The Three Pillars: Comedy, Conversation & Community

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! Today’s episode, ‘The Three Pillars: Comedy, Conversation & Community’, is a special global journey celebrating the heart of what makes our show unique. Join us as we take a closer look at our show’s core themes with incredible guests from around the world. Our first stop is Vancouver, Canada, where we meet Aidan Parker, a writer, filmmaker, and award-winning member of the Canadian improv community. Aidan shares his passion for comedy and leads Kevin through some engaging improvisation exercises that you can play along with at home. Aidan shows us how comedy and improv can bridge cultures and create community. Next, we travel to Amstelveen in the Netherlands to chat with Amber Teterissa, a communication coach, trainer, and actor. Amber delves into the art of difficult conversations and the importance of bold communication.  Finally, we turn to the UK to hear from poet Rishi Rian, whose moving work captures one man’s search for connection through community. Rishi’s poetic insights remind us of the strength we find in coming together. This episode also features our classic segments, ‘Stump the Room’, which has been given a Trivial Pursuit twist and our Victorian Parlour Game this week has been taken straight from the Netherlands: Spijkerpoepen, or ‘Nail Pooping’. Yes, you read that right—prepare for some laughs and surprises as we embrace this quirky Dutch tradition! Don’t miss our festive finale, ‘Christmas Cheese and Reindeer Games!’ on December 13th, a show filled with cheese tasting, music, holiday stories, and lively Christmas parlour games. Book your tickets now and join us for the ultimate holiday gathering in support of Babylon Migrants Project. Follow us on Instagram @thebigsmokevariety and don’t forget to rate us 5 stars on your podcast app of choice!