Thursday 28 June 2012

Square Hole- lovingly assembled live comedy

Professional comedian Seymore Mace at Square Hole

Square Hole, a monthly comedy night held at the Red Deer pub in Sheffield, is a down to earth event, offering laughs, free cake and a welcoming atmosphere.

Usually held on the second Monday of every month, Square Hole has recently changed its format to include more acts from professional comedians.

Host Rich Milner, said that two professional acts would now open and close the evening, with a few new acts sandwiched in between. He said, "I’m trying to book comedians who are very distinctive, where you’re going to go away and remember them."

Rich is keen to keep the original ethos of the night:

I hope to maintain a friendly, relaxed atmosphere where the new acts can experiment a bit. Hopefully it will still be an enjoyable night where everyone can take part.

The name Square Hole comes from the idea of a square peg in a round hole. Rich explained that the ethos of the event is to have a place where comedians can try something different and where everyone is welcome, with an emphasis on originality.

Rich Milner handing out his homemade free cake

Square Hole, which started in December 2010, has become a popular night with a regular fan base. The event originated out of Rich’s frustration with over-priced and badly advertised comedy gigs. He said:

I wanted to do a night that was good value for money. I also wanted to find acts that were a bit more original and intelligent and to give people space to experiment. Whilst the onus is still on being funny.

Rich, 29, has been gigging as a comedian for one year. He entered into comedy after doing performance poetry with Words Aloud, a popular spoken word night which ran in Sheffield between 2006 and 2008. His first comedy gigs were ‘Gong’ shows where the acts get ‘gonged’ off if the audience don’t like them. 

Whilst Rich enjoyed this competitive experience, he decided that he wanted to host gigs that would be enjoyable for the audience but also a pleasant experience for the acts so that they would want to do it again. “So the emphasis is on being friendly and fairly relaxed,” said Rich.

Red Deer pub near West street in Sheffield

Friendliness is also important for the Red Deer pub, landlord Jake Nickles said:

The team at the Red Deer are all down to earth and we try to keep the character of the pub alive by sharing our own characters.

Jake took over the Red Deer in August 2010, which was perfect timing for Rich, “Jake had just taken over and was trying to breathe life into the place.” The pub now hosts a number of events including a Tuesday night quiz, Sunday night movie screenings and live acoustic music every Saturday and Thursday evenings.

The next Square Hole will be held on July 9th 2012, you can find out more at: http://squareholecomedy.com/


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