Issue 152

In the mood for a laugh

12th February 2007

On Thursday 22 February, The Revels Student Comedy Awards of 2007 will take place at Swansea University to expose local comedians who are trying to get their talent in the public eye.

Revels are pairing up with UK's leading comedy guide, Chortle, as both search for the best student comedians in Britain. They are visiting 12 universities across the UK, including the heat here at Swansea.

The event will be hosted by Lloyd Langford, who won the award in 2004, and it will be headlined by stand-up comedian Ray Peacock. You will see fellow comedians battle each other out on stage for a place in the final at the Edinburgh Festival in August.

Those who make it to the final have a chance to win a prize of £2,500 and to boost their comedy career on the live comedy circuit. The university that gathers the largest numbers to its own heat will also win their very own gig from a famous top comic.

"Our student comedy competition unearthed a lot of very promising comedy talent in previous years and this time the hunt will be bigger and better than ever before with a lucrative first prize - so we're expecting great things this time round," says Steve Bennett from Chortle.

Beginning in 2004, the Student Comedy Awards has picked out student comedians and given them a shot to show their talent to everyone. Lloyd Langford won in 2004 and has been establishing himself as one of the most exciting acts in comedy.

Nathan Caton, who won in 2005, explains his experience: "Live comedy is such a hard career to break into and it is initiatives such as this that make it possible for young, talented comics to break through."

If you cannot make it to the event, Chortle will be posting clips from each heat on their website (www.chortle.co.uk). You can then vote for your favourite comic, and the act with the most votes who did not already win their heat will earn a "people's choice" place in the final.

The Student Comedy Awards will be at 8:30pm at DV8 on the first floor of the Union House. Tickets are £4, £3 (concessions) and can be purchased at the door. There will be one free drink with every ticket bought.

Christina Dore