Comedy night to showcase neurodiverse performers
BBCA new venue at the Leicester Comedy Festival is to host an event to showcasing disabled and neurodiverse performers.
Sunny Skies Cafe in Melton, which creates opportunities for adults with learning disabilities, is one of 12 new venues and is the smallest space hosting a show at this year's festival.
The Sunny Skies Comedy Showcase will be held on Tuesday at 18:00 GMT, before the venue hosts its Stilton Silliness Bingo Night on 15 February at 19:00.
Lauren Stacey, the venue's operations manager, said the team was "excited" to bring the festival out of the city and into the county.
The comedy showcase will be "an inclusive, accessible night of comedy", she said, with some of the adults from the cafe performing for the first time.
"We've got lots of knock-knock jokes, but we've also got some skits and drama, quite a bit of poetry as well," she told the BBC.
She said she hoped to fit 20 to 25 people in the venue for the "intimate" gig.
"We just wanted to make it happen in whatever way we can," Ms Stacey said.
"So we'll be moving some tables around and making sure we fit everyone in.
The bingo night will "show off Melton's heritage" and includes cheesy puns, prizes, jokes and actual cheese sold at the cafe.
'So many barriers'
When asked why she wanted to be part of the festival, Ms Stacey said: "I've been to the Leicester Comedy Festival for years.
"I live near the city centre, and I was really kind of saddened that a lot of the people in the community around us in Melton had never really heard of it.
"But also for a lot of adults with a learning disability, it's really hard to get out and attend these festivals.
"Transport's an issue, getting support in the evening. And, you know, there are so many barriers.
"And we really just wanted to break that down and give the guys an opportunity to be part of the festival and to showcase their talent."
Additional reporting by BBC Radio Leicester
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