Posts Tagged ‘Whelan’s’

Now you all know at this stage that we here at the Comedy Scoop like pretty much anything that makes us laugh which is why I have found this event and thought I would share it with you lovely people. It is what is says on the title…a variety show! They will take over Whelans with various parts of the floor popping up to make stages with different performers at different intervals! The Variety show will cover anything and everything from music and dance to comedy (obviously or we wouldnt be putting it here!)

The night will be hosted by Keiron Black and all money made will go to charity. For this show the performers are:

Matt Lunson ( One Day International )
The Young Folk
The Butcher
BigChief Random Chaos
Ela Gas ( Film Maker)
Wayne and Cathy

So why not go along for what looks like an interesting and fun night and help out a charity in the process!

Where:        Whelans Camden Street

When:          Thursday August 9th

Time:            8pm

Cost:             €5

Wow, what a busy 10 Days in Dublin festival we had here at the Comedy Scoop eh? We had so much fun during the festival and got to meet so many great people. We have decided to come together and each give you our two favourite highlights from the festival and maybe you can let us know what yours were in the comments section at the end of the post?

One of my favourite things during the festival was Heroin(e) was Breakfast at Smock Alley. I went to see it on the second night and had felt a bit of the buzz about the first show going well so was hopeful of something good. What I saw was something amazing. I really enjoyed the play and to be able to pull humour out of something so obviously dark is nothing short of amazing. I take my hat off to all the actors who did a superb job in the production and really wish them well in the future, I know it will be a bright one for them.

- Amanda

My second highlight would have to be Diet of Worms. I chose these for a variety of reasons. Firstly to have the courage to do a live recording at a gig is something which deserves to be applauded. But not only that, these guys were just funny. From their actual dialogue which was hilarious to their various props such as half a door with a lock attached to it and various pairs of shoes and their commitment to the story, this all made for a very entertaining show for the audience. This was definitely a highlight for me and I would hope to see more from the Diet of Worms in the near future.

- Amanda

There were so many high points over the course of the 10Days in Dublin festival that it was more difficult than I thought it would be to narrow it down to just two highlights, but here goes nothing…

Mary Bourke’s show in The Workman’s was one of the best small gigs I’ve attended to date. Confident and in control I greatly admired how nonplussed Mary was by the poor turn out and found myself laughing non-stop during her hilarious gig. It’s a pity more people didn’t show up to see just how funny this quick-witted comedienne is for themselves but it certainly didn’t impact upon the quality of the comedy on the night. Mary is an easy pick as highlight number one and definitely someone to catch live yourself when you next get the chance.

-Mairéad

 

Highlight number two has to be the play ‘Spurt’.

This piece of fringe theatre really struck a chord with me and I found myself swept up in the emotional journey that was playing out on stage at The New Theatre. Thought-provoking and engrossing I couldn’t fault the production which made me laugh and cry in equal measure! Unfortunately it won’t be performed in Dublin again but it has certainly managed to ignite my interested in the world of ‘fringe’ theatre and I look forward to seeing more productions by theatre group ‘Come as Soon as You Hear‘ in future.

 

-Mairéad

10 Days was a resounding success in my opinion. It gave people a chance to catch some wonderful comedians at great prices. While I had the privilege of attending some great gigs and while it’s very difficult to decide my highlights, there were certainly some standout elements for me:

Rather than individual acts stealing the show for me, I wanted to express my thanks for the variety of comedy on offer. In the course of attending the festival I got to see a great mix of freeform comedians as well as more traditionally rehearsed acts, all of which managed to impress in their own way. From the casual hilarity of Kieran Lawless, to the more meticulous stylings of Chris Kent & Priscilla Dinan and then rounded out with some witty and relatable banter on modern pop culture from the Game Boys and Lorcan McGrane, there was something for everyone at this festival!

- Paul

This second set of appreciation will probably seem unusual but I wanted to praise the selection of venues that were used for the festival. The familiar surroundings of the International are always welcome but it added a wonderful touch of versatility and intimacy to the proceedings to experience venues such as The Parlour in Whelans and The Loft at the Twisted Pepper.

- Paul

So there you have it, all our highlights in one easy to digest collection! Now it’s your turn, just click submit comment below to share your own best bits from the 10Days in Dublin festival with us

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.

Don’t they say the best things in life are free? Well we here at the Comedy Scoop certainly thinks so  So just for you our lovely readers we have managed to get our hands on tickets to some of the best comedy gigs during the 10 days in Dublin festival. Here are those gigs we have tickets to:

• Lorcan Mc Grane takes to the Twisted Pepper stage on Fri 6^th and Sat 7^th @ 7.30pm and we can get you in to see him free either day
• Get tickets for ‘Brainwashed’ by Cormac Moore in The Workman’s either Sat 7th or Sun 8th @7.30pm

• Fancy seeing Vinny Mc Hale in Whelan’s?  He’s on Mon 9th @7.30pm

• Kieran Lawless takes over The International on Tues 10th @6pm
• 4comedians then band together to bring you 3Men and a Bitter Lady and we have tickets for either Tues 10th or Wed 11th in The Twisted Pepper @ 7.30pm
• Sketch comedy experts Foil Arms and Hog will be entertaining punters in The Workmans on Wed 11th @7.30pm – we have 1 pair left!

• Rory O’Hanlon can be found in The International Bar on Wed 11th @ 6.30pm
• Aidan Killian is happy to welcome you to Bad Ass on Wed 11th and Thurs 12th @9pm and we are lucky enough to have one pair of tickets for both nights
• Taking to the The Stags Head stage on Thurs 12th @9pm is Danny O’Brien with his show ‘All my Friends’

• The Princes of Lagos bring improv to 4Dame Lane on Thurs 12th @8.30pm
• ‘Game Boys’ will be live in The International Bar @6.30pm on Thurs 12th

• The crew from Humourisms.com will bring their show to The Workman’s on Sat July 14th @7.30pm
• Michael Downey’s return to comedy begins on Sat 14th @8.30pm

So have you seen something that takes your fancy? You have? Well fab! All you need to do is send us a mail to competitions@thecomedyscoop.com and tell us who you would like tickets for and let us do the rest! Why not have a night out on us eh? Get entering now!!

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?