SARA Pascoe and support act Jessica Fostekew perform work-in-progress shows at the Burning Duck Comedy Club in York on Sunday in preparation for this summer's Edinburgh Fringe.
Tickets sold out quickly for the double bill at The Basement, City Screen, York, where doors open at 6pm for the earlier-than-usual 6.30pm start.
Pascoe will be road-testing LadsLadsLads, wherein the 36-year-old writer, stand-up comedian and actress from Dagenham "enjoys a year-long one-woman stag do". "From spiritual retreats and city breaks, to life-drawing classes and football matches, Sara has been drunk and lonely everywhere," says the show's publicity.
Support comes from Jessica Fostekew, regular host of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s The Comedy Club and writer for Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and the Standard Issue magazine.
Jessica Fostekew
She will be previewing You Know What I Did Last Summer, her new Fringe show built around two things she did last summer. Two reasonably significant things. "One of them brought me more joy than I've ever known before. The other one was a tale of shame, torture, water, ice-cream, then death and then more torture," she says. "This show's about that thing, the second thing. The horrid one."
Burning Duck promoter Al Greaves advises booking online for future shows. "Most tickets for Sara Pascoe and Jessica Fostekew were bought by mailing-list members, who were invited to purchase tickets before the show went on general release, and if you want to join the mailing list, the web address is burningduckcomedy.com," he says.
Greaves's next show will be the third Burning Duck Student Comedian of the Year competition on June 9 at the club's new venue of the Lounge Bar, University of York, where Sean Morley will be the master of ceremonies.
"Why not come along and find out who will be our third winner, as judged by a selection of very important self-appointed comedy industry luminaries from the Burning Duck Comedy Club?" says Al.
Will Seaward
"The night will be headlined by award-winning, loud-voiced, wild-haired University of York Comedy Society graduate Will Seaward, who the Daily Telegraph once described as a 'young, even more theatrical Brian Blessed on a wicked sugar rush'."
All entrants must be registered students at present attending a further/higher educational establishment; each will perform for up to five minutes; the winner will be offered paid work at a future Burning Duck Comedy night.
Further Burning Duck dates for the diary are Daniel Simonsen's work-in-progress gig at The Basement on July 9; the Great Yorkshire Free Fringe Presents the Burning Duck Comedy Showcase at the Great Yorkshire Fringe, York, August 2 to 6; John Hastings & Ben Target: Tussle, The Basement, September 3; Paul Foot, The Crescent Community Venue, September 16, and Phil Wang, The Basement, October 7.
Meanwhile, Sara Pascoe's new stage adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice for York Theatre Royal and the Nottingham Playhouse will be staged in York from October 4 to 14, with an original score by singer-songwriter Emmy The Great, under the direction of Susannah Tresilian. Tickets are on sale on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
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