News Story
This autumn a huge comedy festival full of incredible talent will take place in Wrexham. Wrexham Comedy Festival will be produced and delivered by Theatr Clwyd who run William Aston Hall, in partnership with Wrexham AFC and The Maesgwyn. The venue, and in turn, the city, is already becoming known as a place to see high-quality stand-up comedy and the partners hope to make the festival an annual event.
During the exciting bid for Capital of Culture last year we outlined to the judges that we planned a comedy festival for Wrexham. As we build towards another bid in the future, we thought we should leap feet first into creating a festival ahead of time, something that we hope becomes an annual event, that highlights the best of Welsh standup talent and showcases them as part of a world class lineup. This of course follows on from some of the biggest names in comedy visiting William Aston Hall throughout the year, with a festival allowing us the opportunity to keep tickets affordable, and to work with a brilliant group of partners. We’ve even got Humphrey appearing – although he shied away from doing a full standup gig like he used to!Liam Evans-Ford, Executive Director at Theatr Clwyd.
The festival will take place on the weekend 3 - 5 November with events spanning three venues including William Aston Hall, the Centenary Club at Wrexham AFC’s STōK Cae Ras, and Maesgwyn Hall. From family-friendly comedy to late-night events there is sure to be something for all comedic tastes.
Kicking off the festival on Friday at William Aston Hall is the Best of Wales Comedy Gala (3 Nov).Join some of Wales finest comics including Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Tudur Owen, Anna Thomas, Leroy Brito, Mel Owen, Esyllt Sears, and host Ignacio Lopez.
Over at the Centenary Club join British Sikh comedian Daman Bamrah for his first show Salmon Camera (3 Nov).Daman Bamrah has spent a great deal of his life confused. His formative years were spent travelling between his Church of England high school and his Sikh Temple, but what did he really learn and where did he fit in?! Join him as he attempts to identify himself in an increasingly absurd world.
Mark Watson kick starts Saturday evening at William Aston Hall with his show Search (4 Nov). Both a dad and a kid himself, around the midpoint of his life, the Taskmaster star and multiple award-winner - now also famous as one-third of YouTube cult sensation No More Jockeys - returns. He’ll consider the search for meaning that we’re all on, with or without Google.
Comedian du jour, Alison Spittle is simmering with jokes and probably rage, she doesn't know what the burning sensation is. Join her at the Centenary Club for her show Soup (4 Nov).As seen on Off Menu, You're Dead To Me, Guilty Feminist, The Gargle and co-host of BBC Sounds’ Wheel of Misfortune podcast with Kerry Katona.
The legendary Canadian superstar Tom Stade returns with a killer new hour,Natural Born Killer (4 Nov)at Maesgwyn Hall! Join Tom as he toys with the complexities of our ever-changing world; muses on societal conundrums and navigates his way around progressiveness and pronouns - not to mention 27 years of marriage and adult kids who refuse to respect him (and like to remind him just how dumb they think he is). This is a show for iGens, Millennials, Gen X’s, Baby Boomers, and beyond.
What better way to start a Sunday morning, and the final day of the festival than with Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles - A Gameshow For Awful Children (5 Nov).The anarchic family gameshow returns, pitting children against adults and each other to try and find the most awful child. Come and experience what happens when international insouciance meets infantile exuberance, as children get to experience being politicians, pests and petomanes to win this badge of dishonour.
Comedy Translates (5 Nov) is a bi-lingual comedy show like no other. Taking place at the Centenary Club audiences will experience what stand-up comedy might be like in another language. Sort-of. While comedians perform in Welsh, the audience will hear an English translation. Live! Only a couple of minor technical hitches, and due to being blacklisted by every translator in the land, the translations will instead be provided... by the comedians themselves.
Utterly hilarious, you’ll laugh from start to finish – and almost certainly learn a lot about Welsh language and culture along the way. Starring translator-turned-comedian Steffan Alun and a line-up of the Welsh language scene’s best acts.
Fresh from her smash-hit Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre sell-out debut, Chloe Petts brings her follow-up hour If You Can’t Say Anything Nice (5 Nov)to the Centenary Club. Everyone complimented her on how polite she was with big issues in the last show so now she's cashing in those points and plans on being really rude. Expect routines on Greta Thunberg, the Queen, and calling you all a bunch of virgins.
Britain’s favourite French comedian presents his greatest oeuvres from the past decade. Marcel Lucont: Le Best Of (5 Nov)comes to Maesgwyn Hall expect deadpan wit, supreme sex poetry, soaring miserablist chansons and Gallic superiority.
And finally wrapping up the festival at William Aston Hall is the Socially Distant Sports Bar (5 Nov).Join Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero as they take you inside the world of sport and way beyond. It's a Comedy Podcast about Sports, but you don't have to like Sports to LOVE it.
This event will feature Wrexham AFC Executive Director, Humphrey Ker. He said of the festival:
I am absolutely delighted to see a brilliant lineup of comics coming to Wrexham for the inaugural Wrexham Comedy Festival and huge thanks to Wrexham County Borough Council, Theatr Clwyd and Little Wander for helping bring it all together. We at the Football Club are thrilled to see culture booming across the area and are very happy to be partnering with the festival, both through the use of the Centenary Club and via my appearance at the Socially Distant Sports Club. Please buy tickets!
The Wrexham Comedy Festival is supported by Wrexham County Borough Council and Wrexham City of Culture.
