HOW TO comedy night
Organise an uproarious
Follow our guide, and we guarantee you will be laughing when showtime rolls around
‘O
ur Elm Grove Primary School PTA comedy night was almost a total sell-out, and so
successful that we are keen to plan another. But our journey began nearly six months before. I’m fortunate that comedian Jen Brister is a friend and fellow parent at the school. She’d performed at comedy night fundraisers and thought we could give it a go. Using her industry contacts, Jen
pulled in some favours. With a few texts and calls, she was able to sort out a fantastic, star-studded line-up as well as opening a discussion with Komedia, a local Brighton venue renowned for its comedy nights. Another parent from the school
who worked at the venue managed to secure a discount for us on the usual hire fee, which left just £250 to pay. The venue offered to sell tickets through their website and run a bar on the night. It was a win-win situation: they would benefit from a busy event, and we didn’t need to worry about serving drinks. I designed a poster using Canva
and sent it to the venue to use for advertising. They recommended we sell early-bird tickets for £22 before a general release at £25. Imagine our joy when the early-bird tickets flew off the online shelf in the space of an hour! We thought a small raffle on the
night would be a great way to increase our income. A local pub agreed to donate £100 cash as our
44 AUTUMN 2022
pta.co.uk
top prize, and we kept things simple by using PTA funds to purchase the rest. On the night of the show, I
arrived early – full of anticipation and carrying a selection of snacks and drinks for the comics. I headed straight to the green rooms to thank the comedians as they arrived. PTA members placed books of raffle tickets on every table, and we made our way through the crowd with a float and card reader, drumming up sales. In the space of an hour, we took over £500. All too soon, the lights went down and the curtain rose – it was time to begin. The evening was a triumph, and the audience beamed and clapped right to the end. Jen Brister told us: “Being there
for the school made it extra special. It was the first time some audience members had seen live comedy. For a comedy night to be a success, the most important thing is having an audience who are really up for it. With a PTA event, this is almost guaranteed as everyone is so supportive. All the comedians want is for you to have a good time and for the punters, that is quite a unique experience.” The positive feeling continued
the following week when we heard we had made £7,200. The school was thrilled, and the children will benefit from 15 refurbished tablets and two renovated Year 6 classrooms.’ Becs Kent, chair, Elm Grove Primary School PTA, Brighton, East Sussex (420 pupils)
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Step-by-step
Six months before There’s a lot of initial leg work to do at the beginning
to make this happen, so start early. As soon as you have chosen your date, begin contacting the acts. Book a venue and send a save-the-date email to parents.
Four months before Create an online poster to advertise the event and
begin selling tickets for it. Approach local companies to ask for raffle prize donations.
Two months before Continue promoting the event at every opportunity and
confirm the prizes for the raffle.
WORDS: ANNA SCOTT
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