A Bit of Appreciation for The Giggle Shack
I wanted to shine a bit of light on The Giggle Shack and the work Colin Havey has put into it over the years. If you are from Runcorn, Widnes, Helsby or anywhere around Cheshire, you will know how much the local comedy scene has grown, and a lot of that comes down to the graft he has put in.
Colin started The Giggle Shack in a straightforward way. He was gigging himself and noticed how few opportunities there were for acts to perform locally. Instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, he booked a room in Helsby and put on one test night to see if people would actually turn up. It sold out immediately. That first night set everything in motion and he has been building on it ever since.
From that single gig, it has grown into a run of regular nights across multiple Cheshire venues. The Runcorn venue, previously known as Society Ltd, is now Small Batch Comedy Club and remains one of the main homes of Giggle Shack. Helsby Sports Club, The Goshawk and Widnes Rugby Stadium have all become part of the circuit. The nights are consistent, the rooms are full and the line ups are strong. Colin has brought in a mix of established club comics and acts with TV credits, while keeping the nights friendly, affordable and rooted in the community.
Giggle Shack has also been recognised at the North West Comedy Awards, including winning Best Independent Comedy Club. Those awards are voted for by comedians, which says a lot about how well the nights are run and how much respect there is for the work behind the scenes.
Cheshire has more comedy history than people often realise. Runcorn was the filming location for Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. Parts of the area have appeared in other comedy related productions over the years, so it is good seeing that thread carried on in a live setting through nights like these.
Colin is still gigging, compering, promoting and keeping everything moving. It is easy to underestimate how much work goes into running nights like these, but without people putting the effort in at a local level, towns like ours would not have much of a scene at all.
Anyone been to a Giggle Shack night recently?
Any favourite acts or venues you would recommend to people who have not been yet?