Up and coming new artists recognised.
The Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2014 aims to recognise and support ‘breaking talent’ from the region, offering the winners a vital step-up on the comedy career ladder.
A collaboration between Birmingham Comedy Festival and The Glee Club, the competition officially kicks off the festival on Friday 3rd October 2014 and will find compere James Cook introduce Andrew McBurney, Danny James Clives, Hannah Silverster, Lindsey Santoro, Christopher John Hall and Wayne Beese. The event is sponsored by Fosters.
Hailing from Glasgow but now based in The Black Country, Andrew describes his comedy as ‘melancomedy’; Danny James is from Kingswinford and was recently shortlisted for the BBC Radio New Comedy Award 2014; Hannah lives in Sutton Coldfield and mixes stand-up with musical comedy; Northfield’s Lindsey took up stand-up after completing a comedy course; Dudley-based Wayne is by day a newspaper journalist; and Christopher John, from Erdington, is an actor turned comic.
Each act has been nominated by a panel of comedy professionals for their crack gag writing skills, observational chops, deft delivery, and their potential to break out.
The selection panel were formed of Janice Connolly (aka Mrs Barbara Nice, actress and comedian, Women And Theatre), James Cook (comedian, mac Birmingham comedy course tutor), Jo Enright (comedian and actress, Rough Works, Life’s Too Short, The Job Lot), Alex Jackson (booker, The Glee Club) and Maureen Younger (comedian, MY Comedy, Laughing Cows).
A spokesperson for the festival said: “From a long-list of nearly a dozen names, our panel have nominated just six acts who they believe show real promise, so it should be an exciting – and very funny – night.”
Of the introduction of the award into the festival, the spokesperson added: “Ourselves and The Glee Club are keen to establish the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award as an important stepping stone for up-and-coming comics from the region; a nationally recognised title that will help further the careers of those who win.”
Mark Tughan, owner of The Glee Club, said: “As one of the top comedy clubs in the country it’s so important that we help to nurture promising comedy talent up onto the circuit. We’re so proud to continue this by collaborating with Birmingham Comedy Festival on the Breaking Talent Award this year and for the future.”
Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2014 takes place at the Glee Club Studio on Friday 3rd October 2014. Tickets are £10 (£5 NUS) from 0871 472 0400. For more information see: www.bhamcomfest.co.uk