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Festival organiser Joe Eagan, pictured, organises comedy shows in Holland and Scandinavia, and has a network of comedians and contacts around Europe 

Duncan Roberts: How does this year’s festival differ from last year?

Joe Eagan: After last year’s inaugural festival, of course there were a lot of “baby steps” learned about what is needed and not needed. So now everything will be perfect… (haha). This year, I also have a co-organiser, Deepu Dileepan, who is a pro comic living in Luxembourg. Besides all the shows being in English, we will also have a show in French with a top comic named Adrien Arnoux. Also new for this year is that all the shows are individually presented on Billetto.eu, so people without Facebook can find show info there as well.

 

What criteria do you use to choose the comedians who perform at the festival? 

Via the other shows I run in Holland and Scandinavia, as well as via my network of comedians and contacts around Europe, I have an idea about one or two years ahead of whom I have not booked yet, but know who is good enough, and who has not performed in a certain city in a long enough time. It’s very important to keep the variety. For example, none of the pro comics coming this year were at the 2016 festival, so lots of new faces and material to enjoy!

 

What is the challenge for comedians when performing to a multicultural audience?

A big challenge, especially for comics who have been performing in their home country for a long time, for example a British comic who hasn’t performed abroad in a long time, I always sit them down and tell them to talk much slower, and explain too British references. Most audience members have English as a second language, so we really try to choose comedians who we know have broadly appealing material, especially things about different nationalities and stereotypes tends to go down well. 

 

You have a few Luxembourg-based rising stars at the festival. How is the Luxembourg comedy scene developing?

It has really exploded since the last festival. There are open mics in Luxembourg, I think at least every two weeks, and there are about 20 comics in the Luxembourg area now who are honing their skills and getting stage time. That is so important, since stage time is the key to getting better. It’s like a sport; only so much can be learned from books, watching YouTube, seeing our live showcase shows in Luxembourg with the pro acts... and watching me (just kidding). Stage time is the key to getting the feel and timing for it.

The funniness eventually comes with this.

 

Catch the Luxembourg comedy festival from 17-19 November with 7 gigs at Marionnette, Scott’s, Rocas and The Tube.

Click here for the full programme.