Tony Allen (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Tony Allen is an English comedian
and writer. Best known as one of the original "alternative comedians" Tony Allen's artistic career had taken many radical turns before he temporarily abandoned his Speaker's Corner "Full-Frontal Anarchy Platform" in May 1979 for the stage of London's Comedy Store. Two months later he founded Alternative Cabaret
with Alexei Sayle
and ran a regular "Alt Cab" Club night in the back bar of the Elgin Pub on Ladbroke Grove
.
During the seventies Allen wrote three more radio plays including an Afternoon Theatre play, Two Fingers Finnegan Comes Again, co-written with Vernon Magee and bespoke for the actor Wilfred Brambell. He went on to devise and write over twenty plays for fringe and community theatre, most memorably, Metropolitan with Ken Robinson (British author), for the Young People's Theatre Scheme at The Royal Court Theatre
; and various productions at The Theatre Royal, Stratford East; including their Christmas Panto Robin Hood (1975) which he co-wrote with Heathcote Williams
. He later co-wrote a television play with Ken Robinson - “Ce Sera” for TVS's "Dramarama".
(1975-6); the Ladbroke Grove
monthly "Corrugated Times" (1976); "The New Instant" with Chris Saunders (1985) and the eighth re-launch of "International Times
" (1986). Tony Allen continued writing columns for radical journals; the most recent beiing “Lofty Tone” in the late 1990s DIY activist rag, "Squall".
With his writing partner Max Handley (1945–1990) he was occasional script-writer for many TV and Radio shows such as "Spitting Image
", "Naked Video
", “Week Ending
” and "Alas Smith and Jones
". Allen and Handley were also responsible for the words to the daily three frame comic strip Soho Square in the short-lived London Daily News; Pete Rigg was the cartoonist.
co-presented the Granada TV/Channel 4 science-based programme, "Fourth Dimension" which included performing (and co-writing with Handley), a weekly five-minute piece to camera, plus other filmed journalism.
In The Heckler Tony Allen was in mentoring role to a couple of trainee hecklers, as the central theme for BBC3 TV’s documentary about the history of political heckling at the hustings, coinciding with the 2005 General Election.
, Tony was resident comedian in the early days of the The Comedy Store, London
(1979–1980) and took over from Alexei Sayle as resident MC early in l981.
In 1980, Tony Allen and Alexei Sayle took their solo stand-up acts to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe under the title “Late Night Alternative”. Tony continued to appear on the Edinburgh Fringe for the next twelve years. Most successful was his “1984 Meaning of Life Crusade", with Sharon Landau and Roy Hutchins. In 1989, he acted the role of “Clopin, King of the Thieves” in Max Handley's stage musical "Quasimodo".
In the early eighties, Allen supported rock bands, including “Killing Joke
” at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
(1980) and “The Clash
” at Portsmouth Town Hall (1981); he also supported anarcho-punk band “Poison Girls
” on two national “No Nukes Music” tours.
In the late eighties, he was a founder member of “Green Wedge”, and performed in a series of one-off benefit gigs as MC/support to, among others, John Martyn (musician), Osibisa, and Joe Strummer
's “Latino Rockabilly War”.
In 1990, Allen toured extensively with his solo show "Sold Out" about an Amazonian tribal shaman who understands both the workings of the Futures Exchange and the logic of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. A truncated version of the Heisenberg piece was also featured on Granada TV's "Fourth Dimension".
Economics, viewed as a bogus science for scam artists causing both personal and planetary debt, was one of the subjects tackled in his full-length stand-up Edinburgh show "Final Demand-The Grim Repo Man is at the Door." (1993).
In 1994 he teamed up again with Sharon Landau and Roy Hutchins for a season of live cabaret gigs "Ain't Necessarily Solo".
His last solo show before semi-retirement was "The End is Nigh” a mischievous piece of panic-mongering about the Y2K bug which took the form of a public meeting, and had its final performance pertinently at Speakers Corner in October 1999, before he went to live in the hills of Cumbria for a year.
. Since 2003 he has had a similar relationship with the drama department at the University of Kent
working with ex-comic and colleague Dr. Oliver Double.
Allen has been the Artistic Director of “New Agenda Arts Trust” from June 1995, coaching, mentoring and running regular workshops. Late in 1995, New Agenda launched the “Performance Club” to promote innovative performers and to showcase emerging workshop talent. In 2005, The Performance Club took up a 2-year residency at the “Inn On The Green” London W11 – most notable among the regular performers was the late Ken Campbell
who also ran a monthly impro workshop.
“A Summer in the Park. A Journal of Speakers’ Corner” – Published by Freedom Press
(2004)
“Alternative Cabaret” – An album showcasing four alternative comedians: Tony Allen, Jim Barclay, Pauline Melville and Andy de la Tour (1981).
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and writer. Best known as one of the original "alternative comedians" Tony Allen's artistic career had taken many radical turns before he temporarily abandoned his Speaker's Corner "Full-Frontal Anarchy Platform" in May 1979 for the stage of London's Comedy Store. Two months later he founded Alternative Cabaret
Alternative Cabaret
Alternative Cabaret was a collective of politically-motivated performers and musicians. It was set up by Tony Allen and Alexei Sayle in the summer of 1979 shortly after they had met at the newly opened London Comedy Store...
with Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle is a British stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was a central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007...
and ran a regular "Alt Cab" Club night in the back bar of the Elgin Pub on Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
.
Plays
In 1973 he was co-founder with John Miles of Rough Theatre and co-wrote and performed in all five of its productions. The most memorable being "Dwelling Unit Sweet Dwelling Unit" (1973) which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4's "Thirty Minute Theatre" (1977) and "Free Milk and Orange Juice" (1976) which had a short run at the ICA.During the seventies Allen wrote three more radio plays including an Afternoon Theatre play, Two Fingers Finnegan Comes Again, co-written with Vernon Magee and bespoke for the actor Wilfred Brambell. He went on to devise and write over twenty plays for fringe and community theatre, most memorably, Metropolitan with Ken Robinson (British author), for the Young People's Theatre Scheme at The Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
; and various productions at The Theatre Royal, Stratford East; including their Christmas Panto Robin Hood (1975) which he co-wrote with Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams is an English poet, actor and award-winning playwright. He is also an intermittent painter, sculptor and long-time conjuror...
. He later co-wrote a television play with Ken Robinson - “Ce Sera” for TVS's "Dramarama".
Journalism
Allen’s obsession with small press journalism led him into countless publishing ventures, most notoriously the vacant property bulletins of the "Ruff Tuff Creem Puff Estate Agency for Squatters" again with Heathcote WilliamsHeathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams is an English poet, actor and award-winning playwright. He is also an intermittent painter, sculptor and long-time conjuror...
(1975-6); the Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
monthly "Corrugated Times" (1976); "The New Instant" with Chris Saunders (1985) and the eighth re-launch of "International Times
International Times
International Times was an underground newspaper founded in London in 1966. Editors included Hoppy, David Mairowitz, Pete Stansill, Barry Miles, Jim Haynes and playwright Tom McGrath...
" (1986). Tony Allen continued writing columns for radical journals; the most recent beiing “Lofty Tone” in the late 1990s DIY activist rag, "Squall".
Scripts
In the late eighties, Allen contributed regular scripts and prose to the youth comic magazines: "Crisis", "Revolver" and "Judge Dredd-The Megazine". Of particular interest was a 24 page graphic documentary with artist Dave Hine about events leading to the Tiannamen Square Massacre.With his writing partner Max Handley (1945–1990) he was occasional script-writer for many TV and Radio shows such as "Spitting Image
Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
", "Naked Video
Naked Video
Naked Video was a BBC Scotland comedy series, broadcast between 1986 and 1991 on BBC2, the series was created by Colin Gilbert who also created A Kick Up the Eighties and Naked Radio.-Naked Radio:...
", “Week Ending
Week Ending
Week Ending... was a satirical radio current affairs sketch show, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, usually on Friday evenings. It was devised by writer/producers Simon Brett and David Hatch, and was originally hosted by Nationwide presenter Michael Barratt.The show's title was always announced as...
” and "Alas Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones is a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1984 to 1998...
". Allen and Handley were also responsible for the words to the daily three frame comic strip Soho Square in the short-lived London Daily News; Pete Rigg was the cartoonist.
TV Presenting
In 1989 and 1990, Allen and Caron KeatingCaron Keating
Caron Louisa Keating was a Northern Irish television presenter on British and Northern Irish television.-Early life and education:...
co-presented the Granada TV/Channel 4 science-based programme, "Fourth Dimension" which included performing (and co-writing with Handley), a weekly five-minute piece to camera, plus other filmed journalism.
In The Heckler Tony Allen was in mentoring role to a couple of trainee hecklers, as the central theme for BBC3 TV’s documentary about the history of political heckling at the hustings, coinciding with the 2005 General Election.
Stand-up Comedy
Affectionately known as the Godfather of Alternative ComedyAlternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
, Tony was resident comedian in the early days of the The Comedy Store, London
The Comedy Store, London
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England, opened in 1979 by Don Ward and Peter Rosengard.It was named after The Comedy Store club in the United States, which Rosengard had visited the previous year...
(1979–1980) and took over from Alexei Sayle as resident MC early in l981.
In 1980, Tony Allen and Alexei Sayle took their solo stand-up acts to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe under the title “Late Night Alternative”. Tony continued to appear on the Edinburgh Fringe for the next twelve years. Most successful was his “1984 Meaning of Life Crusade", with Sharon Landau and Roy Hutchins. In 1989, he acted the role of “Clopin, King of the Thieves” in Max Handley's stage musical "Quasimodo".
In the early eighties, Allen supported rock bands, including “Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
” at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
(1980) and “The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
” at Portsmouth Town Hall (1981); he also supported anarcho-punk band “Poison Girls
Poison Girls
The Poison Girls were an English anarcho-punk band. The female singer/guitarist, Vi Subversa, was a middle-aged mother of two at the band's inception, and wrote songs that explored sexuality and gender roles, usually from an anarchist perspective...
” on two national “No Nukes Music” tours.
In the late eighties, he was a founder member of “Green Wedge”, and performed in a series of one-off benefit gigs as MC/support to, among others, John Martyn (musician), Osibisa, and Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
's “Latino Rockabilly War”.
In 1990, Allen toured extensively with his solo show "Sold Out" about an Amazonian tribal shaman who understands both the workings of the Futures Exchange and the logic of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. A truncated version of the Heisenberg piece was also featured on Granada TV's "Fourth Dimension".
Economics, viewed as a bogus science for scam artists causing both personal and planetary debt, was one of the subjects tackled in his full-length stand-up Edinburgh show "Final Demand-The Grim Repo Man is at the Door." (1993).
In 1994 he teamed up again with Sharon Landau and Roy Hutchins for a season of live cabaret gigs "Ain't Necessarily Solo".
His last solo show before semi-retirement was "The End is Nigh” a mischievous piece of panic-mongering about the Y2K bug which took the form of a public meeting, and had its final performance pertinently at Speakers Corner in October 1999, before he went to live in the hills of Cumbria for a year.
Workshops
Tony Allen started teaching stand-up comedy as early as 1982. He has since lectured and run workshops in a range of situations throughout the UK. From the late eighties to the mid-nineties, he was a regular workshop tutor with the drama department of Middlesex UniversityMiddlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
. Since 2003 he has had a similar relationship with the drama department at the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
working with ex-comic and colleague Dr. Oliver Double.
Allen has been the Artistic Director of “New Agenda Arts Trust” from June 1995, coaching, mentoring and running regular workshops. Late in 1995, New Agenda launched the “Performance Club” to promote innovative performers and to showcase emerging workshop talent. In 2005, The Performance Club took up a 2-year residency at the “Inn On The Green” London W11 – most notable among the regular performers was the late Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian.Ken Campbell may also refer to:* Ken Campbell , Canadian evangelist* Ken Campbell , former Scotland international goalkeeper...
who also ran a monthly impro workshop.
Publications
“Attitude! Wanna Make Something of it? The Secret of Stand-up Comedy” – Published by Gothic Image (2002).“A Summer in the Park. A Journal of Speakers’ Corner” – Published by Freedom Press
Freedom Press
The Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1886, it is the largest anarchist publishing house in the nation and the oldest of its kind in the English speaking world. It is based at 84b Whitechapel High Street in the East End of London...
(2004)
Sound recordings
“One of Our Safety Valves is Missing” – A 45-minute recorded live stage act produced by John Williams for Red Tapes (1980).“Alternative Cabaret” – An album showcasing four alternative comedians: Tony Allen, Jim Barclay, Pauline Melville and Andy de la Tour (1981).