Show 1: 6 February 2012
[See pictures taken by Sofia Lundberg over on our flickr page.)
The first night of tragedy is now over, and we got off to a great start. After a swift introduction where I tragically failed to say the word trajectory, we started with a pop! As in, an alternative pop song from The Reactionaries, who reframed the parable of the boy who cried wolf as a story about a character who dies because of his tragic flaw, and implicated the audience in his suicide.
Emily Lewsen then told the true story of a tour taken in Israel: a couple ostracised by their politics. The tour guide takes a fall when her tragic flaws get the group lost. We ponder whether things are dilemmas or facts, and empathy and Prosecco wash away tears by the Sea of Galilee. This is Emily telling a different tale at true story night Spark London:
Then The Reactionaries sang a song about the spirit leaving the body of a dead person. It had a very catchy dance for the choruses; it may well prove to be the next big dance craze to sweep the nation.
Next we had Jacqueline Downs’ The Great Big O performed by Libby Edwards, a tragic story about domestic violence, motherhood, and a sad, mad moment. Moving. Painful. And beautiful. Have a read of it here. This story was sourced from Liars’ League where writers write, actors act and everyone wins. Libby finished telling us the story. The audience clapped.
But where was the next act? A man appeared, asking some people in the front row about the strange lighting on the front of the stage, the line of light bulbs on fake grass, with daffodils scattered between them. This awkward moment began What do you think of it so far? performed by Drunken Chorus, a tragic attempt by a man to perform a double act. The night ended with a dying comedian bleeding to death on the stage lit by a mirror ball.
But then the tragedy was over as The Reactionaries came back on stage and attempted to lead the audience in a sing along. This sing along will end all the nights.
The first night was full of tragedy but it wasn’t one itself. It was, I’m pleased to say, a success.
We’d love to be able to pay the performers who participated. The Stand Up Tragedy team are doing this for a love of tragedy and I’m covering costs out of my day job salary. We hope the show will break even. If audiences keep coming like they did on our opening night, we will. To help us pay the artists we have set up an IndieGoGo campaign. No contribution is too small to be helpful.
We release extracts from the night as a free weekly podcast via iTunes, SoundCloud and the Stitcher Smart Radio app.
And now, like the song says, it’s time to go.
Dave Pickering
Host of Stand Up Tragedy
Casual Violence!
An an award-winning comedy collective based in Brighton and London. Their 2011 Edinburgh Fringe show “Choose Death” was one of the most talked about comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and picked up a string of four and five star reviews, along with a Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality nomination and a ThreeWeeks Editor’s Choice award.
“Dark, weird and bold stuff that, brilliantly, doesn’t forget to be funny… this is massively enjoyable
comedy: twisted, smart and unique” – British Comedy Guide
“Ludicrously inventive… the next stars of the genre” – ThreeWeeks
“Gloriously bleak and black… a weird and wonderful show” – The Skinny
www.casualviolencecomedy.co.uk/
Drunken Chorus
What do you think of it so far?
Chris Williams attempts to resurrect the tradition of the ‘double-act’ as a solo performer. Taking inspiration from Morecambe & Wise, Andy Kaufman and the myth of Narcissus, the show explores what happens when one half of a ‘double-act’ disappears, deserts or even dies. It is a show full of all the things you wouldn’t expect to find in a double-act – a fight, a load of booze, a long drawn out death scene, and most importantly, only one performer.
Drunken Chorus is a contemporary performance company fronted by artist and theatre-maker Chris Williams. The company’s work spans a variety of forms, including theatre, installation, cabaret nights and durational work. Chris has been performing for a number of years, and has also worked as a freelance artist with Forced Entertainment and Kings of England. He is an independent arts producer, and joint director of site-based arts company Question your Teaspoons.
what do you think of it so far? was created with support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Live at LICA, Forest Fringe and Junction.
Liars’ League
Actors read new fiction by up-and-coming writers.
The Great Big O by Jacqueline Downs was originally read by Libby Edwards at our Here & Now event.
Jacqueline Downs is a London-based writer and editor whose stories have been published in print and online, including in Smoke: A London Peculiar and on Smokebox. Her stories are read, by her and others, at literary events in the capital and elsewhere, and she is a regular teller of real-life tales of debauchery at Spark London. She also writes features for women’s literary site For Books’ Sake.
Libby Edwards trained whilst performing with a touring Shakespeare theatre company for 3 years before completing a 1 year course at The Bridge Theatre Training Company. Professional credits include: Lady Macbeth - Macbeth, Helena - A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tablet - Hurts Given and Received, Nettie - Flat Tyre, Thelma - A Pack of Lies. Libby has also produced 2 productions – at The Roundhouse Studio Theatre and The Ambassadors Theatre, West End.
Find out more at: www.liarsleague.com
The Reactionaries
The Reactionaries are an alt-pop duo from East London consisting of Hayley Gullen and David Pickering. They are currently working on their second album “Bouncy Poppy Songs About Death” to be self released in 2012. You can hear and download tracks from their first album from their soundcloud site.
Emily Lewsen
Emily grew up in Toronto, Canada and came to London this past September where she took advantage of her relative anonymity to start telling stories live at Spark London. You can hear her musing about what makes a good dentist on the Spark London podcast. Emily is currently doing her Masters in Middle Eastern Studies. While wrapping one’s head around (never mind solving) the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may not be the most attainable goal, Emily has stumbled upon some interesting stories while attempting to do so. She will be sharing one of these stories with you at Stand Up Tragedy’s debut night.
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