York ComedySoc are taking two exciting new shows to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019: The Dead Ducks: York Du Soleil and The Shambles!
Who do we think we are?
York ComedySoc is one of the most active comedy societies in the UK, bringing audiences the best comedic talent the University of York has to offer since 2005. We put on at least one show every week during term time, as well as taking sketch, stand-up and improv shows all around the city of York, the Edinburgh Fringe, and beyond. Our weekly shows offer great opportunities for anyone to write, perform, or produce all kinds of comedy, and the society has been moving from strength to strength as we constantly experiment to find new ways to make people giggle.
What are we doing?
The society has sent two shows up to the Edinburgh Fringe for many years, and in 2019 we hope they'll be bigger and better than ever! In previous years performers have struggled through with the limited resources available to them, with dodgy venues and cleaning broken glass from the stage minutes before the curtain rises! This year we want to give our performers the opportunity to really shine, so have partnered up with two of the most well known comedy venue providers at the Edinburgh Fringe, Just the Tonic and The Space, to make sure both our shows have access to the venues which will bring out the best in our society. All this, combined with the complete re-brand of our sketch troupe, doesn't come cheap, and we need your help to make our Edinburgh dream a reality!
This year marks the Edinburgh Fringe debut of our brand-new sketch troupe, The Dead Ducks! Previously known as Present and Correct, the branding isn't the only thing that's changed - with an all new cast and a host of experienced and up-and-coming writers behind the scenes, our new show, York Du Soleil promises to bring you an hour of completely original material, including an alarming application of Andrex puppies and the small-talk skills of a self-service checkout. Performing at Just the Tonic's Just up the Road venue, The Dead Ducks are poised to make their mark on the Edinburgh Fringe, and by donating you can help cement a sketch group people will be talking about for years to come!
The Shambles are the University of York's resident improvised comedy troupe, returning to the Fringe for another year packed with scenes, songs and games entirely based on audience suggestions! Described as "An unbeatable evening of comedy" (Nouse) and "A memorable, laugh-an-every-three-seconds experience" (BingeFringe Mag), the format changes every year, and the show changes every night! In 2019 the Shambles are taking advantage of a much more central venue on the Royal Mile itself to bring their unique brand of silliness to even more of you lovely fringe-goers!
why do we need your help?
Taking a show up to the Edinburgh Fringe, unfortunately, rarely happens on the cheap, and we've got two of them! Combined with the initial costs of our venue upgrades and the re-branding of our sketch troupe, this year is looking to be more expensive than most. Here's a rough breakdown of where your hard-earned cash will go if you decide to donate!
- Venue hire: £5000
- Edinburgh Fringe registration fee: £600
- Flyers and marketing materials: £400
- Props: £100
- Costumes: £100
- Emergency fund: £300
Of course, this is quite a bit more than we need from you lovely people; the rest will be made up from the cash we make from weekly shows in York throughout the year, the generous donations of York Graduates and Alumni, and our special Edinburgh fundraising event, 24 Hours of Comedy! Come along to support our project, and get a load of live comedy goodness to sweeten the deal!
What's in it for you?
As if our undying gratitude wasn't enough, we've also lined up some lovely rewards to say thank you, however much you want to donate! Check out our Rewards tab for more!
Find us here
If you want to find out more about what we're up to, check out our social media channels!
York ComedySoc: (Twitter) @ComedySoc and (Facebook) @comedysoc
The Shambles: (Twitter) @ShamblesImprov and (Facebook) @TheShamblesImprov
The Dead Ducks: (Twitter) @TheDeadDucks and (Facebook) @TheDeadDucks
Help us succeed!
None of this will be possible without your help! Anything you can spare would mean the world to us, but even if you can't donate right now, you can still help us out by spreading word of our exploits far and wide. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell a stranger in the street, and give us a follow on our social media above. The more people that know about us, the better chance we have of making this the Fringe we know it has the potential to be!
