Komedia is an object lesson in entrepreneurship in the arts.
What is now one of the UK’s most respected arts and entertainment organisations began life as a cabaret bar and theatre in a refurbished billiard hall in Brighton’s Kemp Town. After touring Europe with Umbrella Theatre, co-founders David Lavendar and Colin Granger established Komedia in 1994 to help breathe new life into the city’s arts and cultural community. Despite the name Komedia is not just about comedy. The name was chosen after a trip to Poland and actually means “theatre”, although it took a while for people to catch on in the early days.
The core idea behind Komedia was to establish an arts venue that didn’t rely on government funding for survival. In an interview with The Hub 100 business club, Granger recalls: “Our goal was to make theatre, music and comedy accessible to everyone and run an arts centre like a business. My belief was that if you could offer a wide program that appealed to many people and serve food and drink then you could make the arts pay.”
The site had a theatre, which barely sat a hundred people, plus an upstairs cafe and cabaret bar. It was an overnight success as audiences flocked to see then unknown talent such as Graham Norton and the League of Gentlemen.
The genius of the concept was allowing people to just pop in for a drink or a meal without any pressure to watch the show, which invariably they did. It soon became clear the old billiard hall wasn’t big enough.
In 1998, Komedia moved to Jubilee Market transforming what had been a supermarket into a nationally important hub for the arts.
True to the vision that they had begun to realise through Umbrella Theatre, the founders ensured that Komedia attracted the best local as well as international talent in comedy, music, dance and theatre. Audiences responded in droves – the quality of the acts driving box office success. Not only was the business proving profitable but the old supermarket site steadily increased in value enabling Komedia to draw on the equity and invest further in the company. Next came the awards.
In 2002 Komedia was named Best Family Friendly Theatre in the South East by Arts Council England as well as receiving a string of Best Comedy Venue awards bestowed by Chortle. Two years ago its standing in the South East was cemented with the award for Best Cultural Destination presented at the glittering Brighton and Hove Business Awards ceremony in 2005.
And the accolades haven’t just been for the venue. Many of the acts it attracts and supports are recognised as being at the top of their respective trees, like Japanese mime duo, Gamarjobat, who picked up the Best International Act during last year’s Brighton Festival. Success afforded Komedia the confidence and capital to branch out into new areas. The Komedia Group, which administers the venue, now incorporates a studio with editing facilities. And it has also spawned Komedia Entertainment, a management and production arm of the company that aims to nurture and develop local and international talent.
The director of Komedia Entertainment is entrepreneurial dynamo Richard Daws as director. In 1998 Daws co-founded digital communications company Victoria Real, which was bought out by Endemol (producers of Big Brother) in 2000. Daws has helped mastermind Komedia’s reputation amongst performers here and abroad and, in Sussex at least, is something of a guru to would-be entrepreneurs in any sectors, not just the arts. Komedia Entertainment has put together shows for several international festivals, including in Edinburgh, where Komedia has a longstanding involvement with the Aurora Nova Festival, which it has managed since 2001. And it’s influence continues to spread.
Thanks to Komedia, Bath audiences can expect a massive boost to the city’s summer live entertainment programme when Komedia’s new venue opens at the start of the summer. Work is already underway to the exquisite Grade II art-deco The Beau Nash Picture House into Komedia’s first entertainment complex outside Brighton.
Meanwhile the Brighton venue is heading back to it’s roots. When an announcement last year the complex would be getting a makeover, co-founder David Lavendar said the incorporation of a small stage area close to one of the bars was a return to the original vision. “It has long been a wish for us to have a venue with a caf-bar again. We wanted people to wander into a café and then decide whether they wanted just a drink or to see a show as well,” he said.
What worked the first time round is likely to exceed all expectations in 2007.