A slice of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is coming to York this weekend – as four comedy acts are previewing their new shows in the city.
The Burning Duck Comedy Club are hosting the event at Spark York’s event space, and presents an exciting opportunity to catch up-and-coming comedians before their stints at Edinburgh in August.
The Spark Comedy Fringe is taking place on Sunday 30 July.
The lineup showcasing their comedy chops are Neil Harris, Stanley Brooks, Eryn Tett and Tom Lawrinson.
York used to have its own Fringe Festival – the Great Yorkshire Fringe – before it was canned in 2020 due the founder’s exasperation with the management of York city centre.
All shows are £5 advance to guarantee entry – or simply turn up and pay what you want after the show. Attendees are asked to arrive within 10 minutes of showtime, to allow unallocated seats to be taken by Pay What You Want customers.
If you fancy the full comedy evening, there’s also a £15 ticket which guarantees entry to all four shows. Tickets are available here.
The lineup
4pm – Neil Harris: Codebreaker
Neil is a comedian, animator and computer programmer who utilises his many skills to take you on a journey through historical events. Join him this year as he takes a look at the Enigma machine and how Alan Turing and Bletchley Park were able to crack it. He is, as ever, joined by his animated sidekick Helpy the Lion, who promises to both help and hinder the show.
5:30pm – Stanley Brooks: I Can Make Me Rich
Why aren’t you rich yet? Why are people at the top nowhere near as smart as you? Nearly award-winning comedian Stanley Brooks is here to teach you the skills you already know so you can succeed! Using interactive activities, useful guides and carefully curated sponsorship partners, Stanley will take you through the basics, the advanced basics, and the hyper-advanced basics of wealth.
7pm – Eryn Tett Finds Her Audience
With a style that toes the line between straight stand-up and absurdism, classic misfit and newly proactive Eryn Tett is collecting important data in search of her “audience”. A bizarre exploration of her own thoughts; expect word play, odd observations and surreal storytelling set to a charmingly uncomfortable rhythm, as Eryn takes an entirely literal approach to the sage advice: find your audience.
8:30pm – Tom Lawrinson: Hubba Hubba
Tom Lawrinson presents Hubba Hubba, a stand-up show with weird, wonderful and completely unexpected punchlines. If you like big laughs, mad jokes and a positive atmosphere then this is the show for you. Come along, I can’t stress how cheeky it’s gonna be.
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