented her own documentary for Channel 4 revealing the truth behind the myths that surround oriental women in Britain; other projects include the comedy series, Malai Monologues, for BBC 3; The World Stands Up, for Comedy Central (USA), the Paramount Comedy Channel (UK), and the Comedy Network Channel (AUS); and Sweet n’ Sour Comedy Sketch Show for BBC3. Ria Lina trained as an actress, singer and dancer before deciding to try her hand at stand-up comedy.
Away from the stage, Ria spent as much time as she possibly could at university, avoiding real life. In that time she managed to acquire a BSc in Experimental Pathology, an MSc in Forensic Science, and a PhD in Viral Bioinformatics. Having abandoned a career as a Digital Forensic Investigator at the Serious Fraud Office citing ‘autistic differences’ in her resignation letter (spellcheck’s a bugger), she now spends her spare time at home with her husband and 4 children, cleaning the oven.
Tickets: http://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/event.aspx?evID=3643
Information: http://rialina.com/
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