KEARA’S BIOGRAPHY

Early Years

Keara was born in Glasgow, fourth daughter of a Belfast-Irish mother and a Glasgow-Irish father.  She has five sisters and two brothers.  From a very early age it became apparent that she had a talent for impersonations, and she would mimic her cousins, uncles and aunts, teachers at school and characters from popular television shows.  Keara would perform for her family and at school she put on impromptu shows at lunchtime, where half the school would cram into the little classroom to see her take-off the Head Mistress along with the more eccentric teachers at her all-girl’s convent school in Glasgow. 

Keara was influenced by the character comedians of the seventies and eighties such as Dick Emery, Les Dawson, Kenny Everett and the cast of A Kick Up The Eighties - including Tracey Ullman and later French and Saunders.  And like most Glaswegians she also enjoyed Billy Connolly and the characters from Scotch and Rye.

Keara left school at 17 and worked as a housing officer in Glasgow’s peripheral estates, specificaly the notorious Gorbals - just prior to the regeneration - where she spent almost four years.  She then became a Caseworker with Glasgow's Hamish Allan Centre, working for eight years with single homeless adults in hostels, prisons, refugee centres and, specifically, alcohol units.  Her job involved assisting homeless people obtain both temporary and permanent accommodation, linking them into the appropriate services as necessary and doing whatever it took to help them rebuild their lives and get back on track. 

Keara remains incredibly humbled and proud of her time with Glasgow City Housing, along with the education in real life she gained during her time there.  She will also forever feel indebted to the women of Jean Morris House who taught her to play pool properly - as it has come in really handy in her new career as a comedian who, sometimes, just needs to beat the men at something.  

Stand-Up and Performance

Keara began performing stand-up in 1998.  Her first Fringe run came in 1999 as part of Stand Up Scotland, a showcase of new talent at The Stand in Edinburgh. Keara reached the semi-finals of the BBC Comedy Awards, The Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award and So You Think You’re Funny.  In 2000, Keara’s second Fringe run, The Midnight Show, was part of a multiple act bill of more established acts at The Gilded Balloon. 

Keara toured many of the major comedy clubs in Scotland, the North of England and Ireland, including The Stand, Edinburgh and Glasgow; The Buzz, Frog & Bucket and Comedy Store, Manchester; Raw Hide and Kill For A Seat, Liverpool; The Laughter Lounge, International Bar and Gibneys in Dublin; Bar Cuba, Galway and The Belfast Empire.  She then returned to the Fringe with her first solo show, Silver Scream in 2002, for which she gained a five star review: "Electric stage presence; a genuine delight." THREE WEEKS

In 2003 Keara moved to Budapest in Hungary, where she toured with the improv comedy troupe, Scabaret.  Whilst there she also set up and ran the Hungary For Laughter Comedy Club at The Merlin International Theatre, presented Stash The Cash for Sky TV and hosted the HBO television awards.  She returned to the UK in 2005, and wrote Travels With My Hip Flask – based on her Budapestian Odyssey - which she brought to Fringe 2006:  "Effective and talented: Her motormouth delivery makes Ben Elton look like Steven Hawking" CHORTLE

In 2007, with Little Love Affairs – Keara returned to the character comedy she loved.  The show made its debut at The Magners’ Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2007 before enjoying a full Fringe run in August:  "A great character actress whose comic creations go beyond the one dimentional sketches; they live and make you laugh and cry."  SCOTSMAN

The sequel, Little Love Affairs Behind Bars! – Yes, We’re Goin’ Down –enjoyed a debut at The Magners’ Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2008 and gained her a four star review from Leith FM at Leith Festival 2008: "A veritable comedic jukebox, pumping out pitch perfect accents from grimiest Glaswegian to haughtiest Home Counties."  SKINNY  

In 2009 she returned to Magners Glasgow International Comedy Fetial with Lyre Burd - One Burd; Many Voices! and enjoyed a sell-out debut followed by a rioutous two-night stand at Leith Festival.  Then show then enjoyed a full run at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a lovely four star review: www.one4review.com/Comedy_/comedy2009/keira_murphy.htm

Keara is also one of the fouding memebrs of sketch comedy troupe: The Sugaring-Off Cabin (Now, The Broken Windows Policy) which enjoyed a sell-out debut at The Stand, Edinburgh in March 2009 "Universally splendid peformances" SCOTSMAN  The group continue to present a new show monthly.  Keara is now focussing on her solo career.

Keara's brand new one woman show, Travellin' Circus - The Greatest Show on Earth - will enjoy a debut on 11 March at Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2010 then will tour to The Brighton Fringe, The Leith Festival and The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  The show will be a return to stand-up with a few characters thrown in.  It is, she says, "...the closest thing to an autobiography I will ever write".  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Fun Run
Keara with Mark Martin