Arts & Culture

Salisbury Arts Centre are ending the month with a healthy dose of laughter, Barnstormers brings you three great comedians from the London comedy circuit, October 28.

Catherine Bohart started performing stand-up in 2015 and since then has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks of UK and Irish comedy.

In 2016, she was a finalist in both the BBC New Comedy Awards and Funny Women, drawing praise in the final of the former for having “a distinctive voice and a story you’d like to hear” (Chortle) and in the latter for being “pretty much the perfect comedy package” (Beyond The Joke). Catherine has just been named on the BBC’s New Talent Hotlist 2017.

Ian Cognito is a British stand-up comedian. His Wikipedia entry says ‘An iconoclastic performer, Cognito has been compared to Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, and Jerry Sadowitz but has never achieved success in the mainstream media, in part at least due to his irascible reputation. Cognito delights in playing with audience’s sensibilities. He’ll win cheers with an emotive speech against domestic violence - then puncture it with a lengthy dance to Darius Danesh’s hit ‘Rushes’ in his crotchless lime harlequin costume. His autobiography appeared on Kindle in 2013, billed as “the best book about comedy I have ever written”.’

Comedian, actor and writer Alistair Barrie is one of the most sought after performers on the international comedy circuit. He’s a core member of The Cutting Edge team at London’s Comedy Store and has made numerous radio and television appearances around the world.

A regular at corporate events and festivals, he has taken seven solo shows to the Edinburgh Festival - his 2012 show ‘Urban Fogey’ and 2015 show ‘No More Stage Three’ were both runner up for best show at the Fringe in the Amused Moose Laughter Awards.

He also appeared in the hit plays ‘Breaker Morant’ with Adam Hills and ‘Coalition’ with Phill Jupitus, which transferred to London after its Edinburgh run. He created and compered ‘Bye George,’ the comedians’ farewell to George W. Bush, at the Southbank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2009.

Alongside former Perrier nominee Nick Revell, between 2011 and 2015 Alistair co-produced, wrote and performed in ‘No Pressure to be Funny,’ a monthly topical show and podcast presented by LBC’s James O’Brien, described by The Daily Telegraph as ‘the fringe’s answer to Question Time’ and by The Observer as one of the top ten podcasts of 2015.

Catherine Bohart, Alistair Barrie and Ian Cognito perform stand up comedy at Salisbury Arts Centre on Friday 27 October at 8.30pm.

Tickets are £12 and £11 for concessions, available online at  www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk or from Salisbury Arts Centre box office on 01722 321744.