Join a live recording and reflective discussion of the new “But Is It Funny?” Podcast exploring current issues, diverse voices and criticism in the comedy scene.
Join Counterpoints Arts for the next event in our PopChange Salon Series featuring a live recording of our new podcast “But Is It Funny?” which puts comedy criticism in the spotlight. Panellists Suchandrika Chakrabarti (comic and writer), Jamal Khadar (writer and researcher) and Brian Logan (comedy critic for The Guardian) will be discussing current issues in stand-up and highlighting upcoming gigs and events.
Following the recording, PopChange Salon Series host, K Biswas, will lead a reflective discussion where you can have your say on what topics you think future episodes should be covering. The aim is to extend and diversify comedy criticism, bringing a wider range of insights into mainstream and emerging work.
About the “But Is It Funny?” Podcast
Launched in September 2021, this weekly podcast features Suchandrika Chakrabarti (comic and writer), Jamal Khadar (writer and researcher) and Brian Logan (comedy critic for The Guardian) discussing issues and highlights of the stand-up comedy scene in the UK.
Building on Counterpoints Arts’ No Direction Home comedy project — which trains a new generation of stand-up comedians with migrant and refugee backgrounds — and its recent PopChange Retreat, “But Is It Funny?” recognises that more diverse critical conversations can have a significant role in opening access and broadening audiences. For example, is improv discriminatory? Do Middle Eastern performers only make jokes about terrorists? Can refugees ever be funny?
While comedy has soared in popularity across the UK and internationally, critical conversations have continued to be less prominent than for other artforms. “But Is It Funny?”, the first regular podcast to focus on comedy criticism, will help address that shortcoming.
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Hosted by Counterpoints Arts‘ PopChange Initiative, this is the second of five PopChange Salons in 2021 exploring the opportunities for real change presented within the New Brave world Report (2021), hosted by K Biswas. The Salon Series will explore racial justice, comedy, TV, gaming and narrative change. To be updated of future Salons in the series, sign up to our mailing list.
Recommended background reading
— New Brave World a new report by Alice Sachrajda and Marzena Zukowska that explores the power, opportunities and potential of pop culture for social change in the UK. The report is supported by Unbound Philanthropy and builds on Riding the Waves, a scoping study on the same theme published in 2017.
Joining us on Zoom
After registering on Eventbrite, you will receive a Zoom link by email one day prior to the event.
Recording
The podcast will be live recorded in video and audio format, however, the live audience will not be visible. The reflective discussion will also be recorded and made available online, however, only those that choose to participate in the discussion with their camera on will be visible.
Social media
We’d love you to join the conversation online using the hashtag #popxchange or via our social media channels: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook
