So A Comedian Walks Into a Church … Confessions of a Kneel-Down Stand-Up
Saturday 20th July Doors 7.30pm Start at 8pm Tickets just £6 (£4 concessions)
Known to us here at Kettering Arts Centre as the genial & popular host of our sell-out show “Comedians & Carols”, we are delighted to welcome Paul back with his own full-length show, plus a top quality support act, for a great night out.
Comedian Paul Kerensa is a church-hopper. Not because he can’t settle, but because his job sends him all over the country, every weekend. Every Friday and Saturday night he’s hurling jokes at audiences in different towns – it can be hen parties in Birmingham one weekend, a Cornish arts centre the next. His ritual has always been to find dirt-cheap Saturday night accommodation, and an enriching nearby church on Sunday morning. In his experience, the churches are more diverse – and more often than not tougher gigs – than the secular comedy circuit. So a Comedian Walks Into a Church … is the hilarious diary of Paul’s unusual life. Behind the gags, church-goers will learn some valuable lessons about how they present themselves to strangers.
‘So A Comedian Walks Into A Church’ is published on March 20th 2013, and is a comedic love letter to both the church and the stand-up comedy circuit. It’s a tale of life on the road, stopping at places of mirth and places of worship. Paul’s that rare breed: a comedian who’s also a Christian. A typical weekend sees him far from home telling jokes on a Saturday night, then the next day exploring the locality for a Sunday service… which may differ from what he’s used to at his regular C of E. From Quakers to Catholics to Charismatics to Café Church, Paul shares his experience of the lot, via anecdotes of performing for cruises, fringes and lots of big cringes. 
‘If I was a joke thief, I would be shinning up Paul Kerensa’s drainpipe.’ Milton Jones
‘A comic wave that just keeps coming … As effortless a writer as he is a performer.’ The Stage
‘Paul Kerensa’s writing never fails to be uniquely funny and interesting. TV comedy is richer for Paul being a part of it.’ Miranda Hart
Paul Kerensa is known as BBC’s go-to guy for ‘gagging up’ sitcom scripts, and has been on the writing teams for Miranda and Not Going Out for all series. Paul is known on the UK comedy circuit as a likeable and creative comic, starting out by winning ITV’s Take The Mike Award in 2002. He has since played venues from The Comedy Store to Montreal Comedy Festival, including five Edinburgh Festival solo shows. He was on the writing team that won the British Comedy Award for Best New Sitcom for Miranda, as well as the Rose d’Or Award for Best Sitcom for Not Going Out. He’s also written for radio shows like The Now Show and The News Quiz. ‘So A Comedian Walks Into A Church’ is his first book.