Lillian Wenker

Lil Wenker (real name) is an award-nominated clown, actor, and writer who made a splash in the London comedy scene after her arrival in September of 2023.

Lil rapidly gained a following for her rowdy, immersive clown work with her debut solo clown Western, BANGTAIL, which she co-created with director Cecily Nash.

BANGTAIL played a sold-out tour in the US with stops in NYC, Minneapolis, and Chicago and racked up two nominations at the Leicester Comedy Festival. Lil brought this debut hour to the Pleasance Courtyard at Edinburgh Fringe 2024. It sold out the entire run and received countless rave reviews.

The show quickly transferred to the Soho Theatre. Lil left straight from the last night of Soho to bring the show back to the US, where it saw further sold-out shows in LA, San Francisco, and New York. It will go on to play at the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival this spring.

Praise for BANGTAIL:

★★★★★ “Sheer, brilliant, well executed madness.” Three Weeks​

★★★★★ "A masterclass in clowning that made the crowd roar with laughter... Truly is excellent." Voice Mag​

★★★★ "'A hysterical blend of storytelling and clowning... A pure hour of genuine laughs" Broadway World

★★★★ “Farcical and whip-smart” Fest Mag

The List and Chortle Top Alt Acts to Watch

Nominated for BingeFringe’s Top Queer Comedians

Honorable Mentions, Laura Awards

Lil is currently in the process of developing new live and scripted work. She’s been commissioned by Camden People’s Theatre and the Yale School of Drama.

In addition to solo comedy, Lil is also the co-founder of Chekhov’s Gum, a US-based comedy production company.

With her collaborator David DeRuiter, she’s written, produced, and acted in a web-series, two short films, and three sketch comedy shows. Their most recent live show, CRAP BALLET, was nominated for the Brighton Award for Excellence at Edinburgh Fringe 2023.

 Praise for CRAP BALLET:

★★★★ + 1/2

“a surreally hilarious experience from start to finish … Lil Wenker and David DeRuite work as a perfect double act with DeRuite as the slightly straight(er) man to Wenker’s unbridled lunacy.” SMU Reviews

★★★★ Theatre and Tonic

★★★★ Ferryhouse Arts Review

Lil has been working as an actor since she was a kid, before going on to study at Yale University. She has performed in productions across Yale’s season and as a freelance actor in New York. She’s also worked as a resident actor at the Cape Cod Theatre Project, working on script development for plays preparing for regional and broadway debuts.

Further training / credits:

1 year course at École Philippe Gaulier

Several intensive courses with SpyMonkey

Collaborator and clown with A. De Castro on THE ROAD at the inaugural Norway Clown Festival (2023)