Do you perform or just enjoy live comedy and want to learn how to produce your own events? From mixed bill comedy nights to solo show runs and work-in-progress shows all the way to the Edinburgh Fringe, we want to let you know what we've learned about how to put on live comedy events.
BIGHEAD Comedy was started in October 2022 and, starting with a monthly event in a Hackney pub, we've grown to running mixed bill events in venues across London including multiple sell-out events at the 200+ capacity Hoxton Hall. We've also worked with solo artists including Bebe Cave, Rosa Garland and Paulina Lenoir developing their shows across two Edinburgh Festival Fringes, with those shows going on to Soho Theatre transfers, UK tours and international festivals as well as gaining nationwide press and winning multiple awards.
It's hard to know where to get started in this field, so we want to give you some advice and a little how-to guide if you want to get started producing live comedy without industry connections or major organisations backing you.
We will run four workshops on the following topics:
- Running your first mixed bill show (MONDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER - 7pm to 8:30pm)
- Working with solo artists (MONDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER - 7pm to 8:30pm)
- Taking your first steps to the Edinburgh Fringe (MONDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER - 7pm to 8:30pm)
- General Organisational Upkeep and Q&A (MONDAY 13TH OCTOBER - 7pm to 8:30pm)
And in these you can expect to learn things like…
- How to find and approach venues
- How to find and approach acts/agents for mixed bills
- A logistical step-by-step guide to putting on a show
- A budget breakdown of your first mixed bill show
- How to find and approach acts for solo shows
- The difference between a producer's role in mixed bill shows vs. in solo shows
- The various ways in which producers can work with artists
- The things you need to know before you decide to do the Fringe
- The first steps you should take towards putting together your first Fringe roster
- A timeline of big Fringe decisions you need to make
- How to manage getting paid and paying others
- How to manage logistical/budget difficulties
- and much more!
There will also be a significant amount of time dedicated to answering any questions you have on our topics of discussion.
There are so many different ways to do everything listed above, but if you don't know where to get started we want to give you our experience on what to do and what not to do. We want to help others put on shows and help create more opportunities for comedians across the UK and beyond and we're really looking forward to helping you put on shows, no matter who you are or how much industry know-how you have.
NOTE: TO ATTEND ALL FOUR WORKSHOPS FOR £10, PURCHASE ONE ‘GENERAL ADMISSION’ TICKET AND YOU WILL BE EMAILED EVENT LINKS FOR ALL FOUR WORKSHOPS.
If you attend all four workshops we will also be holding an optional in-person meetup in late October.