Who said Politics wasn't fun?
Monday 1 March 2010
Politics is a serious business and never more so than at election time.
But The University of Surrey is taking a refreshing new look at the issues as part of its ‘Politics Month’ with an evening of satirical fun featuring the best up-and-coming comedy stars.
The British Institute for Humour Research, based at the university, in association with the Politics Department and Laughing Horse Comedy present “De-MOCK-racy”.
It’s an evening of hilarious stand-up comedy with a political slant.
Dr Simon Usherwood, a senior lecturer in the Politics Department, said: “This is a very exciting time for politics. Satire has a long tradition in British politics and we hope the stand up comedy night will be an entertaining look at the political landscape for students and voters with an eye on the coming General Election."
The compere for the night will be Sajeela Kershi, who is renowned for her excitable brand of humour and sometimes risqué material.
Her subject matter ranges from fanciful, topical and personal to her experiences of being caught between two cultures.
The line-up for the evening includes Irish comedian and actor Paddy Lennox who first burst on to stage as a Stand-Up in 2001 only to be interrupted with a couple of comedies at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre.
An engaging and instantly likeable comic, Paddy combines topical material with observational routines dubbed “simply a scream” by the Telegraph
Another comic booked for the night is Liz Carr is a hugely talented comedian who includes observations about the wider world’s reactions to her disability.
Jay Sodagar terms his comedy as Social Conscience Comedy, this genre underlines observational, political and straight stand-up, and he likes to make people think about his material after they’ve laughed.
He has appeared everywhere from tiny comedy clubs to large theatres around the world he has been dubbed “Side-splittingly funny” by Eastern Eye.
Cole Parker is also on the list and is described as “consistently brilliant” by The Independent and "Wonderful, up-front, hilarious…” by the Evening Standard.
The stand-up comedy evening is part of Politics Month, a series of events and takes place on Thursday 11 March from 7pm to 10.30pm at Wates House at the University of Surrey.
Tickets are available for staff, students and the public from the University Box Office: Telephone: 01483 686876, email: boxoffice@surrey.ac.uk. Ticket prices are £8 or £5 concessions.
Media Enquiries
Howard Wheeler, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 686141, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk