As Nottingham's alternative comedy venue prepares for its first ever Wormhole Weekend, alternative comedian Rosa Keaton takes us for a worm's-eye view.
So, what exactly is Club Wormhole?
Rosa: Club Wormhole is Nottingham’s home of alternative comedy! We are a collective of like-minded local comedians, clowns and weirdos who run a monthly alternative comedy cabaret as well as a fringe previews season and the upcoming Wormhole Weekend. We are all about inventive, wonderful and high-energy shows that showcase the best acts that the region and the country has to offer. After a clown, Viggo Venn, won the last season of Britain’s Got Talent, we knew there were more people out there who wanted to see something a bit different as well
Why a Wormhole Weekend?
Rosa: We were inspired by other alternative comedy weekends like the fantastic Weirdos Weekend at Leicester Comedy Festival and the Weekend of Weird at Brighton Fringe. We think it's a great format to bring together alternative comedy fans both locally and from around the country.
How does alternative comedy differ from the regular kind?
Rosa: Alternative comedy doesn’t have one unified definition but you know when you see it. It could be anything from character, to clown to musical comedy to very inventive and unusual stand-up. As opposed to traditional standup, where the audience is led on a journey by the act, it often feels more like the audience has to meet the performer half-ways, and go on an adventure together. Think Vic & Bob, Morecambe & Wise or The Mighty Boosh, instead of Live at the Apollo or Mock The Week
What can the audience look forward to at Wormhole Weekend?
Rosa: We have 16 of the country’s best alternative comedy shows coming to Nottingham. These include the legendary, audience-driven, impossible-to-describe Glang Show; Nate Kitch, who pushes the form of comedy like no-one else and has been nominated for the Comedian’s Choice Best Newcomer and Malcolm Hardee Awards at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe; and Malcolm Hardee Award winner Michael Brunström bringing us his hit show about hope and heliocentrism, Copernicus Now. We will also have a big showcase show on the Friday night, highlighting some of the fantastic acts performing at the weekend, accompanied by our usual themed shenanigans across the night.
we are constantly amazed at the variety of people who come, and end up almost rolling in the aisles together
Are there any topics that are off limits at Club Wormhole?
Rosa: At Club Wormhole we want everyone to feel like they can Join the Club and Go on An Adventure with us, and we work hard, individually as creatives and as a Gang to make comedy that is silly, satirical and something audiences have never seen before. We are constantly pushing the limits of what we can do on stage, and get away with saying in front of audiences and we’ve never had any issues. That said, we believe, as Terry Pratchett said, “If you are laughing at people who are hurting, it's not satire, it's bullying”. We always keep the night respectful and don’t punch down, but no topic is explicitly off limits as long as it is handled carefully and respectfully
What challenges have the Club overcome to get this far?
Rosa: Our main issue has been living in a capitalist society: suffering multiple venue closures and trying to make the night financially viable for both ourselves and our guest acts.
What kind of folk turn up at a Wormhole event?
Rosa: We have the coolest and kindest audience a comedy night could wish for. We attract all sorts including a good number of queer and neurodivergent folks, and we are constantly amazed at the variety of people who come, and end up almost rolling in the aisles together. When we set out we wanted the room to feel as friendly as the best alt comedy nights we’ve been too, and we really succeeded.
Does Club Wormhole have any goals or mission statements?
Rosa: When we set out we had a few key goals - be alt comedy clown weirdos in Nottingham, i.e. outside London and the Edinburgh Fringe, be the cool kids behind it, work in a way that was low stakes and high reward, and be accessible to all, bringing everyone into this weird world of alternative comedy, which is why having wheelchair accessible venues is a minimum bar for us, and showcasing working class acts is priority. We’ve really achieved all those things and hope we’ve proved you don’t need to be in London or Edinburgh to see top-tier comedy.
The bills need to be paid. How does the Club fund itself?
Rosa: We are funded entirely through ticket sales - things are tight but we make sure we pay all of our guest acts. The Gang behind Club Wormhole dedicate our time and energy for only the reward of getting to host some of our favourite comedy, getting a chance to develop our performance and production skills every month, and of course the adulation and adoration of our audiences.
Can up and coming alt comedians get involved?
Rosa: Yes, we often have newer alt comedians on our nights. They can message us or email us to be considered for our shows.
Is this offensive to worms?
Rosa: The worm community is split in two on the issue.
What’s been the biggest success of the Club this far?
Rosa: Our September Mad Max show hit new highs of riotous energy and ludicrous ambition to an absolutely packed room. We set out to make it feel like a Mad Max film was happening in the Company Space of Nottingham Playhouse, and, with lots of screaming from Immortan Lee (played by the Clown, Lee Kennedy), some remote controlled cars and our audience getting immediately on board with being a band of post-apocalyptic performance artists/murderous motorcycle marauders, it absolutely felt like that. We’ve also loved bringing some of our absolute comedy heroes to Nottingham for our monthly shows, our Edinburgh Fringe Previews and for Wormhole Weekend - we’ve already had so many of our dream bookings and have a backlog full of people we’ve long looked up to and admire to book in 2025.
And did anything ever go disastrously wrong? How did you all cope?
Rosa: We work hard behind the scenes to look after ourselves, the audience and our guest acts. Even though what we do on stage is such silly nonsense, there's so much thought into making sure things are safe, low stress and like we have one another's back. There's last minute act drop outs, realising bits won't work before we go on stage or we forgot to plan a certain thing, but we work together as a team to make sure the show always goes on, and the audience, and we, always have a blast. The worst of our disasters happen behind-the-scenes and the audience will have no idea. In these cases, we pull together and manage it without guilt tripping people or generating pointless ego drama, and that is the bedrock of a sustainable comedy event.
Looking into a crystal ball, what are the hopes and goals for the future?
Rosa: We just want more people to see what we do; we know it's not for everyone, but for the people it is for, they fall in love with it. We want to foster and grow this wonderful community that we have developed: our aim is always to run the shows we love, and the best way to do that is keep reaching new people to share in this weird and wonderful side of comedy. We are so delighted that there’s a growing clown community in Nottingham and are looking forward to having more local acts on in future as the city’s alternative comedy scene blossoms.
Wormhole Weekend plays at Fisher Gate Point from Friday 8th of Novemeber until Sunday10th of November. For the full lineup and ticket links visit https://linktr.ee/wormhole_weekend.
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