A Harrogate brewery has become a hotspot to see some of the UK’s most high profile comedians.

Rooster’s Brewing Co, which is based at Hornbeam Park, has played host to the likes of Jon Richardson, Matt Forde and Maisie Adams in the last 12 months.

This past week, Lucy Beaumont, who is known for her appearances on Taskmaster and Meet The Richardsons, played an intimate performance in the brewery’s taproom ahead of her nationwide tour.

Much of the draw comes down to the monthly comedy night held on the last Thursday of every month, called Really Funny Comedy.

Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Micky P Kerr, works closely with the brewery to organise the event, which has seen the likes of Josh Pugh, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean and social media star Troy Hawke perform.

Tom Fozard, commercial director at Rooster’s, used to host comedy gigs while at university.

He said the feedback from comics who perform at the brewery has been encouraging.

Mr Fozard said:

“I used to host comedy gigs with a local promoter while working for my university Students’ Union longer ago than I care to remember, so getting to work alongside Micky P Kerr and attract the talent we have done in such a short space of time is incredibly fun and rewarding.

“The feedback we’re getting from the comics has also been great, so I know what we’re doing is being well received both from a gig-goer’s point of view, but also backstage. Everyone also gets to enjoy a decent pint or two with their comedy too, which is an added bonus.”

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Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. Born and raised in Harrogate, Lauren recently moved back to North Yorkshire after a stint in London, where she regularly reviewed theatre – everything from big West End shows to small fringe productions. She is now eager to explore the culture on offer in and around her home town.  You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com 

“It’s been a mad old time!” says Maisie, as we settle in for a chinwag. Harrogate-born Maisie most certainly has been busy, taking the comedy world by storm with appearances on everything from 8 Out of 10 Cats, to QI, Richard Osman’s House of Games, and the iconic Live at the Apollo. I’ve been following Maisie’s career since her first gigs, and it’s a delight to catch up with her in advance of her hosting the Frank’s Fund Comedy Gala at Harrogate Theatre on Monday 9 October.

It’s been a whopper of a year for Maisie and as well as completing her debut solo tour, she’s been focusing a lot of energy on a major passion of hers: football. She trotted across the globe to Australia to cover the Women’s World Cup and has launched a hugely successful podcast, Big Kick Energy, recently nominated for a Sports Broadcast Award.

Over the summer, she played in Soccer Aid for UNICEF:  “I’d grown up watching it and suddenly you find yourself playing football with a load of your childhood heroes.” As if that wasn’t enough, Maisie also got hitched… the day before the match. “I didn’t ever envision it happening the day after my wedding. That was a tricky visit up to Old Trafford. I was very hungover.” I ask Maisie if she gets recognised on the street these days.

“Yeah, it does happen a fair bit now! I guess it’s the haircut. I dyed it for the World Cup. I thought I’d do a Gazza and go blonde… but some people thought it was for the Barbie movie.”

We have a giggle reminiscing about school days at St. Aidan’s, where we both went.

“I was definitely a bit of a loudmouth at school,” Maisie says. “I just liked making people laugh – it gave me quite a buzz. I never translated that into thinking I’d be a comedian.”

Maisie went on to drama school, returning to Harrogate after graduating, not sure what was next. It was at this point that comedy came to the fore.

“During school, I had a weekend job at Fat Face. I used to get so bored and end up daydreaming, and I’d write all these ideas out on till rolls. I put them all into a tin, in my bedroom. When I’d graduated from uni, I was living back home and didn’t really know what I wanted to do. Then I thought, ‘What about comedy? You’ve always been able to make people laugh.’ I found the tin, applied for a gig, and moved all my till roll about into a routine.”

Maisie went on to win the nationwide competition, So You Think You’re Funny? in 2017, and the rest is history. Maisie lives in Brighton these days but is still very much a proud northerner, often returning to visit family, or for work. I ask her what it’s like gigging on home turf.

“It’s really nice. It feels like you’ve got an in-joke with everybody in the audience. And you know what a small town is like – half the time you’re speaking to somebody in the audience and then you clock you know them. You’ll be like, ‘Oh, you gave me my first job!’ That genuinely happened – it was the guy who gave me a job at the village pub.”

I ask Maisie what it’s like being a northerner on the comedy circuit in general.

“People often see you as grounded and relatable and warm. I’ve been doing some voiceover work recently, and I’ll be in the booth with London-based directors who’ll say things like, ‘If you could just add a bit of warmth to it…’, and what they mean is: ham up your northern accent! But there’s also a bit of a snobbery; some people still assume that you live in a house with an outside toilet or that you rear cattle. But I don’t shy away from it. The worst thing is when I go back up north, to see my gran, and she tells me that I’m losing my accent. That’s when I start to panic.”

Maisie is back up in Harrogate very soon to host the annual Frank’s Frank Comedy Gala; 2023 will be the event’s fourth year, and it’s set to be bigger and better than ever. Maisie is a patron of Frank’s Fund, a charity set up by the Ashton family in 2019 following the death of their 14-year-old son, Frank, to Ewing sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. The fund raises money for vital research through the Bone Cancer Research Trust.  Like Maisie, Frank attended St. Aidan’s, and when she was approached about putting on a comedy gig to raise money (Frank was a big comedy fan), Maisie jumped at the opportunity. She tells me a bit more about why she got involved.

“Frank and I went to the same school, but I never knew him, and I’ve never been directly affected by bone cancer, but I think it’s really important. Frank’s chances were the same as somebody who’d got that cancer 40 years ago, which just doesn’t make any sense to me. Frank was in the middle of high school when he passed away, and it could really easily have been my little brother; it could really easily have been anybody. I think it’s important that you don’t just wait to be directly affected by something. The funding for research into Ewing sarcoma is so woefully low that unless we have events that focus purely on raising money, the next little lad, or anyone, who gets it, isn’t going to stand much of a better chance.”

Held in St. Aidan’s’ hall for its first two years and online during the pandemic, the gala is moving to Harrogate Theatre this year, a move which Maisie says has helped abundantly:

“It’s a far more attractive gig for comedians. Harrogate Theatre is a favourite for loads of comedians. And it’s good to have an event which isn’t mostly aimed at St. Aidan’s families – it’s now an open Harrogate event and I think that’s the direction to aim for. “A really good indication of how this charity is growing is the fact we sold out this event before even announcing the line-up.”

And what a line-up it is. Maisie will be joined by Jon Richardson, Ivo Graham and Lindsey Santoro; it’s set to be an evening full of belly laughs.

“I’m chuffed to bits. Jon, of course – he’s a big name. Ivo is going to do brilliantly with a Harrogate crowd, and Lindsey just absolutely obliterated the Edinburgh Fringe, where she was on the tip of everyone’s tongues.”

The goal, Maisie explains, is to get to the point where

“everybody in Harrogate knows that every October, there is a comedy gala; we always get a good line up, it’s always a good night, and people want to go. You just buy a ticket because you love comedy.”

Maisie adds,

“Something that is really important for Frank’s family is to keep Frank’s name going and keep him in people’s minds. I think the way you do that is to make an event that people want to go to, regardless of whether they knew Frank.”

Frank’s Fund Comedy Gala is on at Harrogate Theatre on Monday 9 October, as part of the Harrogate Comedy Festival.  You can donate to Frank’s Fund  here. 

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The Playhouse, in Pateley Bridge, is due to reopen this April after a 3-year refurbishment with a production of Phillip King’s ‘See How They Run’.

Fundraising for renovations began in 2020 with an initial aim to raise £75,000, but the eventual expenditure reached £120,000.

The theatre, which originated as a Methodist chapel over 160 years ago, required renovations to legally comply with building regulations and disability access.

Previously, it had no easy access for patrons or visitors with limited mobility.

To sort out these issues, the theatre launched multiple fundraising avenues, including the ‘Give the Playhouse A Lift’ campaign on Justgiving and a Local Lotto scheme.

1964: The building was originally a Methodist chapel

The money raised has funded a rebuild of the lower level of the auditorium – maximising the available space – as well as providing a lift for disabled audience members.

The expansion of the lower level will help people moving between the bar, foyer, and auditorium, and will ensure better ventilation.

The changes will also be in line with new covid regulations.

The new disabled lift (L) and renovated bar area (R)

Eileen Burgess, the most senior member of the Playhouse, said:

“We have long considered the need for improved disabled access and the enforced closure has given us the chance to tackle the issue.”

“It is a complex project, given the layout of our historic building, but we are determined to preserve the unique character of the Playhouse while achieving greater accessibility”.

The theatre still needs a further £20,000 to finish the work.

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The theatre’s renovation will be unveiled by Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society’s adaptation of ‘See How They Run’.

The play tells the comedic story of a paranoid spinster, who believes the wife of her beloved vicar is having an affair, and attempts to expose the infidelity.

The Society has promised attendees “a night of non-stop laughter”.

The performances will run from Monday 17 – Saturday 22 April at 7.30pm.

All tickets cost £10 and can be bought here.

The stage is set for children to enjoy the limelight by performing at Ripon’s Junior Showtime.

Launched by Jill Powell, who has vast experience of helping young people to realise their artistic potential, the event will take place at Ripon Bowling Club on Friday November 25, starting at 7.30pm.

Between now and September 30, prospective performers are invited to send a video of their planned performance to her at jillyannew@gmail.com

The video should be no longer than three minutes.

Ms Powell said the aim is to provide a platform for young singers, dancers, magicians, musicians, comedians and poets, aged between six and 14, to showcase their talent.

She said:

“We are looking for 15 children who are not currently members of a performing arts group, to come forward and build their confidence with a performance in front of a friendly audience of family and friends.

“The Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, Councillor Sid and Mrs Linda Hawke, will also be in attendance.”

Ms Powell, who has run a performing arts school and been involved in musical theatre for many years, as an actor, producer and choreographer, added:

“I have worked with young people of all abilities and know that many of them don’t know just how talented they are, until they are given the opportunity to step onto a stage.”

Harrogate International Festivals has announced the full programme for the 2022 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

The four-day event offers the chance to discover the next big names in crime fiction and hear giants of the genre discuss their work. It includes panels, workshops and talks.

The line-up has been curated by this year’s festival chair, the novelist Denise Mina.

Special guests headlining the festival include crime fiction authors Lynda La Plante, Paula Hawkins, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Connelly, Lucy Foley, Charlie Higson, John Connolly, CL Taylor and Kathy Reichs.

Other speakers set to appear include broadcaster and crime fiction debut author, Rev Richard Coles, comedian Frankie Boyle and TV chef Rosemary Shrager.

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This year’s programme will also feature two author dinners, attended by popular crime and thriller writers including: politician and debut novelist Alan Johnson, author Andrew Hunter Murray and bestselling thriller writer Syd Moore.

The festival runs from July 21-24 at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel.

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce the programme for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Denise has done a wonderful job curating a line-up which demonstrates the amazing breadth of crime fiction writing and points to an exciting future for the genre.

“We can’t wait to hear all these brilliant speakers take to the stage and share their insights, stories and predictions of what lies ahead for crime fiction and thriller writing!”

For more information visit HIF’s website.