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Linda Smith Lecture with Bridget Christie

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  • Linda Smith Lecture with Bridget Christie

    • Join us for this annual celebration of Linda Smith, each year lead by a well know name from the comedy world, this year we are joined by Bridget Christie!

    The Linda Smith Lecture was established in 2015 as an annual event to celebrate the much-missed comedian’s life and work, and to reflect on the comedy business.

    Previous speakers include Mark Thomas, Barry Cryer, Jo Brand,  Angela Barnes, Henry Normal (pic) and Jan Ravens – making serious points while also being extremely funny. This year we are joined by the wonderful Bridget Christie!

    Bridget Christie’s breakthrough show A Bic for Her (which broke box office records at Soho Theatre) received widespread acclaim and numerous awards, including the 2013 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show, the 2014 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Best Comedy, the 2014 Chortle Award for Best Show, and a 2014 Hospital 100 Club Award for Performance and Theatre. 

    Her 2016 show Because You Demanded It—a sharp and timely response to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union—was named The Guardian’s No. 1 Comedy of the Year. It won the 2017 Chortle Award for Best Show and sold out its entire run in both Edinburgh and the West End. That same year, Bridget made history as the first British female comedian to have a stand-up special on Netflix with Stand Up for Her. 

    Her critically acclaimed radio work includes Bridget Christie’s Utopia, which was a finalist for Best Comedy (Longform) at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards, and Mortal, which won the award in 2022. 

    In addition to her writing and stand-up success, Bridget has appeared on numerous TV and radio programmes, including Have I Got News for You, QI, Harry Hill’s Alien Fun Capsule, The News Quiz, Dilemma, and Taskmaster. 

    Bridget’s star-studded comedy-drama The Change (Channel 4) earned her nominations in 2024 for both an RTS Comedy Writing Award and a BAFTA for Best Performance in a Comedy.  The Guardian praised it as “a super-cool menopause comedy like nothing else on TV.”   Series 2 was released on Channel 4 in March this year.  The show has earned Bridget a new and fiercely loyal legion of fans. 

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    Linda Smith Lecture with Bridget Christie

    Mon 3 November

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    ART31

    ART31 takes its name from Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, which states that ‘Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities’.

    ART31 is a vision created with, by, and for young people in Kent, championing the belief that all children and young people have an entitlement to access high quality arts and culture, to empower them to achieve their creative potential, and to genuinely engage young people as equal partners in any decision making that affects them.

    The ART31 Youth Board is made up of young people from across Kent aged 13-25 who steer its governance, and influence policy and practice across the county and beyond, challenging the creative sector to examine existing ways of working and integrate young people into the core of their practice.

    Our projects with young people

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    Live Streaming film equipment.

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    Screen31 is a group for young people aged 15-25 interested in developing their film-making skills.
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    TECH31

    TECH31 provides free practical training in technical theatre for ages 13 - 25

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    NT Connections is the National Theatre’s nationwide youth theatre festival. Each year it offers a unique opportunity for youth theatres and school theatre groups to stage new plays written for young people by some of theatre’s most exciting playwrights, and to perform in leading theatres across the UK.
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    Gulbenkian Uncovered

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    Square Pegs Arts are an award winning charity who provide drama groups, music projects and other accessible Arts opportunities for children and young adults who have learning disabilities and autism, and produce original, inspiring, challenging Theatre. Difference is celebrated and everyone is supported to shine in their own way.
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    Monthly film screenings that are open to all, especially those with autism and learning disabilities.

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    ARTY31

    Gulbenkian’s ARTY31 group is for young people aged 8-12 with a wide variety of arts interests.

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