Will Franken

Will Franken (born June 30, 1973) is a character comedian satirist, mimic and actor based in London, England.

Born and raised in Sedalia, Missouri, Franken holds a master's degree in English, with a specialization in Restoration and 18th century literature. He pursued an acting career and taught high school in New York City after college. He lived in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2002 until late 2007, when he relocated to New York for a few years before returning to San Francisco in 2009.

In February 2013, Franken relocated to London, England. He now lives in the London borough of Bethnal Green.

In early 2015, Will decided to become Sarah. In November 2015, Franken decided to leave Sarah behind and once more live as Will - a decision he discussed in an interview with Bruce Dessau towards the end of the year.[1]

Style

Franken's humor is rooted in the British sketch comedy tradition, notably Monty Python. Onstage, he portrays an eclectic mix of characters through a series of interconnected vignettes. His skits are often satirical, skewering a range of subcultures and political views, often absurdist.

Offstage, Franken publishes a podcast entitled Things We Did Before Reality.

Awards

In 2005, Franken was selected Best Comedian by the SF Weekly; Best Alternative to Psychedelic Drugs by the San Francisco Bay Guardian; and one of the Top 25 People to Watch nationwide by tribe.net. In late 2007, Franken was first runner-up for the Andy Kaufman Award competition in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Franken made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2012 with his show "Things We Did Before Reality" produced by Michael Blaha and Paul Provenza. Provenza had discovered Franken at a small theatre in Los Angeles a few years earlier. At Edinburgh, Franken received four star reviews from The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Times of London, Chortle.com and five star reviews from Spoonfed and Three Weeks. The British Comedy Guide named his show as one of the fifteen best reviewed shows of the entire festival. This solidified Franken's decision to return to the UK to work and to live.

Performances

He has performed his solo shows Good Luck With It; For Existence, Press One; and Grandpa, It's Not Fitting at The Marsh in San Francisco, the Collective: Unconscious in New York (as part of the New York International Fringe Festival), Ars Nova Theater, the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in New York and Los Angeles, and the Comedy Central Stage (at the Hudson Theater) in Los Angeles. Franken's film debut was in Stanley Cuba, directed by Per Anderson. HIS only TV credit to date is an appearance on a 2007 edition of BBC's "The World Stands Up"

Personal life

Franken has one son from a former relationship, William Dustin Franken (born May 28, 1991). From 2003 to 2007 Franken was married to Carli Cutchin in San Francisco. The two were divorced in April of '07.

References

  1. ↑ Dessau, Bruce (2015-12-23). "Exclusive: Will Franken On Changing Back From Sarah To Will". Beyond The Joke. Retrieved 27 December 2015.

External links

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