Interview with Moon, sketch duo

Sketch duo Jack Chisnall and Joshua Dolphin talk about Edinburgh, showbiz, and advice they wish they were told when they started

Interview with Moon, sketch duo

Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?

Hello, we’re Moon - a sketch duo comprised of Jack Chisnall and Joshua Dolphin, two proud sons of England’s regional backwaters. We do dark and dirty little comedy numbers: sketches, songs and the like.

Tell us about your show?

It’s a sketch show - but not like the usual ones, where some private schoolboys swagger on and talk about Latin. It’s all sort of filtered through our bleak provincial worldview. Something for everyone. Hopefully, it’s a good something.

Why do you want to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is it different from other festivals?

You’d have thought that YouTube or something would have long ago replaced live comedy festivals as the traditional route in showbusiness. But it hasn’t - the Fringe weirdly remains the wicket gate through which all comics have to pass. It’s the place to be.  No idea if it’s different to other comedy festivals - it’s certainly a world away from the Crank and Kings Moss Scarecrow Festival in Wigan.

What first motivated you to enter the industry? Who were your inspirations?

Did lots of sketch-based nonsense on stage at university without any hope of continuing it, thinking that only stand-ups had a place in the comedy industry. It was seeing sketch groups like The Pin that showed the way - it really gave you the hope that sketches could be accessible and cool.

Do you ever feel any pressure to be a social commentator, or constantly update material to respond to events?

We’re actually really stubborn about cultural references in the show - frequently been asked why we refer to things like John Prescott and hosepipe bans. But you’ve got to pick stuff that makes you laugh first - until you perform it to increasingly diminished returns, resent it, and rue your own lack of contemporary reference points. Absolutely slay with the 30-50 bracket though.

Equally, do you feel there has been a shift in public sentiment that has affected your work?

Jack sings a song in the show related to the World Cup - the better England have done, the better its response. So, on the one hand, gutted that people have been trying to tip buses over in London, rabid with World Cup fever, but we’re thrilled to have two minutes of top drawer material in the show.

Describe the last year in 5 words or less?

Surprisingly few shockers of gigs

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a show up to the fringe?

I think Johnny Carson said something about empathy from an audience towards a performer is 90% of the battle. Never truer than at the Fringe. Go in with a generous spirit to really share something with people. Prepare yourself for a two-star review from someone who didn’t ‘get it’.

And what advice do you wish you’d been given when entering the industry?

Showbusiness is a craft to be learned. Who ‘makes it’ is not predetermined. It’s very American Dream, but I’ll never let go of that Steve Martin quote: “Be so good they can’t ignore you”. You just keep working on ways to get better, and you will get better the more you keep trying.

When and where can people see your show?

9.30pm, 1-27th August, at the Pleasance Attic

And where can people find, follow and like you online?

Our website: www.mooncomedy.co.uk, or twitter (@mooncomedy).


Venue: Pleasance Attic

Time: 9.30pm

Dates: 1st-28th August 2018

Show link: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/moon#overview

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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