HER career highlight includes a gig in the Sydney Opera House.
But Lauren Pattison has no pictures of her on stage – she was too busy being excited about the extraordinary chance which had been sprung on her just days earlier.
The 30-year-old, from Newcastle, says the only image she has from that memorable night is one of her in the loo at the backstage, holding a large glass of white wine and grinning madly.
“It was incredible,” she recalls. “I’d been asked to go Australia which was pretty magical in itself. They hadn’t quite finalised the schedule and when I got it, it said I was performing in the Opera House. I actually called them and asked if it was a mistake, if it really was THE Sydney Opera House or if, indeed, there was another one.”
Lauren, who has three drama degrees under her belt, is a full-time stand-up comic. She has been described as a story-teller, something she initially disliked but now agrees that is what she does: she tells stories that happen to be funny.
Twice nominated for awards in Edinburgh, she is bringing her latest hour-long set, Lauren Pattison: Big Girl Pants, to the Scottish capital next month.
She describes the show as “Thirty, flirty and striving” dotted with her hilarious take on life.
And she wouldn’t mind finally getting her hands on the coveted gong.
“Third time lucky and all that,” she muses. “But to be honest with you, I do the same show everyday regardless of who is in the audience. I don’t want to know if any judges are in or any celebrities. I am there for the people who have come to see me.
“I am incredibly privileged to be able to do this full-time. Covid was tough, I ended up working at a supermarket cafe and I realised that was not for me. I want to be on stage.
“So when things started to pick up again I was ready.
“I’ve been doing stand-up since I was 18 and have been lucky enough to perform abroad and with some of the greatest names in the circuit. You do get a bit starstruck at times and I used to ask for pictures with the big names but I try to be professional and calm about it – although sometimes it is not possible.
“I was asked to do a gig with Russel Howard a couple of years ago. He is my absolute comedy icon and I actually went to see him when I was 16. It was the first time I’d paid for tickets to go and see stand-up. I wanted to hang around to get a picture with him but my pal’s dad was picking us up and she said he’d not be happy waiting for us so that was that.
“But my dad got me a full-sized Russel Howard poster and I posed with it to get the picture I wanted.
“When I met him I told him about it and he recreated that picture with me. He was so lovely.
“There I was, thinking if the 16-year-old me had known that 12 years later I am standing next to my comedy hero and he’s posing for a picture – I mean how surreal is that?”
Although her shows have turned out to be sell-outs, Lauren does not take anything for granted.
She says she’s been “lucky enough” to land great reviews, award nominations and tours with the likes of Katherine Ryan, Ed Gamble and Nish Kumar.
But for her, every performance is a lesson that she can learn something from.
She says: “I remember when I first started and I did a gig in a club and there was nobody there. Not a single person had bought a ticket. I still went ahead and did my show to the empty room thinking it was good practice and then I drove home, howling in my car.
“Sometimes you have a bad night and it could be because of you or it could be because of the crowd and you have to accept it and move on. Every night is different. You think about what went wrong, you learn and you move on.”
Lauren’s enthusiasm for her chosen career has grown over the years she’s been in the circuit and she credits her incredibly funny family for her talents.
“My mum is unintentionally funny,” she laugh. “And my dad – I think I get my humour from him – he has this dry, quick wit. Our household was always funny, full of laughter.
“My older sister is good at painting and drawing, but she would not go on stage, does not like the spotlight, no chance.
“I remember when I was poorly and stayed at home from school as a kid, dad and I watched the Jolly Boys’ Outing of Only Fools and Horses and I felt so grown up watching a programme that my dad liked.
“My parents have only ever wanted me to do what makes me happy. If I lived in squalor and was starving they’d probably suggest a career change or at least question my choices but as it is, I am managing to support myself in my chosen craft and nothing could make me happier.”
*Lauren Pattison: Big Girl Pants, 12.30 Monkey Barrel (1) from August 1 to 25
