Comedy season at Pocklington Arts Centre (From York Press)

Comedy season at Pocklington Arts Centre

12:46pm Friday 13th July 2012 in Comedy By Charles Hutchinson

POCKLINGTON Arts Centre has signed up comedians Russell Kane, Carl Donnelly, John Shuttleworth, Chris Addison and Richard Herring for shows between September and next March.

In his new Edinburgh Fringe show, Posturing Delivery, Russell Kane will ask himself: “What if I’m one of the guys who never has a baby? Why is this not a ‘male subject’?”

On September 27, he plans to give birth, live on stage in Pocklington, then raise it – in front of you. “Come along!” he says.

Like Kane, Carl Donnelly will perform his 2012 Edinburgh show, Different Gravy, when he visits Pock on November 29 to read and discuss choice excerpts from his unpublished and hugely embellished autobiography.

Next year, the Sheffield man the Sunday Telegraph calls “the 42nd Best Reason To Love Britain” will venture beyond the garden gate to tread the mean streets of Britain/Pocklington on January 25.

In Out Of Our Shed, Pock returnee John Shuttleworth will ponder which is better: city life or country living? Supermarket or village shop? Or is it better to sit in your shed and count the cobwebs?

The Thick Of It star Chris Addison has just been confirmed for February 1, while one-time Pocklington schoolboy Richard Herring will return to his roots on March 8.

He too will be performing his 2012 Edinburgh excursion, Talking Cock – The Second Coming, a tenth anniversary update of a show that has been translated into various languages, performed in more than a dozen European countries and published in book form by Ebury Press.

“It’s an object of shame and pride; it inspires laughter and fear; it’s a symbol of power, yet it’s incredibly fragile,” says Richard.

“It can be a pound of flesh or an ounce of winkles; it can be used to express both love and hate; it creates life, it can condemn us to death... and it can do wees as well. How can one tiny flap of sponge and sinew be all these things?”

He intends to discover the answers in a show that “exposes the truth about men and their flutes of love” and prompted the Guardian to call it “Man’s answer to The Vagina Monologues”.

“We’re extremely pleased with our comedy line-up for this autumn and beyond,” says James Duffy, the arts centre’s assistant manager.

“Over the past three to four years we’ve have built up a strong following for our monthly comedy club, selling out every event. Josh Widdecombe, Seann Walsh, Mark Thomas, Jenny Eclair, Patrick Monahan, Greg Davies and Lee Nelson have all performed here, and we hope this will continue into next year.

“We’ll be announcing another ‘very special’ show in the next fortnight for May 16 2013, so keep looking at our website for updates on that ‘major’ name.”

Tickets can be booked on 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk