Whilst stand-up in the afternoon is a staple part of festivals, daytime comedy may not be something you are likely to see at a city centre venue.
However, DINA will be the setting for a new show as the sun reaches its peak in the sky, starting on Saturday 9 July from 11am to 2pm.
Smell The Coffee Comedy is the brainchild of Stan Skinny, two time winner of The Great Yorkshire Show Off, who hopes this timeslot can make comedy more accessible for its audience and performers.
Stan said: “Comedy in the evening doesn’t always work for everyone, they may have commitments and reasons they cannot come out for the night, whether that be family, work or that they are werewolves.
“Also, as someone who is a regular on the open-mic circuit, some gigs can be quite far away and working in a 9-5 job then going out to perform and getting back late can be quite tiring. So, selfishly I was looking at a way of getting to bed sooner and get beauty sleep so I can appear on America’s Next Top Model.
“Comedy works at festivals in the afternoon, so why not replicate it in the city?”
Stan feels the time of the show could set people up for the day to seek out more culture in Sheffield.
He said: “It has the potential to get a weekend off to a good start, not just for people who live in Sheffield but visitors too. Rather than just going to M&S for a bit, getting bored and then going to the pub, a comedy show could be the catalyst for people with a whole day of cultural things to fill the void of existence.
“Why do we have to wait for festival season and just two weeks to explore culture when so much is on our doorstep?”
Stan hopes the time slot will also bring a more dedicated comedy crowd, making a change from more raucous evening audiences.
He said: “I think you’re likelier to get a more dedicated, focused crowd at that time who are solely there for the comedy. I saw Daniel Kitson do a work in progress the other week at 1pm, and the audience did not enjoy it any less. Comedy works at any time.
“At that time I think there’s more of a chance of people appreciating comedy as the art form it is, that deserves the same reverence as a painting or a piece of theatre, just with more dick jokes.
Five comedians including Stan are on the bill, Anthony J Brown, Letty Butler, Helen Rice and Abigail Rolling.
Stan Skinny as Stanley Norman
As well as being compere for the show, Stan will be performing as Stanley Norman, a character he debuted early this year, who has already been nominated for Best Alternative Act at the Yorkshire Comedy Awards.
Stan is currently developing a show for next year’s Edinburgh Festival featuring the character, entitled ‘Alan Sugar Is A Very Bitter Man.’
Also on Saturday, DINA’s café will be debuting their British Summertime Vegan Breakfast Bagels, at a special price of £2.50 for those attending the show. Entry is free but donations are most welcome.
The lineup for Saturday’s Smell The Coffee Comedy Show.
Anthony J Brown
Clad in a sartorially edifying manner, like a dapper and dandy funeral director, Anthony cuts a unique on-stage presence with humour blacker than a raven that's slammed it's claw in a coffin lid. And not the merest hint of profanity. The overall effect is both perversely hypnotic and wholly original, leaving the audience zealously hanging on to every syllable like turncoat lemmings on a rockface. Former tour support for Alan Carr & Justin Moorhouse. Metro Edinburgh Festival Award winner and former BBC New Comedy Award Runner-up as seen on Phoenix Nights, The Arthur Smith Lectures, Attitude and Spanking New.
Letty Butler
Letty is an actress, writer, podcaster & coach. She trained at LAMDA, where she met Lucy Pearman & formed ‘joyfully anarchic’ double act LetLuce. Together they wrote & performed three shows for the Edinburgh Fringe, the last of which transferred to the Soho Theatre in 2015. They also made a couple of short films, both of which were selected for Aesthetica & LOCO. Letty’s currently writing her debut novel Escape Artists, and her first non-fiction book is due to be published by Nick Hern Books later this year. If you’re into accolades, she’s won or been placed in various literary prizes including a Northern Writers Award, Mslexia, SHU Creative Writing Prize, SHU Script Award, Retreat West, The Sheffield Novel Slam, Periscope Literary, Silver Apples, Reflex International, The Funny Women Awards & Cranked Anvil.
Helen Rice
Helen Rice is a Sheffield-based performer combining spoken word, acapella singing, comedy and accordion playing to explore the important matters in life, like grief, sex, and bread. There’s really quite a lot about bread. Her work has been described as ‘beguiling’ by local folk legend Michael Harding and ‘very silly’ by her housemate Rick.
Abigail Rolling
Abby gives us a generous slice from her debut Edinburgh Fringe show ‘Shit Lawyer’. She’s been chained to a radiator in the magistrates' court for almost 30 years. With misanthropic mirth she pulls back the curtain on a criminal justice system in terminal decline. Dark. Funny. Underfunded. And that’s just her. The stories are true, the crisis real. 'She’s ace' (Micky P Kerr, Really Funny Comedy). 'Some of the cleverest writing I’ve heard, beautifully balanced… truly masterful' (RockCentral Promotions). 'She’d better make it in comedy ‘cos she’s a shit lawyer' (Picture House Comedy). 'Everyone must hear this’ (Chris Lang, screenwriter). Stan Skinny Stan Skinny is a writer, poet, illustrator and comedian. Heralding from the literary city of Lichfield he found his spiritual home in Sheffield. He has performed across the UK, with some the leading spoken word performers including; Roger Mcgough, John Hegley and Hollie Mcnish. He is three time winner of both the Off the Shelf Poetry Slam and the Great Yorkshire Show Off and once beat Sean Bean in the post-it-note game. An active community activist, he is involved with the People’s Kitchen Pitsmoor, which brings together residents of Pitsmoor through food events, and aims to renovate the Abbeyfield House Stables into a community kitchen and arts space. Stan is also the host and creator of The Fishpie Cabaret Show, originally The Shipping Forecast, which built up a cult following in Sheffield since forming and had a successful tour in Spring 2022.