Page 14 - Phonebox Magazine March 2016

The Buzz
Comedian Stuart Goldsmith comes to Milton Keynes
Amused Moose Comedy Award Nominee, Stuart Goldsmith, is touring countrywide this March and April. From Birmingham to Canterbury and London to Milton Keynes, he’ll be performing his stand-up show, ‘An Hour’. Having now had over 4 million downloads of his podcast ‘Comedian’s Comedian’, this isn’t a comedy show to miss!
We recently caught up with the very funny Stuart Goldsmith who will be performing at Milton Keynes’ The Stables on 3rd April. If you’re not familiar with him, he started by giving us a quick summary of who he is and what he does: “I lead an incredible double life! I’m a comedian you’ve probably only just heard of, with really funny real-life stories about love, dementia, Costa coffee and Jack Reacher novels, but I also interview my fellow comics about their creative process... My ‘Comedian’s Comedian’ podcast has over 4 million downloads worldwide.”
“There’s nothing more satisfying than freshly minting a joke!”
Stuart is now very well known for his comedy podcast. Having interviewed various popular comedians such as Jason Byrne, Matt Lucas, Katherine Ryan, Nina Conti, Nish Kumar and Tim Vine, Stuart has learnt a great deal about other comedians’ improvisations skills and material. So why is he so interested in comedy? “To me there’s nothing more satisfying than freshly minting a joke! When you can make people laugh using components which were just lying around for years with no one combining them in the exact manner you chose, it’s like being a combination of a safe-cracker, a poet, and a walrus”. But who, out of the many comedians Stuart has met, stood out for him the most? “Matt Lucas was a total contrast to the persona I’d imagined; really thoughtful and serious about his work - we really got into depth. But Katherine Ryan was outstanding - talking to her is like being tickled with razor blades!”
“I won’t be doing any jokes about your roundabouts”
Stuart began performing as a street-performer in Covent Garden, so who inspired him to be a comedian and do stand-up shows? “I always loved making people laugh, and became a professional street- performer as a teenager, making money by walking on a tightrope and eating crisps. I was always scared of stand-up due to the fear of being heckled, but ultimately decided I was more scared of never trying it. And sharks.”
In April, Stuart will be performing for the first time at The Stables. “I’ve done odd little gigs around MK - as we call it in hushed tones - but
never brought my own hour of comedy before. I won’t be doing any jokes about your roundabouts, which I consider an absolutely first-rate piece of camouflage defense against outsiders.”
Having performed in various venues all over the country, where does Stuart like to perform most? “There’s a new-ish club in London called “Top Secret” which often has big TV names sneaking onto the bill unannounced to try their stuff before televised gigs. The big guns don’t get publicised, possibly to avoid their fans filling it up and being too easy an audience, and possibly for tax reasons...”
Finally, what advice would the comedian give to younger people wanting to start up a career in comedy? “Well, you should probably listen to the podcast at comedianscomedian.com to hear how 150+ other acts from all over the world have developed their comedy. And then, throw out all that advice and just do what you think is funny, over and over again, until an audience agrees with you... Something like that!”
You can grab tickets for Stuart’s comedy show here: www.stables.org
Auditions for Fame Open to the Public
Do you feel ready to light up the sky like a flame on the stage at Milton Keynes theatre? You don’t even need any previous musical theatre experience! The theatre is asking for individuals from 10-21 years of age to audition for the Stage Experience’s production, Fame The Musical.
Fame will be the theatre’s fifth critically acclaimed youth production, with previous credits including West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Footloose and The Wiz. If you’re aged 14 Phonebox Magazine | March 2016
between 10-21 years old and fancy giving it a go, you must be prepared to get up and sing, dance and act in front of a panel of working professionals at the auditions taking place at Milton Keynes College on Thursday 7th April. There will then be a second round re-call audition on the morning of Friday 8th April.
With amazing set designs and a live orchestra, the Milton Keynes Theatre’s youth productions are a completely unforgettable experience not only for the audience but also for the cast who take
part. The brilliant creative team who are producing the show include director Robert Marsden, choreographer Laura- Ann Smith, and local musical director Matthew Reeve. There are 100 places in the cast up for grabs, and you must be available for all rehearsal dates, which include weekends between Monday 25th July and Saturday 6th August. Hopefuls have until 1st April to send in their audition applications to Milton Keynes Theatre. You can find out more by emailing mkcreative@ theambassadors.com.