TV comedian Sophie Duker joined Hackney theatre scene veterans at the Rio Cinema last night to launch a comedy exhibition.
The 2022 Taskmaster winner credited the Dalston community with inspiring her to get into comedy. Ms Duker said: “Growing up, I knew that west African people were funny because of my aunties, people I met in Ridley Road and other overlapping diaspora communities here.”
The Hackney Comedy Roots exhibition panel was chaired by Danny Francis, cartoonist and founder of 1990s satirical magazine Skank. He spoke of the importance of representation for young black creatives.
“I first saw black stand-up and theatre at the Hackney Empire,” said Mr Francis. “It was great to see someone who looked like me doing that; it made me think maybe I could do it.”
The panel also included comedians Devon Morgan and Charles Tomlin, who helped bring Jamaican humour to the UK through their “roots theatre” plays at the Hackney Empire in the 1980s.
Ms Duker paid tribute to the two men, saying that she felt “welcomed like [she hadn’t been] before” when performing at the Hackney Empire because she could “feel that heritage of black comedy in the space”.
Comedian Selam Amare and theatre producer Frank Sweeney were also on the panel.
The exhibition, which runs until 7 November, is showcasing profiles of black comedians in Hackney – including stars like Oliver Samuel – alongside descriptions of their work. It is hosted by Reel Rebels Radio and curated by If Mi Nuh Laugh Mi Cry!.
Alice Graham of Reel Rebels Radio said: “We’re interested in the resilience of black humour, this tradition of resistance and protest through the ages, all under the hub of the Hackney Empire, where it bubbled away into what we have today.”
Flora Symington is the beat reporter for Dalston. She is interested in community-focussed stories with people at their heart, and wants to hear from anyone and everyone in this vibrant area. Before moving to London Flora wrote for the Basingstoke Gazette, Cherwell and Trill Mag, as well as presenting and producing podcasts about media and the arts.