People who are passionate about comedy are being invited to join the Awards Panel for Leicester Comedy Festival 2019. The panel, made up of comedy fans from across the UK, will get VIP treatment during the 19 day festival, as they get to see more comedy than most and decide on the final award winners. The awards will be presented at a special ceremony which will take place after the 2019 festival. Previous nominees and winners of awards include Jen Brister, Ahir Shah, Romesh Ranganathan & Greg Davies. Each year a Legend of Comedy Award is presented at the awards ceremony and previous winners have included Victoria Wood, Ken Dodd, Barry Cryer and Nicholas Parsons.
The festival runs from 6-24 February 2019 and applicants, who should be aged over 18 and demonstrate a love of live comedy, must be able to be in Leicester for a minimum of one week during the festival period. Applications can be made by emailing [email protected] The deadline for applications is Friday 30th November 2018.
The awards were launched in 2006 and are designed to recognise the artists and promoters who are involved in the annual event. The judging panel gives members of the public a voice in the voting procedure and is a great opportunity for comedy fans. There are several awards, many of which are decided upon by the awards panel, including
- Best Show
- Best New Show
- Best Musical Show
- Best Kids Show
- Best Impro Show
One of the past judges, David Blackett, said “What can I say about being a judge? I can honestly say it's one of the best experiences I have gone through. Not only did I see more comedy than I could have dreamed, it gave me the chance to explore some wonderful parts of Leicester I hadn't visited and I made some truly fabulous friends.”
Festival founder and Director, Geoff Rowe, said “The Awards Panel has become a critical part of the annual festival and comedians who are nominated recognise & appreciate the importance of the awards. The lucky members of the panel work really hard during the 19 day festival, often running from show to show to see as much as possible. We hope we'll get a good range of applications from people keen to indulge their passion for comedy who will love to be part of the team spotting the cream of the great talent that will be on show next February. For comedy fans it’s like being in heaven – seeing hours of some of the best live comedy around.”
Headline acts for Leicester Comedy Festival 2019 include Jo Brand, Johnny Vegas, Zoe Lyons, Jason Manford, Nish Kumar, Dave Gorman, Russell Howard, Henning Wehn, Jason Byrne, Paul Sinha, Rich Hall, Shazia Mirza, Hal Cruttenden and Gary Delaney. The main festival will also feature the best up & coming international and UK acts including Adam Kay, Adam Rowe, Ahir Shah, Alasdair Beckett-King, Alex Edelman, Andrew Maxwell, Chris Washington, Daliso Chaponda, Dane Baptiste, Darren Harriott, Ed Gamble, Henry Paker, Jack Gleadow, Jen Brister, Joanna Neary, Lauren Pattison, Lloyd Griffith, Lloyd Langford, Lost Voice Guy, Pat Cahill, Rob Kemp, Rosie Jones, Tom Lucy & Harriet Kemsley. The full programme is now available online by visiting www.comedy-festival.co.uk
Leicester Comedy Festival is run by Big Difference Company (registered charity 1135167). All surpluses made by the charity are invested back into the event and community projects throughout the year. The Gala Preview Show, the launch show for Leicester Comedy Festival 2019, will take place at De Montfort Hall, Leicester on Friday 11thJanuary. Tickets are now on sale from www.comedy-festival.co.uk
