Theatre and circus

[king_oxymoron]

Briefs have become a Glasto staple for me, will get there again if I can! 

[gigpusher]

8 minutes ago, Homer said:

I reckon the booking policy is largely dictated by who wants to do it for next to nothing. Widdicome, Ince, Lee, Kumar are all music fans - my guess is that they do it for the free ticket essentially (hence why they are often on in the afternoon).

A fair enough booking policy! They are big names and if you can get them for the price of a ticket they are doing well. I've no doubt it's the same reason why Fatboy Slim is there every year as well. 

[stuie]

2 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

A fair enough booking policy! They are big names and if you can get them for the price of a ticket they are doing well. I've no doubt it's the same reason why Fatboy Slim is there every year as well. 

He bloody loves it! 

 

[gigpusher]

Just now, stuie said:

He bloody loves it! 

 

Exactly. If I had an act I could do to get a free ticket as well I'd be peddling my wares as well. 

[stuie]

2 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

Exactly. If I had an act I could do to get a free ticket as well I'd be peddling my wares as well. 

Now where's that recorder? 😂

[gigpusher]

Just now, stuie said:

Now where's that recorder? 😂

😂 

[DeanoL]

19 minutes ago, Homer said:

I reckon the booking policy is largely dictated by who wants to do it for next to nothing. Widdicome, Ince, Lee, Kumar are all music fans - my guess is that they do it for the free ticket essentially (hence why they are often on in the afternoon).

I think that's definitely the case for 90% of the acts on, especially the acts doing shorter spots in the Cabaret tent, but you can usually spot where they have splashed the cash. 2017 had Ruby Wax and 2019 Jonathan Pie doing full shows in the Astrolabe, this year we have Dom Joly and Jonathan Pie. I think both were on later afternoon / early evening when you start to get some bigger bands on too. There is no way acts like that are doing it for a couple of tickets.

They are/were solid bookings. Their tours are good, and they are selling well. But they're going for name-appeal over actual quality. I'm sure you could get someone like James Acaster for the price of Dom Joly. 

(Or instead you could pick the three best comics already doing 20 minute sets in the Cabaret and pay them each a third of what you're paying Dom Joly to do a full show in that slot, different one each evening)

(John Cooper Clarke is another that comes to mind - doing a longer set in the Cabaret tent early evening past two festivals - pretty sure that was a pricey booking - he's doing Avalon this year it seems)

Edited April 27, 2022 by DeanoL

[incident]

11 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

Exactly. If I had an act I could do to get a free ticket as well I'd be peddling my wares as well. 

I think that for some at least, it's also a relaxed gig without expectations where they can try things out or just amuse themselves a bit.

As a Glastonbury obsessive, I'd also consider that this particular free ticket comes with (for my taste) some of the best located camping on site, and access to what's often quoted as being the best (and difficult for non T&C people to get in to) bars on site. But I suspect that's something that wouldn't be quite as big a factor outside efests.

[gigpusher]

4 minutes ago, incident said:

I think that for some at least, it's also a relaxed gig without expectations where they can try things out or just amuse themselves a bit.

As a Glastonbury obsessive, I'd also consider that this particular free ticket comes with (for my taste) some of the best located camping on site, and access to what's often quoted as being the best (and difficult for non T&C people to get in to) bars on site. But I suspect that's something that wouldn't be quite as big a factor outside efests.

It's certainly better than the cleaning toilets for 8 hour shifts for free tickets!

[Beaver89]

New York Brass Band have self confirmed on IG associating themselves with Theatre and Circus and this poster. I've scoured the poster and I'm still not sure if they are on it or not but it seems not.

Always great fun bumping into them when they go walkabouts. A bit like Beans on Toast I find I need no concerted effort to find them but is an important part of the weekend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc07ROeMrI_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Edit: confirmed in a later tweet response they are playing 12 sets (apparently fewer than usual!!!) but that also their sister band intergalactic brasstronauts are playing Truth on Thursday.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Beaver89
added info

[Boris]

1 hour ago, DeanoL said:

Okay - I went through and Googled the acts I didn't know.

Cheers for that 🙂

[Homer]

I think the 'doing it for a ticket' thing became fairly evident to me when Stewart Lee used to show up every year, during a time when he had given up doing stand-up, and do the same set (in the afternoon) repeatedly (it was pretty funny TBF).

[clarkete]

2 hours ago, DeanoL said:

I think that's definitely the case for 90% of the acts on, especially the acts doing shorter spots in the Cabaret tent, but you can usually spot where they have splashed the cash. 2017 had Ruby Wax and 2019 Jonathan Pie doing full shows in the Astrolabe, this year we have Dom Joly and Jonathan Pie. I think both were on later afternoon / early evening when you start to get some bigger bands on too. There is no way acts like that are doing it for a couple of tickets.

They are/were solid bookings. Their tours are good, and they are selling well. But they're going for name-appeal over actual quality. I'm sure you could get someone like James Acaster for the price of Dom Joly. 

(Or instead you could pick the three best comics already doing 20 minute sets in the Cabaret and pay them each a third of what you're paying Dom Joly to do a full show in that slot, different one each evening)

(John Cooper Clarke is another that comes to mind - doing a longer set in the Cabaret tent early evening past two festivals - pretty sure that was a pricey booking - he's doing Avalon this year it seems)

I think you're a bit tough in your judgement of their bookings to some degree.  I think they do a pretty good job in this area for what must be a very meagre budget - they get a good mix of well known and newer names and whenever I've been shows have gone down well - indeed for an area I've not spent that high a percentage of my time I've seen some very entertaining shows over the years.

 

[fred quimby]

2 hours ago, incident said:

I think that for some at least, it's also a relaxed gig without expectations where they can try things out or just amuse themselves a bit.

As a Glastonbury obsessive, I'd also consider that this particular free ticket comes with (for my taste) some of the best located camping on site, and access to what's often quoted as being the best (and difficult for non T&C people to get in to) bars on site. But I suspect that's something that wouldn't be quite as big a factor outside efests.

I can certainly confirm it is the best bar on site (friend runs it so maybe biased but he knows what he is doing and been at the festival since the 80's) Great range of beers, great bands. Tuesday opening party is wonderful. The camping spot is great as well. The T&c crew and acts are lovely to be hanging around with. I have been working there since 1999 and love it.

[philipsteak]

19 hours ago, Jay Pee said:

?? Really??  Wow. I would rather watch Stewart Lee literally saying nothing than Josh giving it his best. Stealing a living

 

19 hours ago, Punksnotdead said:

Josh Widdecombe is an irritating little c**t. Oh, and his stand-up is fucking rubbish as well!

 

He's not great is he? Really well liked by other comics for some reason. Must be less irritating in real life.

[Jay Pee]

32 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

 

He's not great is he? Really well liked by other comics for some reason. Must be less irritating in real life.

Stewart Lee has a pretty funny segment about him on his Tornado / Snowflake show that he has just toured. Which is fucking funny. Very funny. We even some mad pissed bint almost hurling herself off the upper tier in The Lowry which he managed very well and could have gone to full venue evacuation

[Ayrshire Chris]

5 hours ago, Gnomicide said:

In 2019 I saw a woman play a recorder with her, for want of a better word, fanny in the Caberet Tent.

I think I know a better word.

[Ayrshire Chris]

1 hour ago, philipsteak said:

 

 

He's not great is he? Really well liked by other comics for some reason. Must be less irritating in real life.

Be better if AlexBrooker was booked and did a last leg stage show with Hills and widdecombe . 

[Brave Sir Robin]

5 hours ago, DeanoL said:

They are/were solid bookings. Their tours are good, and they are selling well. But they're going for name-appeal over actual quality. I'm sure you could get someone like James Acaster for the price of Dom Joly. 

Surely Acaster would be much more expensive than Joly these days??

[Calvin Klein]

 

[Avalon_Fields]

6 hours ago, Gnomicide said:

In 2019 I saw a woman play a recorder with her, for want of a better word, fanny in the Caberet Tent.

A soon as I saw this post, I'm thinking I wonder if I met her????

Edited April 27, 2022 by Avalon_Fields

[DeanoL]

3 hours ago, Brave Sir Robin said:

Surely Acaster would be much more expensive than Joly these days??

Nah, Joly is TV personality famous, make his living from his travel shows and writing. You always pay more for that, because the belief is the name sells tickets (I know it's silly to talk about "selling tickets" when it comes to the comedy at Glasto as that's not a concern, but that's how acts are valued outside of that, so it'd be reflected in their general fee for something like the festival).

Acaster is hugely popular among comedy fans and has the Netflix specials but doesn't have the same level of recognition outside of that- he's done Taskmaster and Bake Off but not really had his own show. You'd probably still pay more for Nish or Josh Widdicombe than Acaster at this point

That's sort of my point - he's the better act, and he'd be cheaper - though as others have pointed out, how much a couple of tickets to the festival would be worth to any given act varies hugely from £0 to £1000s. But neither Dom Joly nor Jonathan Pie strike me as massive festival fans. 

(For context, I've been involved in one way or another in booking comedy shows for nearly 20 years now, though certainly haven't worked at the level of any of these acts for the past 7 or 8 of those so I'm not saying this because I've tried to book either recently and know for sure, but I'm not just guessing based on nothing)

[clarkete]

56 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Acaster is hugely popular among comedy fans and has the Netflix specials but doesn't have the same level of recognition outside of that- he's done Taskmaster and Bake Off but not really had his own show. You'd probably still pay more for Nish or Josh Widdicombe than Acaster at this point

These are two series Acaster has been fully involved in every episode 2022...

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14663936/ - writing 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8755818/ - co-presenting

He's also been a guest on Travel Man, Great British Menu and Pointless Celebrities all in 2022 and guested on tons of late night shows in 2021 - Big Fat Quiz, QI, Something about Movies, Seth Meyers, Question Team, Richard Herring, Channel Hopping, Big Zuu, Jonathon Ross.

[Perks]

12 hours ago, Calvin Klein said:

 

ace video, get me back there

[gigpusher]

9 hours ago, DeanoL said:

Nah, Joly is TV personality famous, make his living from his travel shows and writing. You always pay more for that, because the belief is the name sells tickets (I know it's silly to talk about "selling tickets" when it comes to the comedy at Glasto as that's not a concern, but that's how acts are valued outside of that, so it'd be reflected in their general fee for something like the festival).

Acaster is hugely popular among comedy fans and has the Netflix specials but doesn't have the same level of recognition outside of that- he's done Taskmaster and Bake Off but not really had his own show. You'd probably still pay more for Nish or Josh Widdicombe than Acaster at this point

That's sort of my point - he's the better act, and he'd be cheaper - though as others have pointed out, how much a couple of tickets to the festival would be worth to any given act varies hugely from £0 to £1000s. But neither Dom Joly nor Jonathan Pie strike me as massive festival fans. 

(For context, I've been involved in one way or another in booking comedy shows for nearly 20 years now, though certainly haven't worked at the level of any of these acts for the past 7 or 8 of those so I'm not saying this because I've tried to book either recently and know for sure, but I'm not just guessing based on nothing)

Things like this are much harder to judge now because they are generational. Younger people are a Netflix generation and their recognition of someone like James Acaster would probably be way higher than Dom Joly. Older people probably know Dom Joly more. You probably find though that someone you deem not to be that big into festivals may have a partner or child who massively is or they may have it as a bucket list thing they want to do. I think they do really well with the budget they have.