The Stand comedy club goes fully accessible with all-disabled line-up

Glasgow’s Stand Comedy Club is now step-free and fully accessible, opening the much-loved venue up to a bigger audience than ever before.

To celebrate the milestone, the All Access Comedy night will take place next week on February 18, featuring a line-up of disabled comedians.

Comedian Matt MacDonald said: “It’s a fully disabled-led mixed bill stand-up show, and basically what that means is everyone on this line-up is a comedian with a disability.

“It’s very exciting because we’re taking full advantage of The Stand’s new accessible premises, and we’re getting so many comedians on that maybe haven’t had the chance to perform at a comedy club before.”

Rosie Jones is headlining the event.

She told STV News: “I know how hard it is to be disabled in this industry, so to have a night to celebrate all of us and how funny we can be will be brilliant.

And for comedian Matthew Hayhow, who uses a wheelchair, performing at this night means a great deal as comedy club locations are often in basements and attics.

“The Stand is the flagship comedy club in Scotland, so we should be on the bill here,” he said.

Comedian and accessibility campaigner Rhona McKenzie said: “We have step-free access here, you go around the side and in at the back.

“What’s really good is there is a lift, and that goes from ground level to stage level, so that means if you are an act who is a wheelchair-user, who isn’t ambulatory, it’s night and day.

“To me, that stage is hallowed ground and the fact that everybody can get up, no matter what your health restriction is – game on.”