AmusedMoose Laugh Off
in association with 4DVD
Entries for 2008 are now closed, sorry.
But details of heats, semifinals and final in 2008 can be found on www.amusedmoose.com/shows
IF YOU WOULD LIKE REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IN NEXT YEAR'S AmusedMoose LaughOff ...
- go to the CONTACTS PAGE OF THIS WEBSITE and SUBSCRIBE to the mailing list - and
- IMPORTANTLY, be sure to TICK the Performer category called
'Open Spot / AmusedMoose LaughOff competition information'
- Also enter your mobile number, and
your address or whereabouts you live, and
tick other categories which are relevant to you to
(please don't tick Stand-Up as a category, as this is for professional comedians
and we don't send them emails which are relevant to you).
- BE SURE TO COMPLETE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION, BY CLICKING BOXES &/OR
ON LINKS IN EMAILS, SO CONFIRM DETAILS, SO YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILLGO LIVE. Thanks.
That's great - we look forward to inviting you to a qualifying round in the Spring.
You may want to also read about how things have happened in previous years, below, to get some background though details will vary.
Results of the fantastic Final of AmusedMoose Laugh Off 2007 - in association with 2entertain, and supported by if.comedy - at the Bongo Club in Edinburgh on Sat 25 August, compered by the excellent Stephen K Amos, and with Moose trophies presented by Jon Morgan, the Director of the Edinburgh Fringe, are:
Winner: Jack Whitehall. Joint runners-up: Gareth Richards and Andrew Watts
All the finalists will be presented with a showreel of their performance in the Final,
which was filmed by IF.comedy due to their commitment to support grassroots comedy.
Winners and runners-up in 2005, 2006 and 2007 have signed with Ricky Gervais', Eddie Izzard's and Jimmy Carr's managements, and been regularly on television and radio too - next year it could be your turn.
BACKGROUND:
The qualifying rounds of AmusedMoose LaughOff 2007 (previously AmusedMooseComedy Awards) in association with 2entertain take place in London for the London heats. Also there are heats in Scotland, Dublin, Sheffield, Manchester and Bath. The objective of the competition is to discover the comedy stars of tomorrow, and help a large number of entrants take their first step up the ladder to fame and fortune.
To book tickets for the semi-finals in London in June or the Final in Edinburgh in August, go to the Whats On page by clicking Whats On above, or click here
There's some exciting news about this year's AmusedMoose LaughOff, which is that for the first time IFcomedy (which was previously the Perrier awards) has decided to support grassroots comedy and chosen our search for future stars as the means of doing that, doubtless partly because we have been so successful in finding and showcasing so many new comedians who have become big names, including Jimmy Carr, Alex Zane, Simon Amstell, all of Klang!, Nina Conti, Mark Watson, Rhod Gilbert and so on. At this stage it's been announced that if.comeddies will film the Final and all finalists will be presented with DVD showreels, and we're hopeful that some of the if.comeddies panel will be able to be amongst the judges too, and perhaps that if.comeddies may help us showcase recent and 2007 finalists in the West End in the autumn.
If you are interested in entering, please read this thoroughly, right to the end of the 2007 section. Some people don't, and then miss key information.
How to enter:
There are London qualifying rounds, which Tiernan Douieb is compering, from January to March. If you are reading this in January or February, be aware that it's best to be in one soon, to avoid the risk of too many people showing up to be in the last ones!
To enter please turn up (if you live anywhere near London or can be in London) to do a very short set to demonstrate that you're funny (there'll be time between registering and doing your piece to prep it if you haven't already) - details about entering in London are below.
If we know you well and have seen you gig recently, you may not need to be in a qualifying round, BUT this isn't automatic so do check with us. Conversely, anyone gigging for three years or more - or has done a one hour show - is unlikely to qualify as 'thrusting new talent'.
Following the qualifying rounds, the London heats will take place during the Spring, on 3, 10, 12, 17, 24 April, and (tbc) 17 May at Teatro in London's Shaftesbury Avenue (more details will be included on the Whats On page of this website). Entrants who got through to a London heat will be notified during March.
In April & May heats will be held in the SouthWest (Bath: 13 May), Dublin (31 May), Manchester (22 April), Glasgow (5 April) and Sheffield (20 May), so we're very keen to hear from/or about new comedians in the southwest/Wales, and the North, as well as Scotland and Ireland. Selection for these heats will be by recommendation from comedians we know, but especially from at least two promoters at comedy clubs in the area. The winner in 2005 was recommended to us by a London-based comedian and two promoters in the North, and won the heat in Leeds.
Registration for the qualifying rounds in London is ONLY on-the-day
(Please don't email or phone us without good reason - good reasons are queries about disability access for example, or perhaps if you are considering travelling a couple of hundred miles or more).
Venue: AmusedMoose Camden, upstairs at The Enterprise, opposite Chalk Farm tube. Pub grub is available until early evening; do not consume food or drink which has not been purchased there.
Check full details about times etc for all February and onwards, on "What's On" page of this website
We hope that there will be time for everyone to get on stage, but if you're from way out of London (100+ miles) we'll try to get you on early if you have a really long journey home.
NB: Promoters and other acts take a dim view of people who don't stay to be a supportive audience for each other for the couple of hours or so, unless you have a really long journey home.
If you play an instrument or need a CD playing be sure to bring all the items you need with you (except DI box, cd player, mics etc which we will have available of course). There is no backstage area for changing, and no space/time for large props.
Don't bring friends to the qualifying rounds as there may not be room.
More info and background:
The Final will be during the Edinburgh Fringe in August and semifinals at AmusedMoose Soho in the summer. This year's winner Arnab Chanda has been signed by Eddie Izzard's manager (and seems likely to be showcased at Montreal's Just For Laughs comedy festival in July), the runners-up Ginger & Black by Ricky Gervais' manager, and the previous years winner Sarah Millican was signed by Jimmy Carr's management. Many now have lucrative DVD options, and have been in radio and television pilots some of which have been commissioned, etc etc. Also there are splendid trophies, plus a publicist and interim management on offer, to guide the winner's career for the first important month or so if appropriate, and to get your name into the press, which is always helpful in raising your profile in the industry, and consolidates the exposure of being in the semifinals and final.
Previous finalists/winners included Alex Zane, Jimmy Carr, Simon Amstell, Rhod Gilbert, Rob Deering, Nina Conti, Mark Watson, all of Klang, Anna Crilley, Ruth Bratt and so many more.
Participants in the AmusedMoose LaughOff will form the vast majority of performers in AmusedMooseComedy Hot Starlets during the Edinburgh Fringe and probably in showcases in London. In October 2005 'AmusedMooseComedy's Hot Starlets 2000-2005' took place at Bloomsbury Theatre, which included Alex Zane, Simon Amstell and Rob Deering.
AmusedMoose LaughOff 2006
Entries for the regional heats of AmusedMoose Laugh Off 06 which were held in Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dublin and Cardiff between 8 and 17 May, followed an invitation to newish comedians who wished to enter (closing dates were three weeks earlier). Full details of heats appear on our What's On page at the time
London qualifying auditions and heats:
Shiny new stand-ups and 'wannabees' enter via qualifying rounds in London in January and early February, with another one to catch late-developers in the spring.
If you are based in London or the South, and you are quite new or we haven't seen you perform before, the route in is via the qualifying rounds which involves doing a very short set in a show situation so encourage friends to come along to support you, but which is in effect an audition.
You should arrive ready to complete a registration form and perform a very short set (your "comedy calling card") during the show. If more contenders show up than we can include, priority will be given on that occasion to people who have travelled a long way or who have arranged for friends to come along who arrive at least 15 minutes before showtime to support them, and anyone who registered previously.
Experienced stars-in-the-making can ask to go straight into the London heats, but that will depend on how recently they have been seen performing by those doing the selecting!
London heats will include newish but more experienced comedians who we have seen on stage recently, plus those who have won through from the qualifying rounds.
Quarter-finals in 2006 were at AmusedMooseCamden on Fridays in May. This varies from year to year.
The Semifinals (which include regional winners) are at AmusedMooseSoho on Saturdays in June/July, followed by the Final in the last week of the Edinburgh Fringe in August. There was a preview showcase at Harrow Arts Centre onSat 8 July 2006, and a possibility of being in AmusedMooseComedy's Hot Starlets showcases during Edinburgh, and other comedy festivals. The Final and showcases are very well attended by bookers, managers, producers, casting directors and other talentscouts.
The Final takes place in August in Edinburgh at a major venue during the Fringe and is a high profile event attended by many agents/managers, promoters, producers and talentscouts for the major comedy festivals from around the world.
Most finalists and some semi-finalists are likely to be showcased in AmusedMooseComedy's Hot Starlets throughout the Fringe in Edinburgh in August. That show will have a rotating roster of this years crop of thrusting fledgling comedians that AmusedMooseComedy has been nurturing - a showcase that is the ultimate talentspotters dream.
2006's winner Arnab Chanda has been signed by Eddie Izzard's management and it looks like he may be showcasing at the worldfamous Just For Laughs festival in Montreal in July, and runners-up Ginger & Black have already been on radio numerous times, are featured in a upcoming radio series, and have been signed by Ricky Gervais' management.
2005's overall winner Sarah Millican qualified at the Leeds heat, and went on to be signed up by Jimmy Carr's manager, and already has a television pilot in the bag, as well as a DVD deal with 2entertain who are associated with AmusedMoose LaughOff.
Previous winners include Rob Deering, Nina Conti and Klang's Marek Larwood, with runners-up including Rhod Gilbert, Mark Watson, Gary Delaney and James Branch who went on to win the Leicester Mercury Award this year as had Rhod previously.
Finalists in the first year included Jimmy Carr, Alex Zane and Karen Taylor.
'The Best of AmusedMooseComedy Hot Starlets 2002-2006' show including Alex Zane, Simon Amstell and Rob Deering, was invited to London's Bloomsbury Theatre in October 2006, to showcase their talents to talent-hungry producers, casting directors, and agents/managers, as well as journalists and reviewers, and friends and family. This show is likely to take place again from time to time to showcase the new talent coming through as well as some of their now famous predecessors
AMUSED MOOSE COMEDY AWARD 2005
This year we are holding auditions in January, February, and then one to catch late-developers in May 2005, with heats fortnightly on Mondays from February, at AmusedMooseCamden.
The plan is to hold quarter-finals in London on Fridays in May and June, and semi-finals in London on Fridays in July, maybe at AmusedMooseCamden.
The final is likely to again take place around the middle of August, in Edinburgh at a major venue during the Fringe, with hosts including Mark Watson, Matt Blaize with the final hosted by Stewart Lee.
To enter, please e-mail amcawards05@yahoo.co.uk
To enter, comedians need to be gigging - at least a dozen, ideally 20+ gigs already, and be getting rebooked into most of those, as this is not a competition for novices
Entries from outside London and the SouthEast - let us know and we'll try to find a way to avoid you having to travel to London too often!
Most finalists are likely to also be showcased in AmusedMooseComedy's Hot Starlets throughout the Fringe. The show will have a rotating roster of this years crop of thrusting fledgling comedians that AmusedMooseComedy has been nurturing - a showcase that is the ultimate talentspotters dream. ....
STAR SEARCH 2004
This year's AmusedMooseComedy's Star Search final will, for the first time, be in Edinburgh during the Fringe, in one of everyone's favourite rooms, the Cabaret Bar in the Pleasance Courtyard - and the compere for the show is one of AmusedMooseComedy's favourite comedians, Stephen K Amos. (Details of previous rounds and about late entries are below).
Star Search final is being held on Tues 17 August at 10.45pm. Tickets will be bookable from around 10 June on www.edfringe.com ....There will be a panel of judges from the comedy world (managers, bookers, reviewers, and comedians too), AND the audience all vote too! How very exciting.
To enter, please e-mail to apply for a place in London qualifying rounds which run from January to the end of May. Entries from outside London and the SouthEast - let us know and we'll try to find a way to avoid you having to travel to London too often! (To enter, comedians need to be gigging - at least a dozen, ideally 20++ gigs already, and be getting rebooked into most of those, as this is not a competition for novices)
2004 QUALIFYING HEATS: from January to May and
2004 QUARTERFINALS: 24, 25, 30 May and 1, 6, 7 June.
At AmusedMooseCamden, upstairs at The Enterprise (opposite Chalk Farm tube)
2004 SEMI-FINALS: 2, 9, 16, 23 July at AmusedMooseSoho, Moonlighting, 17 Greek Street, W1
2004 FINAL: 17 Aug at The Pleasance (Cabaret Bar, Pleasance Courtyard), Edinburgh: 10.45.
(Most finalists are likely to also be showcased in AmusedMooseComedy's Hot Starlets at Pleasance Dome at 9.45pm throughout the Fringe. ....
The show has a rotating roster of this years crop of thrusting fledgling comedians that AmusedMooseComedy has been nurturing - a showcase that is the ultimate talentspotters dream. ....
So come again and again as it's planned that no two nights will have the same bill!)
See our "What's On" page for further details about how to book tickets for any of the shows in London; a couple of weeks before shows more information is posted there about the contestants in the heats, quarterfinals, semifinals and final. ...
More details about the final and AmusedMooseComedy's other Edinburgh Fringe shows can be found on the Fringe page of this website.
