As part of Comic Relief Red Nose Day, Kent media company Beeping Bush Productions are partnering with The Dreamland Trust and Tom Thumb Theatre to give Margate a Bank Holiday Comedy treat! The weather may be cold, windy and grey, but hey, what better way to lift your spirits than getting yourselves down to Margate’s historic Theatre Royal for evening of classic comedy, new stand-up acts and a selection of short comedy films?
EASTER SUNDAY
April Fools’ Screening
Following on from the amazing success of the previous five years’ filmmaking competitions, the historic Theatre Royal Margate will host a very special April Fools’ Screening Day on Easter Sunday 31st March.
Laurel & Hardy Film Screening
Only this year it’s a bit different. As well as extending the events to include live comedy acts, the Easter Sunday event will open with a Dreamland Trust presentation of the first film ever shown in the Dreamland Cinema in1935, the Laurel and Hardy film Them Thar Hills, courtesy of laurel-and-hardy-films.com
This rare archive film screening will be first introduced by a light hearted talk on the history of cine-variety (live variety performers appearing in cinema as support acts to the films) by guest speaker Dr Oliver Double from University of Kent, whose book Britain Had Talent: A History of Variety Theatre was published by Palgrave last year.
Film Screenings
The evening will be hosted by crack globe-trotting comedian Nick Wilty, and will feature a range of stand-up comedians after the Judges’ Shortlist film screenings and before the Film Awards Ceremony presentations. The afternoon screenings will feature a range of other comedy shorts entered into this year’s 2 Days Laughter Competition
“We are delighted to be supporting Comic Relief this year and we have had an outstanding response to the competition. The standard is as high as ever. It’s good to see so many filmmakers returning again to create some hilarious original comedy. It’s going to be fun Sunday night out at the theatre and a rare opportunity to see some comic films and live comedy all come together to see how a live audience reacts to their films in a supportive and relaxed atmosphere."
Club Hydropathe: Comedy Special!
A very special edition of Club Hydropathe, Tom Thumb's weekly night of off-beat cinema, wayward sounds and frequent surprises. The Tom Thumb Theatre in Cliftonville will be screening a classic silent comedy ... but what will it be? From Bluegrass to Buster Keaton, Charleston to Chaplin, via a smattering of Calypso. Dress to impress and prepare for belly laughs, you are cordially invited to join the Hydropathes for a mere £2.50! Doors open 7.00pm. For venue details and times please visit the Tom Thumb Theatre’s website at tomthumbtheatre.co.uk.
Still from Ian Paine's film Hitch included
in the Just Fort Laughs screening
The Cine-Variety Presentation includes a screening
of Laurel and Hardy's Them Thar Hills
Still from Bugsy Riverbank Steel's film I Hate Fancy Dress included in the Judges' Shortlist screening
The evening will finish with the
2 Days Laughter awards ceremony
The evening will finish with the 