The Gilded Balloon
Encyclopedia
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
's Cowgate
Cowgate
The Cowgate is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about 5 minutes' walk from Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street's name is derived from the fact that cows were herded down it for Edinburgh's market days in previous centuries .The street is part of the lower...
. When a fire destroyed the original premises, Teviot Row House
Teviot Row House
Teviot Row House is one of the Student Union buildings at Edinburgh University, Scotland...
in Bristo Square became the Gilded Balloon's main venue.
History
The Gilded Balloon was established by Karen Koren in 1986, operating on a site on CowgateCowgate
The Cowgate is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about 5 minutes' walk from Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street's name is derived from the fact that cows were herded down it for Edinburgh's market days in previous centuries .The street is part of the lower...
in the building that was formerly J and R Allan's department store, staging seven shows a day. The name is taken from a seventeenth-century hatters that stood on the site of the building.
In 1988, it devised the competition "'So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny? is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 and has become the longest running best comedy newcomer award in Great Britain....
", which has been won by many notable comics including Rhona Cameron
Rhona Cameron
Rhona Cameron is a Scottish comedian. She rose to prominence via the stand-up comedy circuit, and became a regular on British TV in the 1990s.-Television career:...
, Lee Mack
Lee Mack
Lee Gordon McKillop is an English stand-up comedian and actor, known by the stage name Lee Mack. He is well known in the United Kingdom for writing and starring in the sitcom Not Going Out, for being a team captain on Would I Lie to You? and for hosting Lee Mack's All Star Cast.-Personal life:Mack...
, Dylan Moran
Dylan Moran
Dylan Moran is an Irish stand-up comedian, writer, actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his sardonic observational comedy, the UK television sitcom Black Books , and his work with Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead and Run Fatboy Run...
, Tommy Tiernan
Tommy Tiernan
Tommy Tiernan is an Irish comedian, actor and writer. He and Hector Ó hEochagáin present The Tommy and Hector Show on i102-104FM. Tiernan also featured in Father Ted.-Early life:...
and Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
; other finalists have included Ed Byrne
Ed Byrne
Ed Byrne is a Perrier Award-nominated, Irish stand-up comedian, voice over artist and actor. He has presented television shows Uncut! Best Unseen Ads and Just for Laughs, and is a regular guest on various television panel games...
, Jason Byrne
Jason Byrne (comedian)
Jason Byrne is an Irish comedian born in Ballinteer, Dublin, Ireland. In August 2008, he made his twelfth Edinburgh Fringe Festival appearance and is a regular at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs comedy festival....
, Ardal O’Hanlon and Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
. The competition was sponsored by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
from 1993 until 2004, with five and the Paramount Comedy Channel
Paramount Comedy
Paramount Comedy is a 24-hour Spanish cable television and satellite television comedy channel available in Spain. It is owned by MTV Networks Europe and Viacom. In other parts of the world, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy, the channel is known as Comedy Central...
taking over in 2005. Karen Koren is one of the major supporters of Australian comedy talent, and has produced a number of notable Australian acts at the Gilded Balloon over the years, including Greg Fleet
Greg Fleet
-Early life:Greg was born in Michigan, United States. His father moved the family to Australia when Greg was four. He grew up in Geelong and as a teenager boarded at Geelong Grammar School...
, and is particularly noted for being the springboard for the careers of Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin
Timothy David "Tim" Minchin is a British-Australian comedian, actor, and musician.Tim Minchin is best known for his musical comedy, which has featured in six CDs, three DVDs and a number of live comedy shows which he has performed internationally. He has also appeared on television in Australia,...
and Drags Aloud
Drags Aloud
Drags Aloud is an Australian drag entertainment troupe.Drags Aloud is a troupe of Australian Drag Queens which was formed by a co-operative of leading Melbourne drag queens in 2005. The members of Drags Aloud are: Amanda Monroe, Jessica James, and Kris del Vayze....
.
In 2001, the Gilded Balloon expanded to include Teviot Row House
Teviot Row House
Teviot Row House is one of the Student Union buildings at Edinburgh University, Scotland...
in Bristo Square
Bristo Square
Bristo Square, in Edinburgh, Scotland, was built in the early 20th century. Bristo Square is owned by Edinburgh University and acts as a public space. It is commonly used by traceurs, skateboarders, rollerbladers and bmxers for recreational purposes...
, which is owned by the Edinburgh University Students' Association
Edinburgh University Students' Association
Edinburgh University Students' Association provides services, representation and welfare support to matriculated students of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.-Composition:...
. On 7 December 2002, a fire devastated its original Cowgate base. In 2007, the C venues
C venues
C venues is the home of the largest theatre and new writing programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is held annually in August each year...
used the space to create a new venue, the 'Soco Urban Garden'.
The Gilded Balloon continues at Teviot Row House which, in 2005, contained nine performance spaces. The Debating Hall being the Biggest seating 360 and The Turret being the smallest at 50 seats, Other venues include The Dining room, The Wine Bar, The Wee room, The nightclub, the Sportsmans, The Balcony and the Billiard room.
The Gilded Balloon is based in Offices at 25 Greenside Place in Edinburgh and is run by a small team of full time staff
- Karen Koren (Artistic Director)
- Sharon Burgess (General Manager)
- Gary Staerck (Production Manager)
- Phil O'Halloran (Production Manager)
- Alex Macdonald (Finance)
- Rowan Campbell (Administrator)
During his early career, Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
was forcefully ejected from the Gilded Balloon.