Absurdity in Aikman's Cellar: A Profile on the St Andrews Comedy Society

It was the night of 30 September, and Saffron Rowell’s day had been filled with lectures, tutorials, and the library basement. The one thing getting her through it all was the promise of a night of Szentek life drawing. Around 6:55pm, she skipped excitedly into United College, only to be turned away due to overcrowding. Heartbroken, she and her friends decided the only thing that could save their night was a cherry Chouffe at Aikman’s. 

As they slumped into an empty table in the cellar, a man stepped in front of them. In one hand, he held a Garfield teddy with a peculiarly placed slit on its back; in the other, he held a microphone. “I have been practising ventriloquism,” he said, before proceeding to shove his fist up the teddy. This was Rowell’s first introduction to St Andrews’ Comedy Society.

Every other Tuesday, the Comedy Society hosts stand-up nights in Aikman’s Cellar. “For me, the Comedy Society offered a sensational break from my mundane everyday life. I had never heard of the comedy club before that Tuesday, but I am so glad that I found them [...] [it] was one of the most absurd things I have witnessed at St Andrews,”  Rowell said. 

Rowell’s experience in Aikman's that night was exactly what the Comedy Society intended. Eva Rieckewald, the freshly elected President of the Comedy Society, said they aim to “offer the best medicine, which is laughter, and give people an opportunity to come together and experience something that is exciting.” 

Rieckewald has been involved in the Comedy Society for the entirety of her time at St Andrews, and she expressed how grateful she was for a comedic community at university; “I came to St Andrews specifically wanting to get involved in comedy”. She found the community incredibly welcoming — “they are not scary, it's just a fun time.” 

In keeping with Rowell’s characterisation, Rieckewald described the funniest stand-up act she had seen in St Andrews, which involved a comedian pretending to be a “praying mantis that eats foam [...] He was wearing green goggles, a bald cap, and telling jokes as a praying mantis. It was possibly the stupidest thing I have ever seen, but I think I literally shed tears, I was crying so much,” Rieckewald recalled. “I love seeing comedy built on ingenuity, because that is such a random concept, but executing it so well was hysterical.”   

The Comedy Society not only provides entertainment, but also creates a space for students to get involved. Before every show, the society sends out a sign-up sheet to its regular performers. Recently, they have also experimented with an open mic segment. “It’s so that people can get up there and perform,” Rieckewald said. “It has been going really, really well. I have been really impressed by how funny these people are just off the cuff. I think it should be a spontaneous thing sometimes,” she said.

The Society also works with comedians outside of the University who live in Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, creating a space for interaction and exchange. This provides students at St Andrews with the opportunity to work with comedians across the country and perform around Scotland. 

“If people are interested in performance of any kind, I would highly encourage them to come to one of our shows,” Rieckewald said. “We love putting them on, and we love bodies in the room and people who are there, ready to laugh and enjoy themselves. We are lucky enough to have a regular booking at Aikman’s now, so we are there every other Tuesday night.” 

With all the chaos in the world and stress of deadlines, comedy and laughter provide a much-needed (and occasionally absurd) refuge. “Comedy is an art of joy,” Rieckewald stated. “It is an empathy sport. You ask the audience to feel what you feel, and [to] laugh with you. It is cathartic for everyone involved, and it is a great way to spend time and connect with people. I think, in general, comedy is so important because you can check everything that is wrong and upsetting at the door.”