Groningen Student Cabaret Festival now also in the pub

The Groningen Student Cabaret Festival (GSCF) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and the celebrations will continue throughout the year. In addition to an anniversary party in Amsterdam, the Pub Cabaret will also take place in the city where it all originated: Groningen. On May 25, 2016, the GSCF will take on an extra dimension in several cafes in the Ellebogenbuurt.

“Since it is the 30th edition, we as the board thought it would be fun to do something extra this year, and that is how the Pub Cabaret came about,” says Mark Dijkhuizen, participant liaison for the festival. “Discussions are underway to work together with the Night of the Tip to set up a stage with comedians on the Grote Markt.” But until that is finalized, the focus is first on the Ellebogenbuurt in the city.

Paul Ruys, owner of café De Keyzer, was the first to sign up for a cabaret performance in his café. He also has café Mulder, Jazz Café Alto, the Watchmaker and Dinercafé Soestdijk has agreed to provide a stage for stand-up comedy acts by former finalists of the cabaret festival. The organization's board hopes to generate even more awareness and attract a diverse audience through KroegenCabaret.

History
In October 1987, the very first edition of the GSCF took place at the initiative of then-student Michiel van Mens. After a few years, the event grew into a three-day festival that moved to the Groningen City TheatreIn the past, the festival discovered several talents such as Theo Maassen, Jochem Myjer, and Mike & Thomas, and hopes to continue doing so.

The addition of a Try-Out Tour has created the opportunity for participants to gradually perfect their piece through interaction with the audience. After several years, the Finalist Tour was also added to the cabaret process; the tour gives the three finalists that final push and allows various cities to discover the cabaret talents. This year, these include cities such as Enschede, Zwolle, Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, but also Antwerp.

Groningen Student Cabaret Festival 2016
Comedians can still register for the audition rounds; the process then begins with the participants' weekend in June, guided by director Audrey Bolder. The try-outs will start in September, and the (semi-)finalists will shine in October.

The festival itself takes place this year from October 26 to 28, with the two semi-finals held on the first two days and the final closing the festival on Friday, October 28, at the Stadsschouwburg. Here, the Jury Prize, the Personality Prize, and the Audience Prize will be awarded. The three finalists will subsequently make their mark on the theater through the Finalist Tour.

In addition to the participants' shows, there will also be guest appearances by various well-known comedians to admire.

Register and more information
Want to participate? You can still register until Monday, April 25. For the participation conditions, the registration form, and more information, see this website or email to deelnemersbegeleiding@gscf.nl.