Comedy 4 Kids comes to coastal theatre

Top comedians from the UK and world circuit will be doing what they do best – but without the rude bits – in a Comedy Club 4 Kids performance at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre.

Perrier Award nominee and Time Out Comedy Award winner Simon Bligh, Sunderland’s duffel coated stand-up hero Danny Pensive [pictured] and regular circuit performer Silky will all perform at the theatre on Westborough on 15 February.

Since 2006, Comedy Club 4 Kids has been running comedy workshops for children.

Comics and stage professionals teach youngsters how to write and perform comedy, finding the funny in their own experiences and turning it into stand-up and sketches.

Comedy Club 4 Kids, which The Guardian’s Stephanie Merritt described as “a highlight for children… giving them a taste of some of the biggest names in comedy with the fun, rowdy feel of a real comedy club,” has developed since it began at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006, and is currently based at the Soho Theatre in London.

Run like any other adult comedy club, with an MC, an opening act and a headline act, the shows occasionally feature short spots from the children from our Comedy Academy 4 Kids.

Youngsters also get the opportunity to learn the skills of stand-up in Comedy Workshops 4 Kids which take place earlier in the day at 10.30am (ages 7-10) and 12.30pm (ages 11-14).

Each 90-minute workshop ends with a mini showcase for parents and friends to see the gigglish goodness they’ve created.

The events form part of the Coastival 2014 programme, providing high quality entertainment and interactive sessions for children.

Founded by Stephen Joseph, who credited for pioneering the theatre-in-the-round in Britain, the theatre has had a close association with the comic dramatist Alan Ayckbourn, who was its Artistic Director for many years.

Tickets are £9, or £45 for a family pack (2 kids’ workshops, and 2 kids and 2 adults Comedy Club show tickets)

• Comedy Workshops 4 Kids (ages 7-10 10.30am; ages 11-14 12.30pm) and the Comedy Club 4 Kids performance (2.45pm) are at The Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough on Saturday 15 February 2014. Tickets are available from Box Office on 01723 370541 and online.
• More information and for other dates around the UK can be be found on the Comedy Club 4 Kids website.