Glasgow International Comedy Festival announce comedy commission with The Alasdair Gray Archive

Alan Bissett, Ashley Storrie and Christopher MacArthur-Boyd to create responses to The Alasdair Gray Archive as part of Glasgow 850.

Article Source: Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Last Updated: 6 December 2024 10:06

Image: Andrew Cawley

Glasgow International Comedy Festival (GICF) has today announced a partnership with The Alasdair Gray Archive (AGA) to celebrate the iconic artist and writer, Alasdair Gray, as part of the wider Glasgow 850 Festival programme. Three comedians, Alan Bissett, Ashley Storrie and Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, will create and stage work celebrating The Alasdair Gray Archive as part of GICF, with scratch performances also taking place on ‘Gray Day’.

Gray Matters: A Laugh for Glasgow’s 850 Years is supported by the Glasgow 850 Festival Fund which celebrates the city’s 850th birthday as part of a yearlong, citywide programme of events and community activities, and will take place on 23rd March 2025 during GICF. The work of the three Scottish comedic artists will be staged at one big event with performances encompassing stand-up, digital and scripted, all inspired by Alasdair Gray and his work. Plus, scratch performances will also take place on ‘Gray Day’ on 25th February 2025 at Òran Mór.

Both Gray Matters: A Laugh for Glasgow’s 850 Years and Gray Day will take place at Òran Mór underneath Gray’s master artwork, the auditorium mural. Tickets for GICF are priced at £5, as part of GICF’s Comedy Connects initiative to host comedy shows at more accessible pricing.

AGA and GICF will collaborate for the first time ever to present the show in tribute to one of the city’s most beloved artists, in a year which would have been Alasdair Gray’s 90th birthday, with the commission inspired by the fact that humour was a defining thread across his work.

All three comedians were invited to spend time at The Alasdair Gray Archive in Glasgow, researching his words, images and art, and speaking to its Custodian Sorcha Dallas as part of their research to create their shows. Alan Bissett will create the scripted response, delving into the story of when Alasdair Gray met another Glasgow icon, Billy Connolly, at the launch for Gray's debut novel, LANARK, inspired by a photo of the meeting in the Archive. Christopher Macarthur-Boyd has been awarded the stand-up commission, focussing on stories around the characters in Alasdair's work, whilst Ashley Storrie's digital response will centre around his striking murals throughout the city.

The commission invites the comedians to produce new work that is meaningfully connected to The Alasdair Gray Archive, rooted in the fact that Alasdair Gray himself celebrated and paid tribute to his own influences throughout his career. Widely recognised as the leading figure in a 20th century renaissance of Scottish literature and art, Alasdair Gray’s legacy continues to inspire artists today across the creative spheres.

Plus, the Festival has announced The Social Hub as a brand new community partner, with the state of the art hybrid hospitality venue in Candleriggs set to be a hub for artists throughout the event. The Social Hub will also host the second year of GICF’s ‘Introduction to Comedy’ course for women and marginalised genders, which will see applicants embark on a 6 week free course led by acclaimed comedian Viv Gee with the aim of encouraging more women and marginalised genders to pursue comedy. The course has seen alumni from 2024 go on to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and return with their own solo shows to GICF in 2025, and culminates in a live performance at The Social Hub.

The Alasdair Gray Archive Custodian, Sorcha Dallas said: “We are thrilled to be working with Glasgow International Comedy Festival on three new comedic responses to our collection in a seminal year with Glasgow 850, Alasdair Gray’s 90th and our own 5th birthday. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate than commissioning Alan Bissett, Ashley Storrie and Christopher Macarthur-Boyd to respond to our collection and create new work that will bring Alasdair’s work to wider attention. Alasdair had a socially-focused practice and we champion this through working with others, most notably here with GICF and our joint ongoing commitment to diversifying the arts in Scotland.”

Ben McLeod, general manager at The Social Hub, Glasgow, said: “Like The Social Hub, comedy is all about community, and we can’t wait to welcome the Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2025.

“This is just the latest in a diverse range of events taking place at The Social Hub Glasgow, including hosting the Scottish Tourism Alliance and Park Lane Market's Christmas market. The Glasgow International Comedy Festival is a major part of Glasgow’s cultural scene, and we’re thrilled to contribute to something so important to the city.

“The ‘Introduction to Comedy’ course is such an important element of the festival lineup, helping make comedy more accessible while opening the door to rich new talent pools. It chimes with everything we value at The Social Hub, and the solo performance showcase at GICF will showcase everything that’s right about this brilliant initiative. Get your tickets before they sell out!”

Glasgow Life Chair, Bailie Annette Christie, added: “As we countdown to Christmas, it’s wonderful to know when those festivities finish, there is the Glasgow International Comedy Festival to look forward to in March. With such a superb line-up already confirmed it is certain to lift the spirits.

“Throughout 2025 Glasgow will be marking its 850th anniversary with an exciting programme of events, which will encourage communities to enjoy culture, music, and food. Comedy runs through the city’s lifeblood and will feature high in the celebrations.

“It’s marvellous news Scotland’s largest, dedicated comedy festival, will introduce a special creative commission for 2025, inviting talented comedians to respond to the diverse and truly epic archive of one of the city’s most treasured sons, Alasdair Gray.

“We are excited to be entertained by those titans of comedy already on board and eager to hear who else will be joining the Festival bill, in what promises to be an incredible year for Glasgow.”

Festival Director Krista MacDonald said: “It’s hugely exciting for GICF to be able to offer comedic artists this unique comedy commission alongside The Alasdair Gray Archive supported by Glasgow 850 Festival Fund. To support comedic artists' creations is our North Star so to offer this special opportunity means a lot. Alasdair Gray is so important to the city of Glasgow and its cultural scene - having influenced everything from literature, film, murals and art, and so we’re thrilled to present this new work to celebrate the Archive within the comedy world. It feels like a fitting way to mark Glasgow’s 850th birthday by bringing together these three excellent comedians to honour Alasdair Gray’s work. The commission also forms part of GICF’s wider Comedy Connects programme which we’re excited to be presenting across the festival and in particular with our new Community Partner, The Social Hub this year.”

Glasgow International Comedy Festival will celebrate Glasgow as the ‘funniest city in the world’ from 12th - 30th March 2025 with shows taking place across city including: Here Comes the Guillotine, Susie McCabe, Connor Burns, Val McDermid & Nicola Sturgeon’s Books and Banter, Jimeoin, Russell Kane, Jamali Maddix, Darren Connell, Kemah Bob, Paul Black, Marjolein Robertson and more.
The 2025 festival will feature shows across every genre of comedy from traditional stand-up, live podcasts, clowning, improv, theatre, kids shows, musicals and more, with shows for all age ranges hosted in venues across the city.

2025 festival tickets are on sale via www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com with the full festival launch in early January.

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