A new survey is being launched to assess the size and scale of the UK live comedy sector. The survey is being conducted by a new partnership between the Live Comedy Association, British Comedy Guide and Centre for Comedy Studies Research (Brunel University London).
The results will allow partners to further advocate and lobby for government and public sector support alongside other art forms. People working in the sector are encouraged to complete the short survey which can be found here comedysurvey.co.uk
The Live Comedy Association (LCA) was formed in May 2020, when industry representatives came together in response to the crisis faced by the industry due to a significant lack of public funds and government support during the pandemic.
Their hard work lobbying the DCMS ensured that part of the £1.5b cultural fund given to the arts sector, during the pandemic, included the live comedy sector for the first time. Now they have a new mission, dubbed #SupportLiveComedy.
So far, pre-election strategies and policies mention the arts and support for its future, which typically includes theatre, music, opera, ballet and museums, but not live comedy. These arts sectors have significant amounts of data and research around the scale and impact they have on our UK economy which backs up the need for long-term support from the UK government and political parties.
“We think it’s time that the live comedy industry becomes part of the arts industry conversation,” says David Elphick, co-chair of the LCA. David has been working in live comedy for the last 25 years, both owning and managing influential comedy clubs and brands. More recently, he’s offered his knowledge to help others successfully launch and run comedy shows for operators and venues across the UK and internationally.
“If we ever had another crisis or pandemic, we want to make sure comedy is supported through it. Right now, we need to know as much about the industry as possible to ensure long-term support for live comedy, which starts with this survey.”
The UK live comedy sector survey, which launched online today, is aimed at people who consider UK live comedy to be their primary sector of work. It has been created in partnership with the Centre for Comedy Studies Research at Brunel University London. They intend to produce a report that covers the broad economic, social and cultural benefits that the live comedy sector creates.
“We simply don’t know the scale of the live comedy industry. That’s why we’ve created the support live comedy survey” says Jessica Toomey, co-chair of the LCA. “We’re focussed on ensuring live comedy gets the recognition it deserves in the conversations about our arts industry and future support for its contribution to the cultural economy”.
Jessica has been working in live comedy for 20 years as the director of the iconic Frog and Bucket Comedy Club in Manchester, dubbed as the venue that’s launched the careers of many of the industry’s most loved comedians, such as Jason Manford, Sarah Millican, Johnny Vegas, John Bishop, Peter Kay, Joe Lycett, Jack Whitehall and many more.
“There are more comedy clubs than there are opera clubs and possibly even music venues too. Even theatres embrace comedy as a regular part of their programming because they know how popular it is with audiences.”
Dr Sharon Lockyer, the founding director of the Centre for Comedy Studies Research says “We are incredibly proud to be working with partners on this crucial piece of work to assess the scale of the live comedy sector across the UK. Without this data, it remains incredibly difficult to lobby for support and advocate for the amazing work people do day in, day out across the live comedy sector. We know the importance that is attached to live comedy and the contribution it makes, thanks to work done in recent years. The results from this survey will significantly help live comedy to become a recognised contributor to our cultural sector alongside other art forms.”
The Centre for Comedy Studies Research has a number of aims including contributing to debates relevant to industry and practitioners. Their research examines the production, content, reception and wider socio-political implications of comedy in its variety of formats, from television sketch shows to comedy thrillers. The Centre works closely with its advisory group, international affiliated researchers and founding ambassadors which include comedians Jo Brand & Lee Mack, producer Simon Minty and Leicester Comedy Festival founder Geoff Rowe. All of their work is strongly underpinned by the belief that comedy is socially, culturally, politically and economically significant at local, national and international levels.
The UK live comedy sector survey is available to those who consider the UK live comedy industry to be their main sector of work to contribute to. Contributors are encouraged to visit the website and fill out the survey before the 7th July. All contributions remain anonymous, and it will only take 5 minutes to complete.
