Staffer in the Spotlight
By day Gemma Daubney goes about the serious business of balancing books and controlling credit… no laughing matter some might say. But by night the bubbly blonde swaps maths for belly laughs as one of Manchester’s most promising young comedy directors.
With two acclaimed productions under her belt, plus a successful career here at FirstFound, Gemma, 24, is our Staffer in the Spotlight.
1. You manage to balance two careers. Tell us about your background.
I studied classical theatre at university in Leeds and, in my third year I opted to do a directing module and selected a comedic piece called ‘The Bald Primadonna’, written by Eugene Ionesco. It is an absurd play based on an upper-class dinner party that descends into madness! I directed a 30 minute segment of the play for a showcase evening including examiners, students and the general public. A month after the exam I was approached by someone from the West Yorkshire Playhouse who had seen the performance. They invited me to enter it for a festival they were holding. I did and very surprisingly it won, which was a great end to a fantastic three years! I graduated in June 2007 with a 2:1 and an accolade for directing my festival win.
2. How did you become involved with Sitcom Shorts?
I saw an advert by the Manchester Comedy Writers Group through a web link that was forwarded to me. It turned out that the head of the group Jenny Roche lives near my home. After a few conversations I discovered they were actually looking for a director to put on their show. Each of the five writers in the group had written a short sitcom sketch of 15 minutes and were looking to premier them in the form of a show for the 2009 MIST Festival.
I sent her a showreel and I was enlisted to audition, cast, direct and construct the show – in the space of six weeks!
When it was finally finished it was a non-stop, fast-paced, joke-a-minute show! Thankfully… it went down a storm, and we were fortunate enough to have a full house… both nights!
3. What other projects do you have in the pipeline?
One of the sitcoms may be developed into a series and I hope to be involved in that particular project. Jenny is still looking at comedy venues with the intention to downsize the show and take it on tour.
I am also working with one of the actors on a short script that we are hoping to turn into a show and premier at the ‘greenroom’, Manchester, in the New Year, so I’ll definitely keep Optimise readers posted!
4. How have your colleagues at FirstFound encouraged you in your comedy endeavours?
Everyone at FirstFound has been fantastically supportive. I’ve been here for nearly two years and I think all the staff (most importantly all my team mates on Admin) deserve a pat on the back for tolerating me! Being an actress in a confined space I am prone to amateur dramatics… yes even in work!
I’m loud and over the top – especially on Monday mornings. But so many of my workmates came and supported the show and you can’t ask for much more really! Except… maybe a pay rise? Don’t think my acting skills are up to that quite yet!