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A THREAD ON WHY WE NEED TO #SaveMonkeyBarrel @BarrelComedy
@theskinnymag @thelistmagazine @CreativeScots @TheScotsman @guardian @MetroScotland
A THREAD ON WHY WE NEED TO #SaveMonkeyBarrel @BarrelComedy
@theskinnymag @thelistmagazine @CreativeScots @TheScotsman @guardian @MetroScotland
1/ Itâs really easy to forget this venue is about 4 years old. Itâs a baby â a really fucking overachieving baby. In that time itâs become a 7 day a week venue (pre bat-disease) and is fast becoming the coolest place at the fringe
2/They are the only reason me & several others can afford to do the Fringe. People may have heard comics say âonly lost ÂŁ3000 this august, thatâs a successful fringeâ & think thatâs a joke. Losing ÂŁ3000 isnât bad going and itâs not uncommon when doing the fringe. MB changed that.
3/ Monkey barrel let their acts keep ALL of their bucket money at the end of shows, and offer them the most considerable cut of presales that certainly I have heard of. It means comics can MAKE money; not âjustâ lose ÂŁ3000, but MAKE money, as if itâs their â you know â jobâŠ
4/They've some of the most interesting lineups at the fringe. Okay, thatâs subjective. Whatâs less subjective is that they categorically take punts on newer/alt acts. Iâm one of those, & I got to do my first fringe in a room to full audiences. I owe a lot of that to the venue
5/ Itâs not just about us clowns obviously â their fringe shows are all âpay what you wantâ, meaning the essence of what fringe was when it began, remains. Itâs accessible for everyone, not *just* your rich old auntie from Surrey whoâs up for august for some âCULCHAH DARLINGâ
6/The staff are AMAZING. Just amazing. The bloodstream of place and the consistent compliment from acts and audiences alike. This venue is their livelihood.
7/I did my first gig here, my first hosting job here, my first regular hosting job here, my first Fringe here, so it holds a special place in my heart, but I know itâs that special place for so many other people too.
8/Iâve watched @chunks #ProjectX & @acms alt comedy to the stage and it be nurtured, by the same club who can entertain a group of stag&hens at the weekend. So few clubs can say they pull off both, & not just pull that off but ACTIVELY seek to have dedicated avant garde nights
9/ Iâm gushing a bit now, but Iâm only doing so so that we donât lose sight of what this means to people, during August *and year round*. Their stream is happening this Saturday and you can watch by donating to their Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/monkey-barrel-comedy
10/ I canât finish this ramble by asking for money (although thatâs the important bit, sorry) â so Iâll finish by saying the following:
11/ I want to see @liamWithnail hostwednesday and Sundays again, and @rickmolland host his weekends. I want to see @johnsfurcoat, @fernbrady, @jenbrister and @edgamble next august, I want to see @spencerjones do a midnight disco every night for a month...
12/ ... I want to see @LouSanders do a show with a fricken orgonite onstage with her, I want to see @ameliabayler ayler shout âsexy bitchâ in an old manâs face, I want to see @OliverLColeman an ask a nazi if he was just upset because heâd never won a Palm DâOr...
13/ We only get to see this weird and wonderful things in live comedy, and the magic of the room, and boy is this a magical room. #SaveMonkeyBarrel and donate
