Maltese Funny Business, the Valletta based stand-up comedy company, celebrates its first birthday on 24 November (8.30pm) with a performance at Spazju Kreattiv starring multi-award winning UK comedian, Dave Chawner, supported by new local comedians Tanya Malta, Rebecca Borg, Sandra Gauci and Jimmy Carter. The company’s founder Paul Pennington, who this year celebrates 40 years as a media professional, talks to The Malta Independent on Sunday about the background to Maltese Funny Business.
"Some years back, I'd got to the point in my acting career where I looked a lot younger than I sounded. I'd performed in a number of school-based dramas and comedies working alongside the likes of Sir Kenneth Brannagh and Daniel Day-Lewis. By the age of 28 I had the face and physique of a 15-year-old but the rasping deep vocal tones of a 45-year-old! So I decided to take a step away from performing to allow my looks to catch up. Then I found out I was going to be a dad and put all performance aspirations to one side to support my daughter. Corporate coaching, public relations and media training assignments followed and I fell headlong in love with radio. I've been broadcasting across the UK every week for 20 years with my short form radio series, Word on Health, which raises awareness of health conditions that struggle to get the publicity that they deserve.
"By complete fluke I found myself doing a stand-up comedy course in London with established pro comic Jay Sodagar which was really inspiring. With my daughter making her own way in the world and having had to take a step back from work through illness I had time on my hands. I decided to combine radio with comedy and through Jay met two really funny and highly respected circuit comedians Aatif Nawaz and Dave Chawner. Together we created a pilot radio show, Britain's Got Satire. I still chuckle now thinking about our weekly writing sessions.
"I was offered the amazing opportunity to work in Malta for a private aviation company where I bumped into a really funny guy called Jimmy Carter, who'd dreamt of doing stand-up but never had the confidence or opportunity. So I made it happen. I brought Jay Sodagar over from the UK to teach and Dave Chawner to be our head line act to perform alongside the students of the comedy course in their graduation show in Marsascala and it's grown from there.
"If you'd told me then that a year on we'd have completed 25 shows and be performing at Malta's National Centre for Creativity, Spazju Kreattiv, with a small close knit comedy company about to embark on a tour of the island supported by Carlsberg and Talbot & Bons, having recorded our first TV special, I'd have questioned your sanity. It's been a remarkable year only made possible by the incredible people who've got involved and been with us along the way.
"The most gratifying thing for me has been giving new Maltese and Malta-based comedy talent opportunities to learn and grow performing alongside seasoned professionals from the UK and the US. I've made friends for life through Maltese Funny Business both in terms of the local performers and the fabulous people of this very special country who've come out to support us."
To book tickets (€10) for Maltese Funny Business's Stand-Up Comedy Show at Spazju Kreattiv's Studio B in Valletta, starring Dave Chawner on 24 November visit www.kreattivita.org/en/event/maltese-funny-business-standup-comedy-night-dave-chawner/ or call the Box Office on 2122 3200.