Comedy couple living the dream
East Kilbride shows coming up for top pair
A comedic couple will be playing it for laughs when they bring their own brand of enter t ainment t o East Kilbride theatres.
Chi l d r e n ’s e nt e r t a i n e r Anya Scott-Rodgers is one third of Funbox – former family favourites The Singing Kettle – and the other half of Edinburgh Fringe comedian Stuart Mitchell.
Anya will stage brand-new show Rocking All Over the World at the Vi l l age Theatre while husband Stuart is gearing up for his critically acclaimed one-man show, Gordon R a msay ’s Ka r ma Ca f é, a t E a s t Kilbride Arts Centre in September.
The quirky couple, who live in East Mains and cel ebrate t heir second wedding anniversary later this month, told the News it was love at first sight when they met on the set of a TV documentary about Glasgow serial killer Bible John.
Anya, 31, joked: “I played Pat Docker, Bible John’s first victim, and Stuart played Bible John. Not your typical love stor y but it beats the usual ‘met down the pub’ scenario!”
Never a dull moment in their house, they like to keep the romance alive with some friendly competition.
“Our household is a bit different from the norm in the sense there are times we are rarely in it together at the same time,” said Anya.
“Lots of coming and going due to our audience age difference – my audience is usually going to bed when Stu’s are just arriving at the theatre.
“It can be difficult at times but being i n t he s ame i ndustr y, we understand that that’s how it works and support each other – and it means we’ve al ways got pl enty to talk about and any time spent together is extra special.
“As for healthy competition, it’s the usual poking fun; Stu might re mind me a bout t hat t i me he performed to a sold-out audience in the King’s Theatre in Glasgow so I might have to remind him that I’m on my sixth DVD – all in good fun, of course! You can’t take life too ser iously when you work in entertainment.”
Anya caught the acting bug at a young age while growing up in Lanark and performed in a number o f y o u t h a n d a mat e u r t h e a t r e musicals and pantomimes.
She went on t o st udy English literature and theatre studies at Glasgow University and trained in performance and technical theatre at college.
Before landing her dream job wi t h The S i n g i n g Ke t t l e, Anya toured schools up and down the countr y per f or ming with Baldy Bane Theatre Company.
She added: “Stuart was the one who saw the audition for the Singing Kettle and convinced me to go for i t . The re s t i s hi s t or y. I worked with t hem f or t wo years before the owners decided to close the company and Funbox was born.
“We get to act like kids all day – who wouldn’t love to make a living out of that? It’s like having a second childhood all over again!”
Funbox is the brainchild of Anya, Gary Coupland and Kevin Macleod who have become firm favourites since starting out in March 2015.
They offer the same traditional s ongs and s i l l i ness known and loved by many – but with a modern twist. Anya continued: “I love doing the shows at the Village Theatre. It’s a fab venue and the audiences we get there are always fun.”
Unlike his wife, Stuart’s career started off in a completely different direction. Graduating in economics from Stirling University, he worked for the Treasury in London for a year before joining Clydesdale Bank. But his passion for comedy grew strong and in 2009 he ditched the 9-to-5 after completing an evening course in stand-up. Since then he has performed in comedy clubs and theatres all over the world.
Last year saw Stuart follow Craig Ferguson by being hand-picked to perform in the ‘Best of the Edinburgh Fest’ showcase at the Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne comedy festivals in Australia.
More recently he’s become the longest-running panellist on BBC Radi o S c o t l a nd’s Bre a k i ng t he News. His last show Dealt a Bad Hand in 2016 was a sell-out in EK.
Stuart’s new comedy routine is a hilarious confessional story where the worlds of haute cuisine and high finance collide and Gordon Ramsay becomes the arch nemesis of a young man who is cooking up his own recipe for disaster.
Stuart, 34, said: “It was a highlight in my Scottish tour last year playing my h o me t o w n E a s t Ki l b r i d e , especially having the support of a sold-out audience.
“T h i s y e a r my s h o w i s a b i t different and is more about learning moral lessons in life even when you don’t realise it at the time. There are still laughs – usually at my previous self – but also a message with it too.”
Rocking All Over the World r uns at t he Vi l l a g e Theat r e o n Saturday, July 28. Gordon Ramsay’s Karma Café comes to the arts centre on Friday, September 14.
For tickets, contact the box office on (01355) 261000.