An adult Stand-Up Comedy class has been introduced to the Manx Music, Speech & Dance Festival syllabus for the first time in its 127 years.
Any aspiring Peter Kay’s or Katherine Ryan’s are invited to enter and perform in the Villa Marina as part of this year’s Festival, which is once again being sponsored by local homebuilder Dandara. Competitors will have up to seven minutes to impress the adjudicators and receive as many laughs as possible.
The class is open to adults whose 19th birthday has fallen or will fall before the 31st August 2019 and the performance must be suitable for a family audience.
The Guild’s very own Zoe Cannell, a long-standing committee member, will be among the competitors. Zoe has a keen interest in comedy and has attended workshops to develop her craft, gain confidence and learn the art of being a stand-up comedian.
Zoe said: ‘Stand-up comedy is something that is completely new to the Guild and we are very excited to bring it to the Villa Marina stage for 2019. It can be considered a difficult act to master which is why we wanted to create this platform and give any budding local comedians – myself included – this type of hands-on experience in front of an encouraging audience.
‘I have no doubt the class will be one of our most popular in terms of spectators and will be a great evening full of laughs – so gather your friends and come along for some fun. I’m really look forward to getting on stage and trying my hand at it, so I’m asking the audience to please play nice!’
Dandara became headline sponsor of the Festival in 2015 and has since renewed its partnership until at least 2020.
Dandara Group Marketing Manager Angela Beresford added: ‘The introduction of the Stand-Up Comedy class shows how the Guild is continually adapting - adding new and exciting classes to appeal to the different interests and skills within the Manx community.
‘The class will provide a great opportunity for people who enjoy making people laugh to take to the stage and I’m sure will be a great one to watch!’
The 2019 Manx, Music, Speech & Dance Festival will take place between Saturday 27th April and Saturday 4th May at the Villa Marina. Entries to all classes close on Saturday 9th February 2019 and any entries arriving after the closing date will not be accepted.