[Commlist] Alternative Comedy Now Conference

*Alternative Comedy Now*

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2^nd  and 3^rd  May 2019, University of Kent, UK*

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*Organised by the Popular & Comic Performance Research Centre (PCP) and 
the Centre for Comedy Studies Research (CCSR)*

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The early summer of 1979 saw the beginning of the alternative comedy 
movement. Precipitated by the opening of the Comedy Store in Soho on 19 
May and the formation of the group Alternative Cabaret a few weeks 
later, alternative comedy would go on to revolutionize the style, 
subject matter and politics of British stand-up. The new comedians 
turned established joke structures inside out, rejected sexist and 
racist gags and became part of the left-wing anti-Thatcher culture. 
Moreover, the current UK comedy industry grew out of the 1980s 
alternative comedy scene.


Organised by the Popular & Comic Performance Research Centre (PCP) at 
the University of Kent and the Centre for Comedy Studies Research (CCSR) 
at Brunel University London, Alternative Comedy Now will be the first 
major academic conference to look at this crucial cultural movement, 
forty years on from its inception. In addition to academic papers from a 
truly international range of speakers representing a range of academic 
disciplines (including theatre, media, philosophy, anthropology, and 
cultural studies), we will also have workshops and other contributions 
from performers. Our keynote speakers are Sophie Quirk, whose latest 
book, /The Politics of British Stand-Up Comedy: The New Alternative/, 
was published by Palgrave Macmillan in December 2018; and Oliver Double, 
whose next book, /Alternative Comedy: 1979 and the Reinvention of 
British Stand-Up,/ will be published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama in 2019.

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*Booking*


The conference fee of £35 includes conference attendance and 
refreshments, admission to the exhibition and a ticket for Alexei Sayle 
in Conversation with Dr Oliver Double. An optional conference dinner for 
delegates will be held on the evening of Thursday, 2nd May: the fee 
for attendance of both the conference and the dinner is £60.

Booking is available via the University of Kent online shop:


https://store.kent.ac.uk/product-catalogue/faculty-of-humanities/school-of-arts/arts-events/alternative-comedy-now-conference-2019 
<https://brunel.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dff5af324f99f7663bd7ab4ae&id=a41c361833&e=6ceca23292>

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*Access requirements & dietary needs*


If you have any access requirements that you wish to inform us of, 
please contact us via (altcomnow /at/ kent.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(altcomnow /at/ kent.ac.uk)>. If you have dietary needs, or issues 
concerning allergens, please let us know.

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*Accommodation*


If you require accommodation for the conference, a number of rooms are 
available on campus. These rooms are available on a first-come, 
first-served basis, and can be booked via the following link:


https://kenthospitality.kent.ac.uk/KxBnB/ 
<https://brunel.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dff5af324f99f7663bd7ab4ae&id=b204a2d095&e=6ceca23292>


When booking, please enter the following promotional code: *alt19*


Alternatively, we can provide you with a list of local hotels and B&Bs 
on request.


Please note, if you are vacating campus accommodation on Friday, 3rd 
May, you will need to empty your room of luggage at the start of the 
day. A secure space will be available for storing luggage for the 
remainder of the conference.

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*Travel*


The Canterbury campus of the University of Kent is under two miles from 
the centre of Canterbury. Please see the link below for information on 
how to get to the campus, regardless of where you are travelling from. 
Maps of the campus itself are also available here:


https://www.kent.ac.uk/locations/canterbury/directions.html 
<https://brunel.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dff5af324f99f7663bd7ab4ae&id=859125fbcb&e=6ceca23292>

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*Alternative Comedy Now Festival*


The conference coincides with a festival of alternative comedy at the 
Gulbenkian, the University of Kent's arts centre. Events include some 
of the best-known veterans of the 1980s scene as well as some of today’s 
best alternative comedians. A ticket for Alexei Sayle in Conversation 
with Dr. Oliver Double on the evening of Thursday, 2nd 
May, is provided for conference delegates. If you would like to attend 
other festival events, tickets can be booked here:


https://thegulbenkian.co.uk/alternative-comedy-now-festival/ 
<https://brunel.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dff5af324f99f7663bd7ab4ae&id=61e76ee47a&e=6ceca23292>

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*Alternative Comedy Now Exhibition*


The British Stand-Up Comedy Archive (BSUCA), held at the University of 
Kent, has an unrivalled collection of material relating to the early 
alternative comedy movement, including publicity materials, photographs, 
press coverage, scripts, LPs, unpublished recordings, etc. This material 
will be arranged in seven different themes: the Comedy Store; 
Alternative Cabaret; the Comic Strip; the spread of the circuit; the 
Edinburgh Fringe; the small comedy club; and politics. Together these 
themes will tell the story of how alternative comedy grew into a rich 
and vibrant scene throughout the 1980s, and sowed the seeds for today’s 
comedy circuit.


If you have any questions about the attached information, or any other 
queries, please email us at: (altcomnow /at/ kent.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(altcomnow /at/ kent.ac.uk)>


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