Top Scottish comic joins line-up for Amnesty comedy gig at Belfast Festival
Scottish funny woman Janey Godley has joined the line-up of Amnesty International's Stand Up For Justice comedy gig next Tuesday (20th) night at the Ulster Hall.
Scottish comedienne Janey Godley, a new face to Northern Ireland audiences, is a regular 5-star performer at the Edinburgh Fringe, winning the 2008 Fringe Report Award as 'Best Performer' and two 2008 Nivea Funny Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights Fringe Awards - as 'Best Stand-Up' and, overall, for 'Best Show'. Called "one of the most prolific and extraordinary stand-up comedians working in the UK", she joins a bill already bursting with comedy talent.
Leading the pack is Irish comic, David O'Doherty, who wowed Edinburgh last year, winning the overall if.comedy award. The Guardian wrote, "O'Doherty just skipped from winner to winner without giving the ecstatic crowd a chance to cool down. When a standup gig goes this well, you do get a sense of how religions are started."
Joining him is camp, Caledonian, kilt-wearing comic, Craig Hill, a favourite with Belfast audiences for his gently outrageous comedy routine.
Top Irish stand-ups Maeve Higgins, Karl Spain and Kevin Gildea complete the line-up for what is guaranteed to be one of the funniest nights of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's.
Amnesty International Northern Ireland Director Patrick Corrigan said:
“We hope that while we're giving people a great night out at the Belfast Festival, we'll also get them involved in campaigning for human rights. Amnesty is all about mobilising people to stand up for justice - the actions of ordinary people can make a real difference.
Amnesty and comedy
Amnesty has a long and illustrious history of using comedy to bring its human rights message to a wider audience. We first brought the Pythons and ‘Beyond the Fringe’ together in 1976 in the ‘Pleasure at Her Majesty’s show, with the first ‘Secret Policeman’s Ball’ following in 1979.
The list of comedians who have performed for Amnesty is a long one: As well as the Pythons, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Rowan Atkinson, Eddie Izzard, Billy Connolly, French and Saunders, Fry and Laurie, Spitting Image, Steve Coogan and scores of others have all been involved in Amnesty’s comedy shows.
The tradition continues with the continuing success of the Secret Policeman’s Ball at the Royal Albert Hall, Stand up For Freedom at the Edinburgh Fringe, and Amnesty’s Stand Up For Justice gigs at the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's.