Kevin McCarron

Kevin McCarron started performing in the UK in 1997, and soon established himself as a regular act on the London and UK comedy Circuit, as well as taking on the role of resident compere and co-promoter for the Laughing Horse chain of comedy clubs in the UK, France, Spain and Monaco.

The skills that make Kevin a natural performer have been developed over a number of years as a comedian, and also through lecturing at the University of Surrey, both in Stand-up and Performance, and as a Reader in English Literature.

For the past four years Kevin has taught stand-up comedy at the University of Surrey, and he has also taught a course entitled "The History, Theory and Performance of Stand-Up comedy". In 2002 he was invited to offer advice to new comedians which was dramatised in a radio programme called `Starting in Stand-Up’, produced by Felix Gill and Rajan Malhotra (Montreal Solutions Ltd), and broadcast on radio stations in Great Britain and Canada. It was also commercially released as a compact disc.

In his role as Reader in English Literature, Dr. McCarron is the leading UK expert in William Golding, and has published books in nineteenth and twentieth-century American literature, addiction, popular music, adolescent writing and Dystopian and Utopian literature. Since 2001 he has performed a number of comedy routines after academic 'away days', after academic conferences, at fund-raising events and social events. kevin was awarded a Teaching Fellowship in 2005. He has been nominated twice for a National Teaching Fellowship and in 2007 he received a UCU `Life Changers' award in the category of `Inspiring Students'.

During 2007/8 Kevin is writing a book on the link between stand-up performance and teaching, and is also leading a groundbreaking study into integrating the performance and business skills of of a stand-up comedy performer and that of academic life. Part of this study has created a unique presentation on using stand-up comedy skills in Higher education. 

Kevin was also co-ordinator and Tutor on Stand-up courses run by WebUni for three years, and co-promotes 'The Laughing Horse New Act of the Year', one of the UK's largest nationwide searches for new comedy talent each year.

As a performer Kevin has performed with many of the big names on the comedy circuit, and at all levels of venues from large theatres, to small pub rooms. He continues to perform at all levels of comedy, from the hard work of keeping a new act competition running, to compering shows with the likes of Mark Thomas and Rob Newman.

Kevin has written and performed in four different one-man hour shows: "Gagging for It",  "A Joke to Far", "Just Joking" and "Jestation", and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe every year since 2000. In 2005 Kevin brought  "Nuclear War: Followed by the total extermination of every living organism on the planet" to the Edinburgh Fringe, a unique improvised stand-up show made up entirely of suggestions from the audience (of which the title was one) - providing a different show of stand-up every night of the run. This show returned to the Fringe in 2006 and 2007 as part of the Laughing Horse's groundbreaking Free Festival.

Click Here for a Guardian Education Article on Kevin McCarron and Stand-Up teaching

Jay Sodagar

Jay Sodagar is a leading UK comedian, who has been performing in the UK since 1998, and can be seen regularly at Jongleurs comedy clubs across the country, as well as at numerous other venues including the Comedy Store, Comedy Cafe and many others.

Since 2004 Jay has taught comedy at the Hastings adult education Forum, leading students of all standards to becoming successful stand-up comedians with a programme similar to that of the About Comedy Courses.

Jay has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in his own show 'Life ain't Hard' in 2003, and in partnership with Jewish comedienne Juliet Meyers in 2004 in '4.2 Tolerance". He returned to teh Fringe with solo shows in 2006 and 2007 with two sequels to 'Life ain't hard'.