Posts Tagged ‘Priscilla Dinan’

Boy did we get snap happy during the 10days in Dublin festival! Here’s a random selection of some of our favourite shots

In the intimate trappings of The Parlour at Whelans on Wexford Street, I prepared myself for a set with Priscilla Dinan. Once again I had no extensive knowledge of Dinans comedic direction save for the information provided on her flyer. Her set was pitched as being an exploration (and dismissal) of workplace culture. As a recent escapee from the daily grind of 9-5 cubicle work, I was particularly excited at the prospect of an intelligent and satirical look at office life; did the set meet my expectations?

The cosy, strange and refreshingly familiar feel of The Parlour Bar seems like the perfect venue for a comedian to debut their work. The roaring fireplace, warm lighting and delightful, vintage décor lent itself greatly to an atmosphere of ease and accessibility. As Priscilla took to the stage it felt as though I was watching a family member perform in my living room at a family occasion as opposed to a stranger performing a comedy routine.

Throughout the set, Dinan took us on a journey through her employment to date. To begin she reflected on her 80’s childhood and early memories of her parents abusing the goodwill of employers with sick days. In a career which ranged from waitress to production line worker to Tellytubby, she took a funny, honest and relatable look at her working experiences. Highlights of the set included a mock pre-flight safely announcement, a segment on interview tips (how to sabotage yourself) and musings of Christmas parties and illegible faxes

If the above content sounds funny and promising, that’s because it is. It is in delivery that Dinan didn’t quite manage to get her set off the ground. An obvious but understandable nervousness lead Priscilla to revert to using her script sheet for the duration of the set. Whilst she spoke clearly and passionately about her experiences, this approach lead to an unfortunate feeling of disconnection. Jokes which boasted great punch-lines occasionally fell with a resounding thud due to a lack of confidence which did not do justice to the quality of the material.

I don’t want to give the impression that I did not enjoy the show, I really did. The material which Priscilla Dinan delivers here deserves an audience but such material also demands a stronger and more assured delivery. From this point on you can consider me a fan of Priscilla Dinan, and as a fan I can’t wait to see her next with unoccupied hands, head held high and ready to deliver the performance she deserves to give.

If you want to catch Priscilla yourself, you can follow her on Twitter to get all her gig info.

In the first of our pre show natters, we corner Priscilla Dinan to chat about her debut show and what job she just wouldn’t do!

So Priscilla where did the idea for the show come from?

Morning all, yea that’s right, we’re back again with even more comedy details from the upcoming 10Days in Dublin festival! Enjoy!

Watch out world, Kieran Lawless is bringing his show ‘How to Boast by the World’s Best-Looking Funniest Comedian’ to The International on Tues 10^th @6pm. In this show 10days tell us that “Award-winning Comedian, Kieran Lawless, looks at all things boastful. Money? Women? Intelligence? Happiness? Success? He’s learned how to fool people into thinking he’s got them all” Kieran is a regular face on the Dublin comedy scene and with his charming and energetic style you’re bound to laugh out loud at his set, especially at the low price of €5! Feeling a bit strapped for cash? No worries, we’ve gotten our hands on a free pair of tickets to share with you, just drop us a mail; competitions@thecomedyscoop.com and tell us what are you most guilty of boasting about?

Question for you now; “How do you link; being paid to leave the Irish stock exchange, being held up at gun point by the I.R.A. when you were 3, a love for white chocolate and an exploding Volkswagen Beetle?” Don’t know? According to 10days in Dublin the answers will all be revealed on Sat 14^th @ 6.30pm in The International Bar; “In: Take my Knife, Please!, Barry Mack will equally delight and terrify you, with autobiographical, fragmented tales that are as hilarious as they are poignant, peppered with surreal one-liners and off the wall observations in this debut one man show by 1 of Ireland’s best joke writers. As he evokes an inert desire to evolve, persevere and ultimately triumph over the fear of standing still in a fast paced ne world where nothing means the same as it used to.” Ooh, sounds like a very interesting evening’s entertainment doesn’t it, and all for just €5!

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