Citylife in Lichfield June 2020

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Laughter Despite Lockdown By Chris Purchase ................................................................... It’s a very weird feeling to find out your job has become illegal overnight. I’ve always wanted to be an outlaw so now I get to feel like James Dean just for choosing the right career. As a comedian living in the UK it’s not something I would ever have expected to happen. I’ve been a stand-up comedian for over a decade, living in Lichfield for the majority of that. Thanks to Tom and Rory at the Spirit Works we run a monthly stand-up show which has thrived with the full support of the community here. I’m also a runner and as a runner I feel compelled to tell you that I’m a runner as soon as the opportunity presents itself, did I mention I’m a runner? I took up running last October in a bid to get healthier, I say healthier when really I mean it was getting really expensive having to rebuy clothes in ever increasing sizes. When running through Lichfield it’s incredibly uplifting to see the outpouring of support for everyone on the frontlines, from rainbows in windows and painted onto driveways in chalk to handmade wooden signs declaring the NHS heroes in people’s front gardens. You can’t help but get a little emotional when you know everyone’s going through the same thing but still going strong. I’ve obviously had to adapt so that I’m running on increasingly remote routes, last Sunday I found myself running on the grass alongside the A5 in a bid to not inconvenience any families on actual paths trying to adhere to social distancing rules adding an extra adrenaline level to my runner’s high as sixteen wheel lorries thundered past. I’ve never felt more alive. As with my exercise I’ve also had to adapt my career to our ongoing situation. Initially I thought I’d have to do something else entirely but being a middle aged father of two most online employment opportunities were out of reach. Unable to travel to audience filled venues I was stuck with how to continue working within the present guidelines 36 and so was born “Live From His Dining Room” a topical comedy news show I stream every Sunday night into other people’s homes via social media. At first it was incredibly weird to get dressed up in a formal evening suit and perform to only a phone in my own dining room, lit by floodlights I’d bought for £3 on a market stall, but the reaction I got from my online audience was such a huge boost that it’s become a regular show. Now I’m not sure if I’ll remember how to deal with a live audience, it’s much easier to handle a heckler when you can just delete their comments instead of dwelling on them during a 2 hour car journey home at 3am on a Friday night eating a sad, cold pasty you bought from Gloucester services. It has been encouraging to see so many small businesses adapt alongside the community, from restaurants like McKenzies offering takeaway Sunday lunches to Melbourne coffee shop ensuring their customers stay safe while still providing everyone’s much needed caffeine fix to our beloved Spirit Works, venue for our stand-up show Comedy 42, delivering their well renowned cocktails and own brand gin to people’s homes. Things like this have added a level of normality to a situation that’s anything but normal. And who knows when we'll go back to normal or even if that normal exists anymore, what I do know is that every time I’m having a bad day this pretty little city finds some way to cheer me up, give me hope and prove that whatever happens we will find our way through. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a new personal best to get on the A38. If you’d like to see any of the things I’m doing during the lockdown to distract us from it all you can check out my website www.thechrispurchase.com or on all forms of social media www.facebook.com/thechrispurchase w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / c / c h r i s p u r c h a s e www.instagram.com/thechrispurchase
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Citylife in Lichfield June 2020

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