KITTY FLANAGAN Ever stood under glaring lights recounting your hopes, dreams, fears and most embarrassing moments to a room full of strangers in a desperate attempt to keep them entertained? Welcome to the terrifying world of stand up, which Kitty Flanagan has spent the past 20 years successfully navigating, proving herself as not only one of Australia’s best, but also most beloved comedians. Since first gracing Australian TV screens in ‘Full Frontal’ during the 90s, Kitty has appeared in numerous productions, performing regularly at comedy venues around Australia and internationally, and appearing on The Project, Have You Been Paying Attention, The Weekly and Utopia. Amanda meets up with Kitty to learn what life’s like under the spotlight (literally), discuss her new book, ‘Bridge Burning And Other Hobbies’, and discover more about this (inaccurately) self described ‘wallflower’. HELLO KITTY After attending Catholic school and developing a healthy disrespect for institutionalised religion, Kitty headed to university where she enjoyed studying a wide range of subjects, none of which had any relation to her current occupation. Once compulsory fee paying was introduced, Kitty flew the tertiary coop, bluffing her way into advertising and working as a copywriter. After her desperate attempts to get fired finally paid off, Kitty began pouring pints, working as a bartender at the Harold Park Hotel, which incidentally happened to run an open mic night. With a backlog of anecdotes and an inexplicable need to vent her deepest, darkest secrets in front of a room full of beer-swilling old men, Kitty spent nights honing her skills, quickly becoming a pub favourite. She inevitably caught the attention of a visiting TV producer, who offered her a job acting and scripting on the popular 90s sketch show, Full Frontal. After a stint in London performing comedy and writing, Kitty returned home to where she now writes, acts and tours. ‘Smashing’, which Kitty debuted in 2017, is her fourth stand up show, and her autobiographical story compilation, ‘Bridge Burning And Other Hobbies’, was released in March this year. Despite her undeniable success as a comedian, Kitty describes herself as a socially awkward wallflower. Details on Kitty’s upcoming live performances, as well as information on where to buy her book and DVDs can be found at www.kittyflanagan.com FUN FACTS * Describes herself as far more comfortable on a stage in front of 1000 people than in a room with 20 people. * Finds baking very therapeutic and meditative. * Regularly brings her sister, Penny, on tour to perform musical numbers within her shows. * Boyfriends have included a gravedigger and a policeman. .