Laughter is the best medicine and after the last few years we’re all in need of it! Thankfully for us, Out of Bounds Comedy in Tunbridge Wells is coming back.
Richard Minnis first put together a comedy night fifteen years ago at his local Golf Club, this lit the fuse for what would become Out of Bounds Comedy Nights. A touring club that brings top quality acts such as Henning Wehn, Katherine Ryan and Russell Howard and the kind of laughs associated with them. The comedy club has developed into a service used by many charities, sports and social clubs, school PTAs etc. as a means of raising funds while having a great time.
CommunityAd had the pleasure of talking to Richard Minnis, the one man responsible for this joyous operation. When asked for a highlight of the fifteen years in the comedy business he answered “Too many to mention anything in particular. I love being involved in raising funds for good causes and spreading smiles. I must have helped to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years”.
From two nights a year at the golf club, Out of Bounds has grown massively and had a whopping 200 nights booked in for 2020 – we all know what happened then… but Richard is back doing what he loves and he tells us “you cannot believe how good it is to be entertaining people again in person. The last 2 years has been terrible for the industry with most comedians and club employees having no income at all”.
Why is it so important that comedy clubs such as this exist for the good of industry?
We are a grassroots comedy club, we put on great acts, not always necessarily TV names, and we support the comedy industry from the bottom up. There is too much expectation for TV names and theatre venues do not have the atmosphere that a genuine comedy club creates.
People need to see the working acts, people that are doing this every day of the week, not just when they are booked for a TV show or reality series. Acts such as Angela Barnes, a regular on Mock the Week who happens to be appearing on our May line-up, performed one of her very first gigs for me in Borough Green on a Monday night over 11 years ago. Being a local girl, from Maidstone, she supports me and other local promoters by keeping involved in the wider comedy scene. All of the big names you see on TV have started doing unpaid open mic spots in tiny clubs around the country, you never know when you might see a star of the future.
How long have you been putting on shows at Tonbridge Angels FC?
Our first show at Tonbridge Angels was on 13th March 2020. Our plans were to put them on regularly, however, that weekend turned out to be the start of the first lockdown and the pandemic so our plans were cut short. We managed to squeeze another in last year but hopefully this is the start of a clear run.
Why should readers be heading down to Tonbridge Angels FC on Friday 22nd April?
The events at TAFC are held in their function marquee and as well as being a great night’s entertainment they raise funds to help the football club. The club has been on the edge of existence due to the pandemic like so many other businesses that rely on attendees and fundraising. It is great to see them come through the other side and we are proud to be able to help them raise much needed funds. Our next show in April has another great line-up and stars Dominic Holland, a legend and also Spider-Man’s Dad!
Live entertainment needs people in attendance, its community to get behind it and in this case have a hearty laugh. Out of Bounds run a number of local events in North Kent and beyond, as well as arranging private events as fundraisers or corporate functions. Come and support Local Live Comedy, it needs you!