The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society
The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society (ACMS) is a British Comedy Night where comedians are invited to perform sets that might not work at more mainstream comedy nights. It was founded by John-Luke Roberts and Thom Tuck at the New Red Lion Theatre[1] in Islington, though since summer 2012 it has usually been held at the Soho Theatre.[2] It has been running since March 2011, usually on Monday evenings.
The show
The show is curated and hosted by John-Luke Roberts and Thom Tuck who are not a traditional double act. There are a group of regular comedians, referred to as "The Board": William Andrews, Steve Pretty, Tom Bell, Bridget Christie, Alexis Dubus, Nadia Kamil, Josie Long, Sara Pascoe, Isy Suttie and Ben Target. After the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe, when ACMS was playing as part of the Heroes of Fringe programme in the Hive, Joz Norris was appointed an Honorary Board Member in recognition of his pretending to be the next act on throughout every single ACMS for the entire month, before eventually performing on the final night.
There are various traditions at the ACMS, such as a list of permitted heckles and a repeated call and response with the audience.
In December 2012, the "AXMS panto" debuted. This was loosely structured around a performance of Aladdin, and played with many pantomime conventions.
Permitted Heckles
The show has a tradition of only allowing a select list of permitted heckles and any other heckles will be discounted with a cry of "Not a permitted heckle!"
The Permitted Heckles are as follows:
- We appreciate what you’re trying to do!
- Tell us a joke! The ones you've been telling so far have been brilliant.*
- Help - my friend here is having a stroke. Not really.
- That's a Tim Vine/Joe Pasquale joke, surely.
- Could you speak a bit louder please?
- Would you like a woman to sort it out?
(*Not permitted if said sarcastically.)
More recently, "We drew you a cat" (with the caveat that you must have drawn them a cat) and "Also creepy" have been added to the list after their initial accidental success.
Traditions and catchphrases
At the opening of each show, as well as the list of permitted heckles being read out, emphasis is put on the alternative nature of the show with the reading of the motto "Joke? ≥ Joke". This is followed by a list of things that Joke is greater than. After each act has performed the hosts return to the stage exclaiming "A failure!" to which the audience reply "A noble failure!"
Catchphrases include:
- "We're not a traditional double act"
- "Has a whistle. Never uses it."
Hashtag
The hashtag #ACMS is used when referring to the show on Twitter. The hosts are fully aware that many other institutions use this hashtag. These include the Academy of Country Music Awards and at least one American Middle School.
The Alternative Alternative Comedy Memorial Society
A rival show, called The Alternative Alternative Comedy Memorial Society, or #AACMS, has recently started. It is, however, too alternative for Wikipedia.
Bombs
A: Atom
B: Bomb
C: We all know what this is
D: Dirty
E: Existential
F: We all know what this is
G: Gee!
H: We all know what this is
I: IRA
J: Jäger
K: Potassium
L: Love
M: Marriage
N: We all know what this is
O: Oppenheimer
P: Pregnancy
Q: Quorn
R: Pirate
S: Pay-My-Rent
T: Tim Vine
Notable guests
Comedy Blaps
The show has been filmed as a series of Comedy Blaps for Channel 4. Due for release in late 2013 the series is produced by Adrian Sturges and directed by Chris Shepherd.