The search is on to find the funniest businessman or woman out there.
The organisers of Leicester Comedy Festival want good-natured candidates to join them for their 2019 Stand up Challenge.
They are also looking for national sponsors to back the annual event which takes place this autumn.
The contest has been running for five years now and gives seven or eight business people from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland the chance to take to the stage and perform a stand-up comedy routine in front of a live theatre audience.
The good-natured candidates are all given classes in being funny and all encouraged to help raise funds for registered charity Big Difference Company, the Leicester-based producer of the long-running comedy festival which takes place each spring.
Candidates will get training and support from a professional stand up comedian to help them write and perform their first ever five minutes of live comedy.
Over the years it has raised thousands of pounds to support the festival and the community projects the Big Difference Company delivers throughout the year – things such as helping men take their health seriously, encouraging school children to eat sensibly, reducing carbon emissions and planting trees in The National Forest.
As well as candidates the organisers are looking for local, regional and national companies to sponsor the event.
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The charity gets less than 5 per cent of its income from public funding so relies on industry partnerships for the rest, along with some revenue from shows and performances produced by the charity during each February’s festival.
The title sponsor will receive exclusive opportunities to promote itself throughout the project.
The finale takes place at The Y Theatre in Leicester, where friends, colleagues, clients and family members of the contestants will gather to watch the debut performances.
The Y is Leicester’s oldest theatre, and has hosted performances by comedians including Russell Brand, Graham Norton, Alan Carr and Bill Bailey over the years.
Comedy festival founder and director Geoff Rowe said: “Without the support of local companies, it’s fair to say Leicester Comedy Festival, and our other projects, would not have developed so much over the last 26 years.
“We are really proud of our partnerships and know that businesses who sign up to support us benefit in many ways from being involved.
“Of course they all receive promotion alongside the festival, but they also benefit from playing a developmental role in the work of registered charity Big Difference Company.
Leicestershire business news: Summer 2019
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“When business people get involved in what we do, they often comment on the impact we make both economically but also socially, working with communities across the region.
“We are 100 per cent committed to growing the festival, and our community work, and look forward to sharing this with a wider audience, thanks in part to the continued support we receive from existing and new partners.”
Comedy festival business partners include the Leicester office of Freeths law firm and Leicestershire businesses Everards Brewery and Sturgess Cars.
Sturgess chairman Chris Sturgess said: “We are very proud of our relationship with Leicester Comedy Festival.
“Our only regret is that we didn’t get involved sooner! It is a very well organised event and is deserving of everyone’s support.”
Mr Rowe said Leicester Comedy Festival was the longest running comedy festival in Europe and he said it was estimated to contribute more than £3 million each year to the local economy.
Big Difference Company employs a small team of six part-time staff who are based in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter and deliver the festival with the support of a growing number of volunteers and venues.
For further information about partnership opportunities for Leicester Comedy Festival 2020, contact katherine@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk or call 0116 261 6812.