- October 2020
There are a million ways we could die at any given moment—the guy next door could turn out to be a serial killer, or the water supply could be tainted with e. coli. Not to mention threats of nuclear war and the impending doom of climate disaster that could wipe out humankind at any second. But either we can live in constant fear -- or we can laugh at the absurdity of it all.
This musical comedy centers on the experience of a ragtag support group who call themselves “Survivors Non-Anonymous,” joining together to share their varied stories of survival. But when the bunker they’re meeting in suddenly goes on lockdown, trapping them inside with no resources and leaving them with no idea of the cause of the lockdown, the group members are left to combine their talents and do what they do best: survive.
From the sell-out writing team behind What's Wrong With Me? and Life With You comes a wacky new musical comedy about survival, friendship, and the importance of the Heimlich maneuver.
- August 2020
Edinburgh Fringe 2020
There are a million ways we could die at any given moment—the guy next door could turn out to be a serial killer, or the water supply could be tainted with e. coli. Not to mention threats of nuclear war and the impending doom of climate disaster that could wipe out humankind at any second. But either we can live in constant fear -- or we can laugh at the absurdity of it all.
This musical comedy centers on the experience of a ragtag support group who call themselves “Survivors Non-Anonymous,” joining together to share their varied stories of survival. But when the bunker they’re meeting in suddenly goes on lockdown, trapping them inside with no resources and leaving them with no idea of the cause of the lockdown, the group members are left to combine their talents and do what they do best: survive.
From the sell-out writing team behind What's Wrong With Me? and Life With You comes a wacky new musical comedy about survival, friendship, and the importance of the Heimlich maneuver.
- November 2019
From members of the Cambridge Footlights comes a brand new immersive sketch show. The Wrecking Ball is a comedy show based around the breaking of the fourth wall. Join us in the six walled Corpus Playroom for an hour of sketches, songs and friendly lighthearted discourse. We’ll break the wall, break our legs and maybe even break your hearts (probably not though).
The Wrecking Ball is a comedy show that plays with the relationship a comedy audience has with its performers.
Also we really need some friends.
- October 2019
‘You’ve got to do something pretty damn impressive to not get into heaven these days. Inflation hit us pretty bad as well.’
A quasi-uplifting comedy about interdimensional lovers faced with mortality, bureaucracy and the crushing boredom of eternity.
Upon stepping into the arrivals lounge, Will is informed that he is in holding for divine punishment. Either Hell, or worse - a bottom karma-band reincarnation and return to Earth. With only seven days to seek redemption and secure his place above the sky, he will encounter many of the bored residents of paradise as he wrestles with the celestial bureaucracy, wrangles with angelic officials and whines about the existential squalor of eternity with a workaholic former Pope.
Come and witness what two writers with one RS GCSE between them will produce if they talk about Heaven for long enough: the Kafkaesque Romcom that left Alex Horne "feeling peculiar about whether I will ultimately want to get into the Pearly Gates." Highly commended for the Footlights Harry Porter Prize, we invite you into the afterlife. Take a seat, there’s a queue.
- July 2019
Half of young people in British prisons are BME (Black/Minority Ethnic). Political commentators say this is a gross indictment of our broken society; we think it’s a model of ethnic diversity the Cambridge Footlights should aspire to: #MakeFootlightsAPrison.
FootDarks are three of said comedy troupe’s finest stand-ups, and they’re all BME (we prefer “alt-white”). Find out why Danny Baalbaki believes white parents prefer dogs over their kids, how Patrick Sylla started a fight at the Tate Modern (and still got a better review than Jeff Koons) and how autocorrect got Hasan Al-Habib banned from a funeral (again).
These three Cambridge Footlights have finely crafted this stand-up show that is sure to leave you in stitches of laughter, unless of course you’re some kind of racist or one of Hasan’s parents.
- July–August 2019
Cambridge Footlights Amaya, Lottie and Will are ready to make it big! They’re prepared to do anything to tango to the top, but what will happen when they’re forced to face their worst nightmare… working “together”?
Join this trio as they scuffle for the spotlight in a tangy, tasty new hour of sketch and character comedy. These fiery frenemies are ready to prove that three really can play at that game… that game being “exquisitely written, genuinely funny and fiercely intelligent” comedy (✭✭✭✭✭ The Reviews Hub)
Amaya's eyeliner is sharp. Will's teeth are sharper. Lottie isn't the sharpest tool in the box. Two's company, but it takes three to tango.
- May 2019
Half of young people in British prisons are BME (Black/Minority Ethnic). Political commentators say this is a gross indictment of our broken society; we think it’s a model of ethnic diversity the Cambridge Footlights should aspire to: #MakeFootlightsAPrison.
FootDarks are three of said comedy troupe’s finest stand-ups, and they’re all BME (we prefer “alt-white”). Find out why Danny Baalbaki believes white parents prefer dogs over their kids, how Patrick Sylla started a fight at the Tate Modern (and still got a better review than Jeff Koons) and how autocorrect got Hasan Al-Habib banned from a funeral (again).
These three Cambridge Footlights have finely crafted this stand-up show that is sure to leave you in stitches of laughter, unless of course you’re some kind of racist or one of Hasan’s parents
- March 2019
The comedy sketch show is a genre that has grown incredibly popular in Cambridge over time as we all love to see our favourite student comedians combine to act out the absurd and the hilarious for our entertainment. However, with such a diverse field of talent we're always left asking for more...
So, more is exactly what you're going to get. Following the success of this concept by the founders of Eggbox Comedy in 2016, under a strict time-limit of 23 hours, 30 of the finest student comedians in Cambridge will come together to produce not just one but FIVE sketch shows for your entertainment. From Stand-up and song, to improvisation and mime, come and see comedians of all genres combine to produce and perform jokes fresh from a frantic day of writing.
30 comedians, 23 hours and at the end of it all 60 minutes of glistening new comedy sketch show for you all to enjoy.
- February 2019
Kenny Shallows has always dreamt of being a poolside lifeguard. But when he wangles a place on the prestigious lifeguarding course at Hardwater Leisure Centre (largest in Britain if you count the car park!) he finds he is a small fish in a big pond.
Hardwater throws every conceivable obstacle Kenny’s way, from kiddies stuck in the big flume to a slush-puppie nozzle with a mind of its own, from the hunt for a fabled elixir to the pesky windmill obstacle on hole 9 of the crazy golf course. Can our underdog stay afloat when thrown in at the deep end? Or will he lose his trunks, get chlorine in his eyes and swim into the ladder?
It’s sink or swim; dunk or be dunked; splish or splash.
Join these three Footlights, “master of comic timing” (The Tab) Alex Franklin, “abundantly talented writer” (Varsity) Noah Geelan and soon-to-be Cambridge alumnus Will Bicknell-Found for an hour of narrative sketch comedy that promises to be “light-hearted, gloriously silly and really very funny” (★★★★★ - Varsity).
- November 2018
You have been invited to an exclusive recording of a brand new Saturday night entertainment show. Graham Norton’s on holiday, Mel and Sue are busy and Terry Wogan is frankly unavailable, so the ADC have called in daytime TV legends Jimmy and Billy to take the reins on their first ever late night show. Over the course of an hour, the pair will interview surprise guest characters, play games with their studio audience and showcase musical talent, making sure that things go off without a hitch. Featuring a live stand-up set, brand new characters and comedy songs from Cambridge’s finest comedians and musicians, this is a once in a lifetime chance to see how TV really gets made. Saturday night’s will never be the same again…
- November 2018
Elliott has just turned twenty-three, and still isn’t completely sure how being a man works. And now his comedy partner's just left him. Therapy is expensive so instead this show exists.
Join bumbling nerd, delicate lover and Cambridge Footlight Elliott Wright for a brand new hour of surreal and acerbic stand-up, as he delves into masculinity, relationships, self-identity, heartache, anxiety and the endless turmoil of looking like a sainsbury’s basics version of himself.
Previous praise:
‘quickly had the room in stitches’- Varsity ★★★★ ½
‘Like the weird uncle at a family Christmas, Wright united and energised the audience as a whole – only occasionally traumatising individuals’- The Tab
DarkChat Edinburgh Fringe Awards 2016: Best Comedy Performance- NOMINATED
- November 2018
Get ready for ‘Unsung Heroes’ - join us as the BCC™ take a deeper look at the Unsung Heroes of Wider Rochester. A night to celebrate the overlooked voices of our society.
We human-people focus too much on worshipping celebrities, the luminaries who quite frankly don’t do much. Eg. Paris Hilton (excluding her culturally groundbreaking work on ‘Paris Hilton’s My New BFF). We neglect the average Joe’s whose work goes unrecognised.
‘Unsung Heroes’ transforms ‘nonentities’ to ‘celebutantes’, all whilst making us laugh, giggle, and maybe even snort. Who knows?
A celebration of these characters will redefine what we deem as important, paying homage to characters like wise Wendy from the Co-op Bakery, Brenda from the PSA or Susie from HR - what would we do without Susie?
Head down to the Corpus Playroom for an absurd hour from Cambridge Comedy regulars and introducing new comedians, bringing to life a series of wacky, silly and endearing characters whose voices will finally be heard.
- August 2018
What happens to the women that men can’t write? In this showcase of Strong Female Characters, a group of Cambridge’s finest lady and non-binary comics will endeavour to find out. Fresh from every screen and stage ever, the cast-offs, the sidekicks, the nonspecific love interests and the straight-up plot-devices come together to stick it to The Man. Specifically, one man in particular. Their writer.
With multiple women actually allowed on stage at once, who knows what might happen? We wager it will be something very, very funny.
This is Good Girls, Written Bad(ly).
- August 2018
Best friends Emmeline and Leo are really lonely. It’s not like, an “issue”, per se? It’s just making them both quite depressed. So they’ve decided they’re going to find a lover. One each, ideally.
Join this Cambridge comedy double-act for an hour of characters, sketches and desperation as they search for the perfect man. Because there’s someone out there for everyone, right? All you have to do is hunt them down.
Manhunt follows Leo and Emmeline, as they embark on a quest to find love. Realising there is massive boyfriend-shaped hole in their lives, they make a pact to seek out romance. The pact turns into a game; the game turns into a competition; the competition turns out to be one of the ones where no one wins, and they end up back where they started. Over the course of the hour, Emmeline learns the hard way why you never flirt with a ferris wheel operator, Leo gets catfished on Ocado, and we witness more than one relationship counselling session with 80s pop sensation (and Oscar winning actress!) Cher. Through it all, we meet extravagant characters, navigate the pitfalls of modern dating, and put on a fast-paced, empowering hour of comedy that is ‘not just funny… but rich with a sense of self-awareness’ ★★★★ (The Scotsman).
- May 2018
Meatball is a brand new hour of brutally honest comedy from Footlights regular Emma Plowright covering growing up, FOMO and spherical meat. Blurring the line between what you should say outloud and what you should just think on a bus and then take to your grave, Meatball is an hour of SSRI-induced highs and anxiety-ridden lows.
Previous Praise for Plowright:
'singular ability to make the banal and bizarre bits that make up our everyday lives, and, in particular, adolescence, into something utterly hilarious.’ – (★★★★½, Varsity)
'characteristically and presciently hilarious' – (★★★★½, Varsity)
- May 2018
GET IN LINE FOR…… QUEUE! A brand new freshers' sketch show.
Every day, millions of people around the world join a queue. Here in Britain, we’ll take any opportunity to form an orderly line, whether it be waiting for a ride, a new passport or as a fresher about to be given your first accommodation… queues are filled with wonderful, weird and wacky characters, just waiting to be explored.
Brought to you by a team of budding fresher comedians, it’s time to join the queue to end all queues! Please stay within the allotted area of the Corpus Playroom at 9.30pm, and wait your turn for a fabulous night of fresh, silly and surreal sketches and character comedy!
Cue Queue, where we celebrate the journeys, rather than the destinations and explore one of the funniest concepts in the world and ask burning questions like: seriously, why are 80% of the letters in queue redundant?!
- April 2018
Neural Notwerks is back from its alpha run, beta than ever! We've got an all-new set of sketches using more advanced technology than before - we present to you our second showcase of mismatched computerised malapropisms, generated and printed live, on stage, at the Corpus Playroom!
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Neural networks are computer algorithms that can learn from information you feed them, then spit out new material, be it Bible verses, Trump tweets, Star Wars scripts, or anything else with a large enough body of work and a consistent enough style. The problem is, artificial intelligence... isn't all that intelligent. The results are both uncannily right and tragically wrong. Don't worry about Skynet just yet.
-
8/10 from TCS
"lively, well-paced, and unexpectedly hilarious"
"the cast was very good and displayed impressive improvisational talent"
"a veritable cornucopia of dirty jokes"
https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/theatre/0038212-review-neural-notwerks.html
- March 2018
National treasures Bradley and Cecil Chadman have been off our screens for over a decade. But now, for one night only, ‘The Ant and Dec of West Sussex’ return with an hour of rhythmic goofs and melodic gaffs. They’re here to host a stellar cast of musically-minded comedians and comedically-minded musicians in what looks set to be the biggest musical showcase since Olly Murs won the X-Factor.
GOOD TUNES. GOOD LAUGHS.
TOE-TAPPERS. KNEE-SLAPPERS.
GOOD BROTHERS. BETTER FRIENDS.
- March 2018
Sir Trevor Brierly – writer, director, philanthropist, plasterer – was many things to many people. But to his colleagues Michaelmas Crouch and Patio Horse he was a friend above all. Patio and Michaelmas will be hosting a memorial service in tribute to the life and works of their late companion, featuring an array of guests, from family members to former lovers, each of whom has a story to tell.
Footlights James Coward and John Tothill invite you to an evening of touching character comedy as they trace the life of this extraordinary man. Sad buffet provided.
- March 2018
Declan Amphlett was born and raised in Worcestershire. Or as many people call it, 'Where's that? You mean like the sauce?' He also hates writing about himself in the third person. I genuinely do. I feel like I'm writing my own obituary.
A brand new stand-up show from one of the people behind the CUADC/Footlights Pantomime 2016: Rumpelstiltskin, Footlights Presents: Xylophone, Jet Lag and Disappointment, and the faint crying noise coming from Trinity College most Saturday nights.
'Faultless' – ★★★★★ Varsity
'The makings of a brilliant stand-up comic" – ★★★★ The Cambridge Student
- February 2018
Remember that thing? You know. That thing that keeps you up at night? That time you called your teacher 'mummy'? How about when the barista in Costa asked if you wanted a regular or a large and you accidentally snotted instead of answering? No? Patrick Wilson does. He remembers all the stupid, embarrassing, borderline-illegal things he's done in his otherwise well-meaning life, and is ready to lay them all out for you for one night only!
Come join Patrick for an hour-long exploration of what keeps him up at night (no, not that, the other thing. Like, the things we've covered so far. Get your mind out of the gutter.)
These are Patrick Wilson's Apologies.
- January 2018
In 2015 it was demonstrated that a neural network – a computer algorithm inspired by the brain – can be trained to generate almost syntactically correct Shakespearean language, with… uncanny results. The same process can be applied to cookbooks, political rhetoric, musical scores, and more. We present to you a showcase of mismatched computerised malapropisms, generated and performed live, on stage, at the ADC theatre.
- January 2018
Cambridge character comic Henry Wilkinson bestows upon thee 'Peacock', a debut hour of hilarious characters and personalities.
Much like the esteemed Peacock, Henry Wilkinson fans out his comic tail feathers for an hour of silliness and absurdity as he explores the lengths and breadths of character comedy.
Those to be found among the colourful plumage of ‘Peacock’ include the fabulous and illustrious likes of the infamous silent movie star Brigitte Binoche, the acclaimed gothic horror author Finnian Finley, the notorious Victorian mystic Madame Bah-Bah-Rah, the entire cast of the James Bond franchise, a riled up schoolmaster, and Kelly.
Previous Praise:
★★★★★- Broadway Baby
★★★★★ - CTR
★★★★★ – The Tab
- January 2018
Christian and Eve are going on a date. Christian's done all this date stuff before. He's just looking for someone to settle down with. Eve's been getting ripped for the last six weeks and has been going on practice dates with her close family and friends. A lot of comedies see things going horribly wrong, but what about when they go cataclysmically right?
- October–November 2017
Blimey! It’s 1958 and the Cold War is in full swing, Britain’s ladies are neatly tucked away in the kitchen, and Her Majesty’s finest assassins have gathered to celebrate topping off their prime target. There’s just a small spot of bother: she’s not actually dead.
“I may not have killed her,” says Kenneth, “but I got jolly close.” Et voila! You are served a scrumptious platter of messed-up murders, accompanied by oodles of intrigue and lashings of lols.
All based on genuinely fictional events; it’s going to be absolutely capital.
A comedy from the writers of 'Bad Habits' (formerly 'Love in a Maze’) - EdFringe Review, Varsity, CTR and ‘How to lie and get away with it - The Tab
- October 2017
Everyone who’s ever done a sketch show has those sketches that seem hilarious at the time but, upon reflection, can never see the light of day. FIRM NOSE stages these ‘creatures’, and shines the harsh light of day upon them, to watch them writhe and thrive on the Corpus Playroom stage. These ‘sketches’ go so far beyond funny that they swing back around and hit you in the face with how funny they are. Like big, friendly, non-offensive boomerang(s). Have no fear, these are not things that go beyond the line and OFFEND, but things that go beyond the line and beFRIEND!
Fresh from the dark regions of Google Drive and performed by a rag-tag team of failed legends and fading stars, these are ‘sketches’ that have been ‘put’ in the folder marked FIRM NO’s (get it???)
- August 2017
Grit your teeth and squint your eyes as you stare out to sea. Feel the briny fug of absurd character comedy roll in from the ocean. Marvel at the characters that roam the wharves, prowl the pubs and slither beneath the jetties.
Footlights regulars Christian, Eve, James and Sarah invite you to a world of dock hands and drug smugglers, of salt spray and foaming ales. From the people who brought you Footlights Present: Bread, Milk Teeth, Joseph K and Vox Pop comes an hour of bracing absurdist comedy.
- June 2017
Tinder has met World of Warcraft in the new online game ‘Rulers Of Magik’. ROM.com’s players win quests, fight fire-breathing anteaters and, inevitably, fall in love with the winning warrior dwarf Mary_Beard.
ROM.com’s top two players don’t know that they live opposite each other. They also don’t know they’re going to try and kill each other during the big quest. They don’t even know that they’re going to fall suddenly, truly, madly, conveniently in love with each other.
But the audience does know that - after all, this is a Rom Com. What we don’t know is where the escaped lab rat is. Or how Julia and Ian’s two ‘normal’ roommates are going to deal with all this mistaken identity nonsense. Or how any of these students are still at university when they clearly spend their time playing online fantasy games and eating cereal. There’s only one way to find out...
Play ROM.com, the new RPG romantic comedy.
- May 2017
Wow! The universe is mind-boggling!
If you like to hear about places, things and people, this is the show for you. Failed scientist Isa Bonachera will take you in a journey through the universe. You are guaranteed to learn nothing.
Previous praise:
"the best stand-up I have ever seen live" Will Maclean, The Cambridge Student
“had everyone beside themselves” Perdi Higgs, Varsity
“a continuous mixture of laughter and abdominal pain ensued” Eddie Spence, The Tab
“fresh, spontaneous humour” Hettie Blohm, The Tab
“will surely go far” Carl Wikeley, The Cambridge Student
- May 2017
Grit your teeth and squint your eyes as you stare out to sea. Feel the briny fug of absurd character comedy roll in from the ocean. Marvel at the characters that roam the wharves, prowl the pubs and slither beneath the jetties.
Footlights regulars Christian, Eve, James and Sarah invite you to a world of dock hands and drug smugglers, of salt spray and foaming ales. From the people who brought you Footlights Present: Bread, Milk Teeth, Joseph K and Vox Pop comes an hour of bracing absurdist comedy.
- April 2017
Hello m'lovelies, Ash here.
Why Chameleon? Well, chameleons adapt, don't they? They take a surface or environment and they change their colours to blend in and assimilate themselves into it. I guess octopi do it too... but I also have exema and am therefore a bit scaly and lizard-like, so Chameleon seemed more appropriate...
Nevertheless, I’ve become increasingly aware that this adaptation is something I and (I think) many other people do in social situations in order to suit themselves to different environments. So I thought it'd be fun to write a show about self-representation and why being a chameleon needn't necessarily be a bad thing...
Join me for an hour of self-indulgent, feel-good stand-up, original comic songs and character comedy. Think smoker meets song cycle. Think character comedy meets cabaret. Think! Don't drink and drive.
- February 2017
Declan Amphlett is halfway through his year abroad. He's trying to work out how to finish it.
Join him for a one-night stand in the Corpus Playroom. And then come and see his show afterwards.
From one of the people who brought you the CUADC/Footlights Pantomime 2016: Rumpelstiltskin, Footlights Presents: Xylophone, Switch: A Sketch Show, Babushka: A Sketch Show and Verbal Remedies: A Stand-up Show, comes a brand new hour of comedy that the Guardian has described as “please stop contacting us, we don’t know who you are”.
Previous praise:
"Superbly written and ingeniously performed” ★★★★★ Cambridge Theatre Review
"Boundless energy, slick performances, and endless variety" - ★★★★★ The Tab
“an uproariously funny and curiously affecting performance” ★★★★★ Varsity
“undeniably funny” ★★★★ Three Weeks Edinburgh
- February 2017
Eggbox Comedy and CUMTS Present HOT GAY TIME MACHINE
Do you like COMEDY? Do you like MUSICALS? Do you THE GAYS? If you answered yes to most of those questions, you will love Hot Gay Time Machine.
Toby Marlow. Zak Ghazi-Torbati. Gays. Music. Dance. Comedy. Talent. Lights. Camera. Action.
This will be an original EXTRAVAGANZA of musical comedy, unlike anything Cambridge has ever seen #before.
Let us take you through the history (or 'gaystory' LOL) of the world through MUSIC, COMEDY and CAMP.
Expect the unexpected.
Expect the expected.
All expectations are welcome.
Join Zak and Toby, as they take you out on an evening of outrageous songs, hilarious comedy, and mind-blowing costume changes that will BLOW your MINDS. So what are you waiting for? Gay marriage? WELL WE GOT THAT ALREADY WAHOO. SO COME PARTY WITH THE GAYS.
- January 2017
Simone's Speaking Service organises for inspirational speakers to talk to high-performing undergraduates at universities both in the UK and abroad, encouraging students to think about their lives, their careers, and their futures.
Join Cambridge comedian John Tothill for an hour of absurd character monologues in this hilarious, bizarre and heart-warming one-man show, playing for just two nights at the Corpus Playroom. Meet Professor Julian Pringle, academic and public intellectual, as he ruminates on the key to a happy life with his inimitable flair. Or local councillor John Higgins, who this year is running for the esteemed post of Mayor of West Fumberland. And, of course, Simone-Diane le Roulé, the unbelievably successful businesswoman-cum-impresario who brought these extraordinary men and women together.
It’s a show that you’d be mad or busy to miss. John Tothill reminds students that to have these speakers give up their time to talk to you is a privilege, so get your tickets now.
Previous praise:
‘A triumph of character comedy’ – EdFringeReview ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
'Simply delightful' - The Tab ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
- January 2017
'I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.' Frida Kahlo.
write
comedy monologues
?
A one-night stand of newly written comedy monologues.
Character comedy, songs, dances, short stories, stand-up and more!
~~// for information about how to get involved as a writer and performer email Sarah and Eve on sjc282@cam.ac.uk and ed466@cam.ac.uk \~~
- November 2016
The comedy sketch show is a genre that has grown incredibly popular in Cambridge over time as we all love to see our favourite student comedians combine to act out the absurd and the hilarious for our entertainment. However, with such a diverse field of talent we're always left asking for more...
So, for the first time, more is exactly what you're going to get. Under the frantic time limit of 23 hours, 30 of the finest student comedians in Cambridge will group together to produce not just one but FIVE sketch shows for your entertainment. Stand-up and song, improvisation and mime, come and see comedians of all genres combine to produce and perform jokes fresh from a frantic day of writing.
30 comedians, 23 hours and at the end of it all 60 minutes of brand-spanking-new comedy sketch show for you all to enjoy.
Sound like something you want to miss?
I think not.
