Laughter Lounge Festival
David O’Doherty, Laura Lexx, Tom Allen, Jessica Fostekew & Angela Barnes to headline new virtual comedy festival known as Laughter Lounge Festival
A new virtual comedy festival has been announced for the end of September that will feature some of the biggest names in comedy discussing and performing comedy; British Comedy Guide and NextUp are presenting the Laughter Lounge Festival will feature two events per night, with a 7pm ‘behind the scenes’ style comedy panel, interview or Q&A with comedians, followed by a 9pm stand-up gig, all performed through the magic of Zoom and beamed directly into people’s homes.
The line-up for the Laughter Lounge Festival consists of Tom Allen, Luisa Omielan, David O’Doherty, Jessica Fostekew, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Geoff Norcott, Micky Overman, Bec Hill, Bilal Zafar, Laura Lexx, Stuart Goldsmith, writers Joel Morris and Neil Webster, Angela Barnes, Tom Deacon, Pope Lonergan, Archie Maddocks, Marlon Davis, Lauren Pattison and Janine Harouni.
The 7pm panel discussion events will be hosted by Alison Thea-Skot, and the topics will include “Life As A Comedian – Heckles, Highs And Late Night Pies”; “Comedy And Social Media – Grinstagram And The Good Kind Of Viral”; and “Writers’ Retreat: Secret Powers Of A Comedy Script Writer”.
The festival runs for seven days from Monday September 28, and it is an absolute must for any comedy fan.
The festival is presented by the UK’s biggest comedy website, British Comedy Guide, and produced by NextUp, who have been dubbed “The Netflix Of Stand-Up”.
Dan Berg, co-founder of NextUp, commented: “Following the huge success of our virtual comedy festival in July, we’ve decided to keep the comedy coming during Covid and produce another one, but with a bit of a twist. Partnering with the lovely team at British Comedy Guide, this festival will feature not only immersive and hilarious comedy performances, but also interactive panel discussions with some of the leading faces in comedy – giving fans a rare insight into some really interesting topics. I might be biased as I’m a bit of a comedy nerd myself, but I think this is going to be really special.”
British Comedy Guide editors Aaron Brown and Mark Boosey added: “We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with NextUp and some of the UK’s hottest comedy talent to deliver laughs and interesting comedy-related discussions direct to fans across the country. With most venues still closed we’re proud to be doing a little something to help sustain the live industry and deliver fans a dose of something approaching a real club night. NextUp are experts in online comedy so we’re all in very safe hands!”
Tickets cost £10 to attend a single session with a maximum audience of 200 people. Think of these as large group calls, led by comedy industry experts and comedians, with an incredible potential to create a one-off shared experience.
For the hardcore comedy fans and those after a bargain, NextUp are offering Festival VIP Passes that include access to all 14 sessions and a NextUp annual membership. The VIP pass costs just £79. Also on offer is a VIP pass with annual BCG Pro membership included for £110.
The full schedule is as follows:
Monday September 28, Mark Watson Comedy Panel: Interactive Q&A, 7pm
Monday September 28, Tom Allen Comedy Gig, 9pm
Tuesday September 29, Bec Hill & Micky Overman Comedy Panel: “Heckles, Highs And Late Night Pies”, 7pm
Tuesday September 29, Geoff Norcott & Sarah Keyworth Comedy Gig, 9pm
Wednesday September 30, Laura Lexx & Bilal Zafar Comedy Panel: “Grinstagram & The Good Kind Of Viral”, 7pm
Wednesday September 30, Luisa Omielan Comedy Gig, 9pm
Thursday October 1, Joel Morris & Neil Webster Comedy Panel: “But Is It Funny Though?”, 7pm
Thursday October 1, Jessica Fostekew Comedy Gig, 9pm
Friday October 2, Kiri Pritchard-McLean & Stuart Goldsmith Comedy Panel: “Podcasting For The Pandemic Era”, 7pm
Friday October 2, Janine Harouni Comedy Gig, 9pm
Saturday October 3, Pope Lonergan & Archie Maddocks Comedy Panel: “Conscious Comedy”, 7pm
Saturday October 3, Marlon Davis & Lauren Pattison Comedy Gig, 9pm
Sunday October 4, Tom Deacon & Angela Barnes Comedy Panel: “All We Hear Is Radio Haha”, 7pm
Sunday October 4, David O’Doherty Comedy Gig, 9pm
Laughter Lounge Festival Tickets
For further details and to buy tickets, visit www.nextupcomedy.com/laughterlounge.
