‘Gong on stage has made me feel empowered and liberated’
Zoe Bury, 48, lives in Derbyshire with her husband Jon, 50, and their three children aged 11, 14 and 17.
As I walk on stage,
I feel a frisson of nerves. But I calm myself, smile and begin my set. After all, what’s the worst that could possibly happen?
I became a stand-up comedian quite by accident. My local pub The Anglers Rest, in Bamford, was holding a talent night for International Women’s Day in March
2019 and I was asked to be the compère. When one of the acts didn’t show up, I entertained the waiting crowd with a few anecdotes and, to my surprise, I had the audience in stitches.
Afterwards, an audience member came up to me and suggested I try a slot at a comedy night run by comedian Rob Rouse, in the nearby village of Eyam. I found myself thinking,
‘Why not?’
In April 2019, I took to the stage. I was terrified, but it went fabulously. Ever since, I’ve grabbed any opportunity to showcase my comedy, taking part in open-mic sessions and comedy nights whenever I can.
It was something that, back in 2013, would have been unimaginable. That year, at a routine optician’s appointment, I was diagnosed with an untreatable form of macular degeneration.
‘You could wake up tomorrow with no central vision,’ doctors told me.
‘Or it could be 10 years.’
It felt like I was handed a ticking time bomb, and my confidence plummeted.
Now, nine years after that diagnosis, my sight has deteriorated significantly. I can no longer read and can’t see faces clearly. I have to use magnification at its highest to use a computer.
But going on stage has given me back my confidence. Despite telling self-deprecating stories, and
‘I aim to perform at least once a week, and eventually go full-time’
even talking about my vision, I feel empowered and liberated by the experience.
Last year, I signed up for Buxton Festival Fringe, which took place in July 2021. I was terrified
I might get heckled, but the audience was really welcoming. Two weeks later, a letter arrived telling me I’d been nominated for its New Writing award. I was thrilled.
While I’m still working as a nurse at present, I’m hoping my comedy career will continue to grow. I aim to perform at least once a week by the end of the year, and eventually go into the profession full-time.
My diagnosis hit me hard – but accepting it gave me a kind of superpower. If I can get through this, I can do anything. And it helps to know that whatever happens to my sight, I’ll still be able to perform my act and face my future with a smile.