26th July-Ministry of Whimsy
This past Tuesday saw the ninth Ministry of Whimsy show at the Camden Head in Camden (slightly confusingly there is another Camden Head in Islington that hosts comedy nights). The Ministry of Whimsy is a new material night run by myself and James McPhun in the hope of providing a nice atmosphere to try out new stuff as well as put on our favourite acts or newcomers we feel have potential.
It's nearly been a year since we set the night up after speculating about how to do it for a long time. James investigated the possibility of doing it at the Tom Foolery in Bromley but concluded it was an inappropriate venue. Having done a pretty shoddy gig at the pub (as I previously mentioned on the blog), I think he made the right decision. Since we've both been doing this for a little while, we're aware of which types of rooms are suitable for comedy. The Camden Head became available last summer and fit the bill brilliantly. It's a great venue and the staff there have always been hugely helpful.
We had a fair amount of early interest and have packed out the room on a couple of occasions. But trying to build a regular audience for a midweek show is very difficult and in the past couple of months we've hit the wall. We had seven paying audience members on Tuesday, two of whom left at the interval. All of the acts worked with this situation admirably and there was a nice atmosphere. I closed with something of a mixed set of different bits. I forgot a few parts but some of my new material was well received, which was positive enough.
It may however be time for us to rethink our approach. The night currently runs on the last Tuesday of the month, but we've been asked to change from this slot by the promoters in September. Hopefully we'll be able to work out a new set of dates that might be more beneficial. If the pattern of dwindling audiences continues, I think we may have to consider knocking the venture on the head. We'll see how things transpire, but nonetheless I'm pleased with what we've done to date and know that some new comedy nights don't even make it this far. The next Ministry of Whimsy will be at the Camden Head on 30th August for a bleary post Edinburgh Fringe extravaganza. Come join us.
It's nearly been a year since we set the night up after speculating about how to do it for a long time. James investigated the possibility of doing it at the Tom Foolery in Bromley but concluded it was an inappropriate venue. Having done a pretty shoddy gig at the pub (as I previously mentioned on the blog), I think he made the right decision. Since we've both been doing this for a little while, we're aware of which types of rooms are suitable for comedy. The Camden Head became available last summer and fit the bill brilliantly. It's a great venue and the staff there have always been hugely helpful.
We had a fair amount of early interest and have packed out the room on a couple of occasions. But trying to build a regular audience for a midweek show is very difficult and in the past couple of months we've hit the wall. We had seven paying audience members on Tuesday, two of whom left at the interval. All of the acts worked with this situation admirably and there was a nice atmosphere. I closed with something of a mixed set of different bits. I forgot a few parts but some of my new material was well received, which was positive enough.
It may however be time for us to rethink our approach. The night currently runs on the last Tuesday of the month, but we've been asked to change from this slot by the promoters in September. Hopefully we'll be able to work out a new set of dates that might be more beneficial. If the pattern of dwindling audiences continues, I think we may have to consider knocking the venture on the head. We'll see how things transpire, but nonetheless I'm pleased with what we've done to date and know that some new comedy nights don't even make it this far. The next Ministry of Whimsy will be at the Camden Head on 30th August for a bleary post Edinburgh Fringe extravaganza. Come join us.
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