Comedy Writing student named in Cornwall Comedian of the Year competition
14 July 2023
Taking the mic for her second ever stand-up performance at this year’s Falmouth Cringe comedy festival, Comedy Writing MA (Online) student Rosie Šošić came home with third place in the annual Cornwall Comedian of the Year competition, which recognises the county’s best emerging comedy talent.
Rosie’s first foray into live comedy performance only came a few weeks earlier during the competition semi-finals, signalling a natural flare for stand-up. “Lots of people had suggested I give stand-up a go, but I wasn’t really sure where to begin, so when I saw this particular opportunity, I figured I had nothing to lose,” she tells us. “And I’m so glad I went for it; that push made me get up there and do a routine, which I think I would have continued to put off had I not put myself in that position.”
An early love of comedy was cemented for Rosie by teenage viewings of Red Dwarf, which remains her favourite sitcom to date. As she tells us: “Comedy has always played a big part in my life; it can take any subject and present it in a way that can be reflective, thoughtful, silly, gross, surreal, scary, sad and touching – all whilst making you laugh. What is more powerful than that?”
But it wasn't until the first coronavirus lockdown that Rosie started to think seriously about pursuing writing to postgraduate level. “I always knew I wanted to do a master's, but I only realised what I wanted to focus on during lockdown when I watched and rewatched old favourites and found new gems that got me fired up about creating funny stuff myself,” she explains.
Busy at work on her Final Major Project, Rosie’s practice is inspired by peoples’ idiosyncrasies and obsessions; she is currently writing about the Cornish fascination with cold-water swimming. “I love silliness and the surreal, so I always have a touch of that in anything I create,” she tells us. “I base my writing on the people around me or facets of my own personality that I think are amusing. I like the idea of people becoming obsessive over things and the funny quirks that make people tick.”
Reflecting on her time on the course, it has been the direct connections to the industry that have motivated Rosie the most - herself and fellow student Jane Harvey recently wrote content for BBC Radio 4 sketch show Wosson Cornwall?, for example. “I can’t give away the first rule of comedy writing as it is worth the whole tuition fee alone!”, she tells us. “However, what I can say is that we have been supported throughout the course on getting those precious writing credits. We are consistently encouraged to enter open door shows such as The Skewer and DMs Are Open and seek out competitions and mentorships like the BBC Writer’s Room, all of which have seen students from our course write for them.”
The future is certainly looking bright for Rosie, who has ambitions to write her own sitcom. “I’m continuing to write and submit to as many shows and competitions as I can”, she tells us. Yet with this recent stand-up accolade, she is also keen to develop her set into a full show. “Coming third in the Cornwall Comedian of the Year competition was pretty unbelievable. I felt like a bit of a fraud as it was only my second gig, but the other finalists were all so supportive; there really is a lovely comedy scene here in Cornwall”, she tells us.
Multi-award-winning TV and audio comedy producer Simon Nicholls leads the Comedy Writing master’s. He was over the moon for Rosie, commenting: “I'm so pleased to see her be brave enough to not only enter this competition, but to do so well. And with only a few shows under her belt, I foresee a great comedy performing future ahead of her. I was lucky enough to be sat in the audience, witnessing her flinging supposed bags of dog poo into the audience and getting massive laughs - very silly and very funny. I look forward to seeing what she flings at the audience next time!”
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