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 Due to my skill as a documentary film maker, or possibly my skill to borrow camera equipment at short notice, I was carefully selected to film a stand-up comedy workshop at a large call centre in Romford.
The one day event, run by successful stand-up comedian and experienced
coach Padraig Hyland (pronounced Porrick - an Irish thing, apparently),
was undertaken by employees of a local insurance company who had never
performed comedy, nor been on stage before. The desired outcome of the
one day course wasn't to turn a group of insurance workers into
stand-up comedians, but rather to aid confidence with public speaking
and presentations, as well as being a unique and enjoyable day. At the
end of the day, all the participants would be given the option to
appear on stage, alongside a professional comedian, to test their own
material and their ability to deliver it with confidence in front of an
audience. I was due on site for twelve hours with an absolute maximum of four
hours of footage to capture. It doesn't take a genius to do the maths
and figure out that twelve minus four meant that I could quite easily
relax for around eight hours of my working day. So my ultimate plan was
to take it easy, drink several cups of tea and capture the small amount
of required footage on the camera. Better still was that the last three
hours of the day was taking place in a pub. I couldn't think of
anywhere better to have time on my hands than in a pub, so I was
looking forward to a very easy day.
However, once Padraig began teaching the course, I was instantly
hooked. I wished I had taken the course myself and that someone else
had been hired to film it. Actually, I wish that I'd taken the course
myself and that no-one had been hired to film it, which is probably
exactly what the people taking the course were thinking about me. When
you spend enough time behind a camera, you start to notice that you
often get this certain look in people eyes, just as they make
eye-contact with the camera at an awkward moment; a brief look that
says in no uncertain terms, "Fuck off with that camera, won't you."
I'm just glad that they didn't know I was going to be writing about it
too.
Although I've seen a fair few comedians in my time, I've never really
looked at their work from an analytical stand point. Padraig's
experience and insight into comedy performance allowed him to break
down the process into specifics, making it easy for everyone to
understand. The attendees then began to generate their own material.
Initially, I must admit thinking that none of these people were ever
going to be funny and that putting them on stage would be nothing short
of cruel. But Padraig's own confidence never wavered. Whilst I had
expected the course to teach people a few gags before throwing them (to
the wolves?) on stage, it proved to be far more reaching than that. The
process was guided by Padraig, but each of the people attending the
course went through their very own journey to generate their own
material, which was both honest and specific to their own opinions. In
one single day, they leapt from the rigid confinement of insurance to
the freedom of observational comedy.
Everyone who attended the comedy course gladly opted to briefly perform
on stage in a local pub that very night and all of them got a genuine
laugh from the small audience. Alongside Padraig's improvised comedy
routine, professional comedian/poet Mac McFadden performed some of his
unique comic style of poetry. His main set comprised such poems as a
lament about the decline of slow dances (erection section) at the end
of discos, plus a poem about being a Northern Monkey (which was
something I think Mr Edge may have related to). But it was his first
poem that was a truly unique experience for me. The first poem he
performed was written backstage that very night, during and
specifically about the acts that appeared on stage before him. It was
a poem that would make sense to no-one except that small audience in
front of him who'd witnessed the previous performances. It was,
effectively, a disposable, use only once, never to be heard again,
poem, and I truly enjoyed being one of the very few people that it
would ever make sense to.
Anyone interested in Padraig Hyland's one day stand-up comedy course
can obtain details via Keeley Lawrence on: 07818 071610 or at:
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