Sarah Keyworth's new tour details top surgery and family support

From winning 'Best Newcomer' at the 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Festival, to picking up the award for 'Most Outstanding Show' at the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2024, Sarah Keyworth has had quite the journey.

The events between Sarah's comedic debut, to their current award-winning tour, My Eyes Are Up Here, include a global pandemic, a global pause on live comedy, an explorative journey of identity, and their recent top surgery.

Suffice to say, when they recieved their Newcomer award just six years ago, they could never have predicted just how intense going through your 20s on stage could be.

"Any career has peaks and troughs," explains the 31-year-old. "Back in 2018, I probably could have imagined it [winning the Most Outstanding Show award], but this time last year, I definitely couldn't.

"I think it's amazing, I'm so happy, but those moments of doubt or not quite knowing what's going to happen are definitely more recent than 2018."

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Living a life in the public eye - whether it be through speaking on stage, appearing on the telly, or sharing personal annecdotes on podcasts - Keyworth has created somewhat of a public archive of their life, with each batch of material tracking different relationships, beliefs, trials and tribulations.

"Sometimes I feel that I just keep running from it," laughs Keyworth. "It'll be interesting to look back at it after another 10 years or something and see the trajectory. I think it's nice to have the trajectory of my identity mapped out as a journey of discovery rather than a 'this is fully formed and who I am'. It's useful for other people to know."

The English comic, who identifies as non-binary, launched their career with material that dissected gender and questioned the meaning of 'boy' and 'girl'.

Off-stage, Keyworth hosted a BBC Radio 4 comedy series called Are You A Boy or A Girl, and currently co-hosts a podcast called Thank F*ck For That with Micky Overman that tracks big moments that almost changed their guests' lives.

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Introspection, it seems, is a key part of their make-up, with their new show detailing their journey to getting top surgery.

"My relationship with my identity has changed as the last decade of culture has changed," they explain.

"Ten years ago I didn't even know what non-binary was. That's the lovely thing, the progression of the last 10 years means that other people haven't had to have the same level of confusion or turmoil or difficulties. The words are there. Somebody has figured it out!"

Being so vocal about their personal experience on a public stage means that Keyworth is often approached by strangers who may be going through the same thing. Does that ever become daunting?

"I like it," they smile. "I think it's nice. Sometimes I get parents or teachers saying 'I have a child saying this' and 'what do I do?'. My answer is often the same: the fact that you're here and you're having this conversation with me, it kind of means you're not going to do the wrong thing. There's no perfect route but you're caring enough to engage and you're not dismissing the conversation.

"The message of this show that I've written is that the most important thing you can give to anyone is just acceptance of what they're saying about who they are. If you're just hearing them, that's kind of the answer."

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The decision to get top surgery is far from straight forward, with psychiatric assessments and doctors appointments aplenty. Despite the heaviness of it all, though, Keyworth always saw the experience as being rife with material.

"I started writing stand-up about it as I was going through the process," they say. "The process is quite bizarre. The things you have to do in order to be allowed to do it are quite strange. I think there's something inherently funny about human experiences and bodies and my relationship with my boobs and stuff like that.

"There's a comedy element and I always feel very strongly that it has to be funny to everyone. There has to be a way that you can draw everyone into this conversation."

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As well as sharing their own experience on stage, Keyworth shares insights into how their relationship with their parents and loved ones has evolved over the years. Describing their mother as "a great ally", they say that their family has being exceptionally supportive.

"There's a version of this show that somebody else might write outlining all the difficult things that they had to deal with - that version of the show doesn't exist for me. And I think it's a better show for it. It's the story you don't get to hear, where there's love here and there's acceptance here.

"That's maybe more valuable and more powerful than hearing about the conflict. Obviously, there is space for those conversations and theose stories definitely should be told, but I really wanted to honour them [their family] with this show."

Sarah Keyworth's new tour comes to Ireland this November. Click here for tickets and more info.