Comedian, promoter and actor Phil Smith is the owner of Shoe Cake Comedy Club. As he prepares to host a special Christmas event in Stockton, Georgina Shine caught up with him to speak about the world of comedy.
The Comedy Club has been running for quite a long time now. What inspired the creation of the club?
We have been going for just over four years now with our residency at The Georgian Theatre in Stockton for almost three. I started the night as a bit of a new act/new material night and it became really popular. It has now developed into a semi-pro/pro comedy weekend night and expanded into Leeds and Middlesbrough, a number of pop-ups around the north and a castle near the Lake District. However, we do still try to give newer acts a platform to perform at.
What can audiences expect from this year’s Christmas special?
We are planning a very festive show this year. Each month, we normally combine stand-up comedians with a closing set from our resident improv group, The Discount Comedy Checkout. On Thursday 9th December, they are doing an extended show, so there will be two sections of entirely improv. It’s a bit like ‘Whose Line?’ … but a lot ruder and always great fun. We want the audience to come armed with their festive suggestions and the performers will work their magic. There will also be a stand-up comedian (TBA) who will open the show and resident MC Chris Lumb will welcome and chat with the crowd.
What do you think makes improv comedy so special and popular with audiences?
The great thing about improv comedy is that every show is totally different. The comedy is created entirely from the audience’s suggestions and every scenario and character is made up on the spot by the talented performers. It’s also a great way to include the audience in the show. The best moment is when somebody attends improv comedy for the first time – they don’t know what to expect. There is hardly anyone doing it from Leeds upwards so a lot of people in the North East are seeing improv for the first time, and we are one of few improv groups in the UK who regularly headline established comedy club nights and festivals. I suppose we are more of a stand-up/quick-fire/short-form improv act.
Are there any plans to extend the scope or number of performances in future?
There is quite a heavy footprint of comedy in Stockton already. However, we do have aspirations to grow into more areas where comedy is underrepresented. We recently launched a monthly pro night in Augill Castle in Kirkby Stephen. It includes a delicious two-course supper and an optional overnight stay in the castle too. It is proving to be very popular and sells out every time. We also launched our first weekend comedy festival, The Last Stop to Edinburgh, in Leeds and Stockton back in October.
What does 2022 look like for Shoe Cake’s calendar?
All show dates for Stockton, Middlesbrough, and Leeds are already scheduled for 2022 and can be found on Facebook. We’ve scheduled next year’s Last Stop to Edinburgh Festival for July 22nd & 23rd and hope to attract some big names to Stockton. I hope to find some quirky new venues for regular nights, maybe even run our own New Act of the Year competition too. We are also planning to sponsor a few Edinburgh Fringe shows. The Discount Comedy Checkout also run improvised comedy training courses and we have plans to branch that out into the North East, teaching the rules of improv, helping people and encouraging their burning desires to perform comedy.
Shoe Cake Comedy Club’s next gig at The Georgian Theatre in Stockton takes place on Thursday 9th December. Tickets, priced at £8.00 in advance, are available from georgiantheatre.co.uk.
