Editorial
For many punters and performers the announcement of The Barry Awards is a highlight of the Comedy Festival, a chance to celebrate comedy and, particularly, the achievements of those comedians who produced stellar shows. This year however, The Barry Awards were announced in an exclusive ceremony which was (as it was explained to me) open only to “nominees and sponsors”. This policy excluded not only certain parts of the media but also the bulk of comedians who make up the festival. Many of these comedians were keen to cheer on their friends and colleges and those nominated would have dearly appreciated the support of their peers. However the majority of comedians appearing at the festival were excluded. Direr than this however, was the fact that the general public was excluded. Without punters the comedy industry does not survive. To exclude them from an event like this smacks of a kind of elitism which I haven’t encountered since my years working in the visual arts industry. The circumstances which brought about this decision were never clearly explained to me, a situation which underlines the secrecy surrounding the last minute relocation of this event. The winners were announced again later at the HiFi bar, but by that time many of us knew the results, and any excitement and joy in experiencing this event was lost. I love the comedy industry for many reasons, one of the main ones being its accessibility. I would be acutely disappointed if this trend of exclusivity was to continue.