Wednesday 25th September 2013

Welcome, dear reader, to the first J-blog in quite a while. But we haven’t been resting on our laurels all this time, we’ve been hard at work putting together some really exciting shows for Stafford!

JUICE has recently taken over the comedy nights at Staffordshire University, and Monday night saw our debut show at the Legends venue for Fresher’s Week. To kick things off we’d put together a stellar line-up of comedians, a really first-rate bill.  Headlining this show we had star of Mock The Week and Dave’s One Night Stand, Mr.Gary Delaney!

Gary gave Stafford a very special 45 minute set which included a Sneak Preview of the brand new material he was due to record on Tuesday for Mock The Week!  This was a rare treat for any audience, and we were really excited that Gary wanted to work with us and Stafford Student Union.

We didn’t have just ONE TV star on the bill, we also had the talented Fern Brady as well! Fern is a fast-rising star in the comedy world, and will be appearing on Comedy Central’s Alternative Comedy Experience later in the year.

Paul Savage returned as our resident MC and Compere, continuing the relationship he’s built up with the student audience over the last few years. Also on the bill was the energetic self-help enthusiast Robin Parmiter. Robin previously impressed JUICE at our New Act / New Material Show, and it was great seeing him in front of a large audience.

Although this show was open to the public and promoted to non-students, it’s notoriously hard to get the people of Stafford to come up to the campus. The show was a real bargain, just £5 to see a TV-level Headliner. But alas, the people of Stafford did not make the journey. But not to worry, dear reader, 140 students packed-out the Legends venue until it was standing-room only!

We’ve also been putting together our next show at the newly refurbished MET Studio! On November 1st JUICE returns to The Gatehouse Theatre with a line-up of brilliant comedians. Not only will we have the simply marvelous sketch-troupe Gein’s Family Giftshop, but we’re also having the brilliantly misanthropic Michael J Dolan! Both these acts have just finished up exciting runs at the Edinburgh Festival. Tickets are already available from The Box Office.

JUICE Chat with Katie Mulgrew

Katie Mulgrew was born funny. It’s in her blood and in her family. Since starting out on the comedy circuit, Katie has carved out her own niche and made her own identity. Over the years she’s earned a place as a Finalist in the prestigious & nationwide competition Funny Women, and has become a fixture on the stage of major comedy clubs such as The Frog & Bucket and Highlight. We sat down and had a good old chin-wag with ‘The Mulgrew’.

JUICE: How would you describe your type of comedy/performance?

Katie: REVOLUTIONARY. Much like Joan Of Arc. I imagine she too spent a lot of her life doing jokes about De-icer in a Lancashire accent. 

JUICE: How did you get started in stand-up and why? What was your first gig like?

Katie: I worked behind the bar of a comedy club in Manchester whilst I was at University. Which deepened my love of Stand up so I chose it as one of my modules as part of my course. (Yes, really. That was a thing).

My first gig was incredibly lovely because it was a showcase for all the people on the course to their friends and family. They HAD to like us, They were essentially in a hostage situation. A nice one. Like parents watching a Nativity play.

The subsequent two years of gigs where decidedly up and down.

JUICE: What do you take with you to a gig? What’s in your gig-bag?

Katie: I spend a lot of time in my Nissan Micra travelling to gigs so I guess my cup holder is my gig bag. It currently holds change (for parking meters), half eaten fruit pastels, a hair bobble, a pen and some berocca.

JUICE: If you had to estimate, roughly how many miles do you think you’ve done over the years?

Katie: It’s enough miles to probably make me cry hysterically if a translated the petrol back into money. But if you’ve been talking to the guys at Barclays car insurance then you will know my car is always parked in my garage. When not making very small short trips to the local supermarket. Once a week.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date, for either good or bad reasons?

Katie: Worst death ever was a few gigs in when I did a gig for Manchester Uni in front of about four hundred students. Silence for eight painful minutes and to further add to my humiliation, I heard one of the lads on the front row say to his other mate “I can see up her skirt.”

Compering my first Beat The Frog at The Manchester Frog And Bucket will stick in my memory for a long time. I used to take part in the competition when I first started. I’d watch the compere there thinking ‘I’m never going to be able to do that’. That gig meant quite a lot to me.

JUICE: Where’s your favourite place to perform?

Katie: The Library bar in Leeds and The Stands are the first places that come to mind.

JUICE: Which comedians have influenced you over the years? Who are your comedy heroes?

Katie: When I was a kid I loved Lucille Ball and the Marx Brothers. Then as a teenager Partridge and League Of Gentlemen. I don’t know if I’d say influenced. I try and be a bit of a sponge. I think you can draw inspiration from such a wide variety of things. 

JUICE: Who are your favourite acts on the comedy circuit right now?

Katie: Benny Boot, Alun Cochrane, Seymour Mace, Jo Caulfield, Roisin Conaty, Dan Nightingale, Terry Alderton.

Katie Mulgrew is performing Thursday night October 4th at the Wolverhampton University Student Union. For more info on Katie visit her excellent website & then Follow her on Twitter