The Jive Cape Town Funny Festival, now on at the Baxter Theatre, gives new performers a chance to shine, says comedian Marc Lottering.
Lottering first appeared at the Baxter in the early 2000s, introducing the public to his now-iconic Aunty Merle character, and he describes it as his “home for comedy and theatre”.
The festival, which started on Monday June 5 and runs until Sunday July 2, is a testing ground for new comedic talent, he says.
“There are competitive rounds leading up to the festival where you get to see new comedians, new talent, people who have not been on a big stage before. And I love this aspect of the festival as this is where the new king or queen of comedy can be found.”
Mzonke Maloney, of Woodstock, won the Jive Funny Championships at Canal Walk and is scheduled to perform every night of the festival.
Lottering will perform from Tuesday June 20 to Saturday June 24, while Alan Committie, Dalin Olivier, and Emo Adams will be performing throughout, although Adams won’t be there on Friday June 30.
“You can’t ignore phenomenal talent and we all agreed who the winner should be, so I’m looking forward to seeing him on stage,” says Lottering.
“I also enjoy being surrounded by other comedians as I work alone most of the time. So with the festival you are not alone backstage, and I love that feeling, that camaraderie that you only find at festivals like this, and it’s great support for the new comedians too.”
He says he is looking forward to seeing more women on stage as he feels the comedy business is dominated by men.
“I think there is not enough opportunity for women in comedy. I believe women can talk about issues that men can’t, and I believe we will see more ladies coming forward. I want them to come forward.
“I’ve been given opportunities to be on stage many times, especially when I was a sweet young thing. That is how you hone your craft. You interact with audiences, and by working in theatre spaces, writing new material, that’s how you exercise your comedy muscle and that’s how it becomes strong.
“The industry is not just dominated by men on stage but behind the scene as well – producers, judges – and we need to make a conscious effort to bring more women into this space. We should do a comedy school for women and men should support it.”
Comedy has the power to bring people together; it’s a platform for social commentary and critical to freedom of speech, he says.
“I value the comedians, the satirists, playwrights as much as I value the journalists, the singers, whichever art forms exist… I place a high value on this as it’s dangerous when we have to be afraid to speak or write or say anything especially living in Africa. I would not be able to sit and speak to you if I was living in Uganda simply because I could be put to death as they have outrageous laws against gays.
“The voice of the comedian about the state of the country is necessary and I don’t take breaks from comedy as I don’t want to miss out on any changes or laws that may happen here or in Africa. We have to keep going on stage to talk about the issues and about new laws that are being passed not just here but all over the world.
“We don’t exist in calmness we exist in chaos and through all this, people are still going to the theatre to listen to comedians, so our voices are important, and it’s important that we speak out against the wrongs, against corruption, which is such a big thing in our county, and that we are able to speak freely and write about it and voice our opinions and do so without the fear of being silenced.”
Lottering’s latest show, So I Wrote That Musical, will be at the Theatre on the Bay, in Camps Bay, from Tuesday July 18 to Saturday July 29.
“For part of this show, I deal with the creation of Aunty Merle. I talk about this and what’s going on in my life, I speak of moving from Clifton to Woodstock because no one does that, but we did. I talk about inverters and solar panels, you know, South African things.”
Visit www.marclottering.com and www.funnyfestival.co.za for ticket prices and to see when Lottering will be taking the stage.
