THERE IS a treat and something of a coup in store for the Galway comedy audience at the Bulmer’s Galway Comedy Festival this moth, when the Set List phenomenon comes to town.
Before it even debuts on Sky Atlantic later during the autumn, Galway will host Set List, a show where experienced comedians are pushed to their improvisational, creative, and quick fire response limits.
In this show, a comedian is presented with a word - it may be from the dictionary, it may be a pun on an existing word, or one that is completely made up. S/he will not have seen the word beforehand but from there s/he has to, on the spot, come up with jokes, stories, and a routine. This is truly “comedy without a safety net”.
Everyone, from Roseanne Barr to Robin Williams, has taken part in Set List and while the line-up for the comedy festival is a closely guarded secret for now, the bill is likely to include many of the top names appearing during the October Bank Holiday weekend.
Set List is the brainchild of Paul Provenza and Troy Conrad who sought to take comedians out of their comfort zone by pulling the ‘carefully scripted’ rug from underneath their favourite comedy legends.
This ran in New York and Los Angeles and, to increase the degree of difficulty significantly, the topics handed to their performer-victims are as obscure as they can possibly be. Examples include ‘biscuit holocaust’, ‘mistake wisdom’ or ‘clown’s syndrome’ so there is no possible way to prepare in advance. Paul and Troy are travelling to Galway for the Irish premiere.
See Set List in the Róisín Dubh on Friday October 26, Saturday 27, and Sunday 28. Shows start at 11pm.
Tickets are on sale through www.bulmersgalwaycomedyfestival.com and www.Roisindubh.net, as well as in Xtra-Vision stores, OMG on Shop Street, and most venues.
