Colchester Fringe

Kate-Lois Elliott Takes on the Tradwife Trend

Posted on by Ben Howard

A fertility-fuelled identity crisis and a week spent scrolling through TikTok might not sound like the ingredients for a comedy show, but that’s exactly where Kate-Lois Elliott found the inspiration for TRAD (Work in Progress).

The new show comes to The Dragonfly Lounge and Coda as part of this year’s Colchester Fringe Summer Weekender.

Kate says she became fascinated by the online world of tradwives after finding herself “down a week-long TikTok Tradwife scrolling frenzy”. From there, she began asking why we’re so keen to romanticise “the good old days”, even when they weren’t necessarily better for everyone.

The show mixes personal stories, untold history and what Kate describes as “Zillennial musings”. It also marks the first time she’s included original songs, written with comedian and musician Katie Pritchard.

Asked what she’d like people to know before booking, Kate keeps it simple.

“If you like comedy shows that are thought-provoking and a bit weird, or want to know why Tradwives are so popular, or if you’re fascinated by internet obsessions like nostalgia, or fertility discourse, or Lord of the Rings, if you’re a woman or you know a woman, or maybe you like songs but not too many songs, then this might be the show for you.”

Kate-Lois Elliott is an award-winning comedian, actor and writer whose debut show, How to Belong Without Joining a Cult, toured the UK following its Edinburgh Fringe run. She has also been nominated for a British Writers’ Guild Award, featured in The Times’ Best Jokes of the Fringe, and appears in theatre and screen productions including work for the BBC and Netflix.

TRAD (Work in Progress) will be performed at The Dragonfly Lounge on Thursday 23rd July and Coda on Friday 24th July as part of the Colchester Fringe Summer Weekender.

Event Details

Venue: The Dragonfly Lounge, Foundation House, Long Wyre Street, Colchester

Thursday 23 July – 8.30pm

Venue: Coda, 63 High Street, Colchester

Friday 24 July – 8.30pm

Running time: 60 minutes

Age guidance: 18+

Tickets: £8

Please note the show includes strong language and themes around fertility.

More information and tickets for TRAD (Work in Progress) and the full Colchester Fringe Summer Weekender programme are available via the official festival website.

You can read the Keep Colchester Cool guide to the weekender here.

Ben Howard

Ben Howard is a writer, DJ and founder of Keep Colchester Cool. Since launching the platform in 2009, he has documented Colchester's gigs, theatre, exhibitions and grassroots creativity through interviews, reviews and event listings. Alongside running the site, he leads Ben Howard Communications, providing PR, content writing and marketing support for businesses, venues and cultural organisations. He also DJs regularly and continues to champion the people, places and events that make Colchester's cultural scene unique.