Comedy festival returns to the county town
The first three acts have been revealed for Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival’s flagship Gala Show at Theatre Severn next summer.
The 2022 festival running between July 14-17 will offer performances at several venues throughout Shrewsbury, culminating with the Gala Show on the Sunday evening. Organisers say they are determined the festival will ignite a ‘summer of fun’ in the town.
Steve Royle, a finalist on ITV's Britain’s Got Talent 2020, is a comedian, actor, writer, juggler and a Gillard award-winning presenter on BBC Radio. He is a headline act at The Comedy Store in London and Manchester, as well as a regular on the UK’s comedy circuit.
Gary Delaney is the only comic ever to have two gags in the same top ten for Dave's Funniest Jokes Of The Edinburgh Fringe. He has become one of the most followed and quoted comedians in the country while his online videos have received more than 100 million views.
Musical comedy sisters Flo & Joan present a brand-new set of dark, witty songs. They were guests on Radio 4's Fresh From the Fringe and their The 2016 Song went viral with more than 50 million views online.
The festival will return following a two-year absence due to Covid. Its director Kevin Bland said: “We are delighted to be back and determined to repay the support we’ve always enjoyed from the public, with a cracking show.
"We hope the town will come out again and help us to deliver a summer of fun next year. The first set of acts, which we are now delighted to announce for the star-studded Gala Show, will make audiences seem like they’re watching a whole series of Live At The Apollo in one night. Tickets would be fabulous Christmas stocking fillers for lovers of comedy."
Established in 2016, the festival was the brainchild of Kevin Bland and Beth McGowan. Kevin is a former stand-up comedian who has promoted comedy in Shropshire and beyond for more than a decade. Beth holds nearly 20 years’ experience in sound production and event management. The festival aims to promote up and coming comedians as well as present well-established artists to compare the Gala Show, which in the past have included Greg Davies, Russell Kane and Lee Nelson.
Tickets for the SICF Gala Show on July 17 are £33.50 and available through the Theatre Severn box office on 01743 281281 or on the theatre website.
More acts and further programming details will be announced early in 2022.
