Is this the way to find a comedy supergroup?
The best comedy sketch groups are a perfect alchemy of talents – but what would happen if skilled performers were thrown together in random new combinations?
That’s the experiment being run at London’s Vault Festival this month, when 100 sketch, character and stand-up comedians leave the comfort and familiarity of their usual working relations to be cast into all-new teams.
Names were drawn out of a hat to create the 20 new groups of five, all of whom will now compete to be crowned the kings of the ‘comedy swingers’.
Those taking part include members of the Delightful Sausage, Just These Please, Egg, Norris and Parker, Sleeping Trees, Pelican and Muriel plus solo performers such as Elf Lyons, Joz Norris and Ben Target. And each new group will have to come up with 10 minutes of new material to wow the crowd.
The comedy partner-swapping experiment has been devised by Lee Griffiths, of Late Night Gimp Fight.
He said: ‘The show has proven to be a logistical nightmare but will ultimately prove to be a lot of fun as exciting new combinations battle against each other with five teams going head to head on each of the four heats.
‘We have sketch groups competing against themselves, double acts going head to head and even real life sisters battling it out.
‘As well as being a lot of fun, the show is also a great chance to celebrate the incredible amount of sketch and character talent we have working at the moment and introduce audiences to brand new performers they have never seen before.’
Heats take place over four Saturdays from next weekend, with the final on March 14.
Here are how the new sketch supergroups are shaping up.
Group One
Amy Gledhill - The Delightful Sausage
Kat Butterfield – Northern Power Blouse
Tom Burgess – Sam and Tom
Raphael Wakefield
Group Two
Chris Cantrill – The Delightful Sausage
Ed MacArthur
Natasha Granger – Swipe Right Theatre
Joz Norris
Pete Simpson - Pojj
Group Three
Anna Leong Brophy - Egg
Phillipa Carson – Just These Please
Rajiv Karia
Sam Nicoresti – Sam and Tom
Group Four
Alex Fox
Luke Rollason - Privates
Anna Piper – Hot Mess
Katie Davison – Next Best Thing
Group Five
Jordan Mitchell - Pelican
Marina Bye - Siblings
Seayonce
Conor Jatter – RH Experience
Len Blanco
Group One
Ania Magliano
Frankie Thompson
Susie Scott – Bang Average Theatre
Serena Flynn
Group Two
Anna O'Grady – Anna and Helen
Alex Lynch
James Alexander - Pojj
Will Sebag-Montefiore – Just These Please
Group Three
Will Dixon – The RH Experience
Emma Hinds - Toucan
Isa Bonachera
Mark Jones - Sisters
Stuart Laws
Group Four
Hughie Stanley - Pojj
Jacob Lovick - LoveHard
Sinead Parker – Norris and Parker
Joshua George Smith – Sleeping Trees
Lucy Miller – Miller and Salmon
Group Five
Kerrie Thomason – Swipe Right Theatre
Katie Norris – Norris and Parker
Jenny Donoghue
Maddy Bye – Siblings
Alex Nash
Group One
Georgie Jones – Just These Please
Georgina Thomas – Thick and Fast
Jay Bennett – Next Best Thing
Lucy Farrett
Laura Curnick - Mother
Group Two
Ryan Lane
Aphrodite Greene Nee Jones - Denim
Ellie Ross – Bread and Gellar
Hamza Mohsin - Avocado
Julia Masli - Legs
Group Three
Rhiannon Neads – Stiff and Kitsch
Shivanni Thussu
Jack Barry - Twins
Will Close – Great British Mysteries
Cassie Symes – Thick and Fast
Group Four
David McIver
Chazz Redhead – Dirty White Boys
William Stone
Christian Brighty - Privates
Rob Duncan - Legs
Group Five
Annie McGrath - Twins
Jack Robertson – Northern Power Blouse
Dave Bibby
Jack Chisnall - Moon
Sam South
Group One
Andrew Duncan - Legs
Rachel WD - Shelf
Ben Target
Phoebe Batterson-Brown - Ladylikes
Sally O'Leary - Muriel
Group Two
Fran Bushe – The Kitten Killers
Max Levine – Hot Mess
Jacob Migicovsky - Avocado
Miztli Rose - Ladylikes
Ruby Clyde - Shelf
Group Three
Amy Spinks - Birds
Tom Webster – The RH Experience
Dan Attfield
Huge Davies
Noah Geelan – Chuck Salmon
Chloe Darke – Bang Average Theatre
Group Four
Meg Salter - Muriel
Guy Manuel - Pelican
Elf Lyons
Jack Mosedale - Mother
Tom Curzon - Privates
Group Five
Emily Lloyd-Saini - Egg
Dillon Mapletoft
Shaelee Rooke - Toucan
Cassie Atkinson – Northern Power Blouse
Published: 2 Feb 2020