This Friday, The Annex Theatre will see a one-night-only comedy extravaganza, as our own Southampton Jesters team up with other student comedy troupes from across the country to create The Comedy Fridge. The Edge caught up with the man in charge, SUSU Comedy Soc president Jed Marshall, to chat about the show.
So, this collaboration is a first for SUSU Comedy Soc – how did you set this up?
JM: It came about from chatting to other performers we met at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe – the University comedy circuit is booming, with most universities now having a comedy troupe. We quickly realised it would be good fun to gig together and are carrying out a mini-exchange: we will be travelling to Bath to perform there in April.
You’ve been working with a tight, select group of writers and performers – how is this different from other Comedy Soc shows?
JM: Most comedy shows are a bit of a free-for-all when it comes to material – with this show we set up a new troupe, the Southampton Jesters, an audition-only troupe so that we could find people that would work well together. The group started with a blank page and, fuelled with biscuits, sketch ideas were hashed out; being such a small group the process has been ruthless, with any ideas which don’t meet the cut being quickly scrapped.
What can we expect from The Comedy Fridge?
JM: Expect something unique. Having watched several university comedy troupes, I can vouch that each one will have a different style to the next. The Bristol Revunions and the Idle Playthings are both hilarious and will perform their brightest and best material. The Southampton Jesters, being born and bred from SUSU Comedy Society, will be as crazy as usual – expect the dark and surreal and bring a spare pair of pants.
What plans do Comedy Soc have for the future?
We have plenty of shows coming up: on the 5th March we will be doing Comic Relief with RAG down in Bar 2, and after the success of last year’s RAG Against the Machine we will be doing not one, but two shows during the RAG Big Give. Aren’t we a lovely charitable bunch?
Tickets to The Comedy Fridge can be reserved here.
