Paco Erhard
Birth nameErhard Hübener
Born (1975-07-16) July 16, 1975
Munich, Germany
MediumStand-up
NationalityGerman
Years active2009–present
GenresSocial satire, political satire, cultural satire, self-deprecation, observational comedy, dark comedy
Subject(s)German culture, global politics, current events
WebsiteOfficial website

Paco Erhard (born Erhard Hübener[1] on July 16, 1975) is a German stand-up comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for touring the worldwide, English-language comedy festival circuit.

Early life

Erhard was born in Munich, Germany on July 16, 1975.[2][3] He was named after his great-grandfather Erhard Hübener, who was the first prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt.[1]

Career

Comedy

Erhard is best known for his first solo show, 5-Step Guide to Being German, which premiered in 2011 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[2] He has also performed a variation of the original called 5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0. Both shows have received critical acclaim,[4][5][6] sold out at comedy festivals around the world,[4][5][7][8] and have been named one of the top shows in several festivals.[3][4][9][5] 5-Step Guide to Being German was nominated for a Perth Fringe World Best Comedy Award in 2013.[10] 5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0 won the Pick of the Fringe award in the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival.[11] Both versions of the show are still touring.[12][13]

Erhard has appeared as a cultural commentator on BBC One,[14] SBS,[15] and ABC.[16] He has written about Germany and Europe for the Irish Times.[17] He has worked with cultural organisations such as the Goethe-Institut and the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad.[4]

Erhard's more recent comedy is driven by social commentary on international current affairs. He draws on his experiences as a world traveler. His shows Paco Erhard: Djerman Unchained (2013), Paco Erhard: Worst. German. Ever. (2014), and A (very brief) History of German Humour (2016) are "irreverent, provocative social satire"[18] on topics such as nationalism, racism, homophobia, religion, and terrorism.[19][20][21]

After being seen by German comedian and TV host Ingolf Lück at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012,[22] Erhard started performing in German in addition to English. He has two German-language shows: Paco Erhard: Hard an der Grenze[23][24][25] and Paco Erhard: Hallodri für Europa.[26][27] Erhard has appeared on German television shows StandUpMigranten,[28][29] NDR Comedy Contest,[30][31] and Vereinsheim Schwabing.[32] In January 2015, he won the Stuttgart Comedy Clash.[33]

Influences and themes

Erhard uses stories from his experiences as a world traveler to promote international understanding and communication across cultures.[34][19] His stand-up routines reference time spent living in America, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the UK, as well as shorter adventures around the world.[3][35]

Erhard uses recurring themes of German identity and the psychological differences between Germans and other citizens.[3][17] His comedy traces the historical development of these differences, making light of historical figures such as Tacitus, Frederick the Great, and 19th century German nationalists.[17]

Personal life

Travel

Erhard is well-traveled and has lived internationally for many years.[2] Inspired by the writings of Jack Kerouac, he hitchhiked out of Germany in 2000, traveling the world and living in Italy, Spain, and the UK.[33][1] While in Spain, he acquired the nickname "Paco" from a neighbor, which inspired his stage name. Inspired by his work as a comedy MC for British tourists in Tenerife, Erhard moved to London in 2009 to pursue stand-up comedy full-time.[36][37]

Education

Erhard studied literature and philosophy in university.[38] His thesis paper on postcolonial literature was awarded the University of Hagen's Award of Excellence in 2009.[39]

Live shows

Show Premiere Touring History Awards
5-Step Guide to Being German 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Perth Fringe World, Midlandia (Perth Fringe World), Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, Edmonton International Fringe Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, Calgary Fringe Festival, Vancouver Fringe Festival, Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival 2013: Nominated Perth Fringe World Best Comedy Award[10]
5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Leicester Square Theatre, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Perth Fringe World, Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, Edmonton International Fringe Festival, Calgary Fringe Festival, Vancouver Fringe Festival 2018: Pick of the Fringe; Vancouver Fringe Festival[11]
Paco Erhard: Ex-German 2013 Perth Fringe World, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival
Paco Erhard: Djerman Unchained 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Perth Fringe World
Paco Erhard: Worst. German. Ever. 2014 Oxford Fringe, Leicester Square Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Perth Fringe World, Midlandia (Perth Fringe World), Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival
Hard an der Grenze 2015 Bar jeder Vernunft
A (very brief) History of German Humour 2016 Perth Fringe World, Melbourne International Comedy

References

  1. 1 2 3 Berlin, Ruth Schneeberger (2015-11-23). "Klugscheißerei ist sehr deutsch". sueddeutsche.de (in German). ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  2. 1 2 3 "Paco Erhard, comedian tour dates : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Molitorisz, Sacha (2012-04-09). "Comic aims to put the manic into Germanic". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "He loves to entertain you…". German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce. 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  5. 1 2 3 "The best of 2012". The Argus. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  6. ↑ Schmidt, Joff (July 16, 2015). "5-Step Guide to Being German". CBC. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  7. ↑ "Five-Step Guide To Being German 2.0, Laughing Horse @ The Hobgoblin, Brighton, May 15". The Argus. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  8. ↑ "German Comedian Paco Erhard at Melbourne Comedy Festival 2015 | Language Excellence". Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  9. ↑ "Paco Erhard, German stand-up comedian". ArtsHub Australia. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  10. 1 2 Porter, Elke. "5-Step Guide to Being German by PACO Erhard". Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  11. 1 2 "Poly Queer Love Ballad, Awkward Hug, Hip Bang!, and Big Sister amid the winners at Vancouver Fringe Festival awards". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  12. ↑ "5-Step Guide to Being German — INTREPID THEATRE". intrepidtheatre.com. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  13. ↑ "Vancouver Fringe Festival review: 5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  14. ↑ "BBC One - The One Show, 24/05/2013". BBC. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  15. ↑ "Paco Erhard - Ein deutscher Comedian in Australien". SBS Your Language (in German). Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  16. ↑ "Sunday Night Safran: 9 February 2014 | triple j Media". www.abc.net.au. 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  17. 1 2 3 Erhard, Paco. "Self-critical confessions of a practising German". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  18. ↑ "Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014 interview: comedian Paco Erhard on being the Worst. German. Ever". Edinburgh Festival. 2014-07-22. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  19. 1 2 Ross, Greg (2014-02-22). "German funnyman pulls no punches". The Age. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  20. ↑ "Paco Erhard". www.heraldsun.com.au. 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  21. ↑ "Paco Erhard – Djerman Unchained (Free Festival)". Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  22. ↑ "Deutscher Comedian erobert Herzen der Briten mit 5-Step Guide to Being German". FinanzNachrichten.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  23. ↑ "Comedian Paco Erhard zu Gast in Backnang". dasWohnzimmer musicbar/lounge - Party feiern in Backnang (in German). Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  24. ↑ "Paco Erhard: Hard an der Grenze". allevents.in. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  25. ↑ "Paco Erhard" (in German). Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  26. ↑ "STAND-UP COMEDY | PACO ERHARD - " HALLODRI FÜR EUROPA"". Eventbrite (in German). Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  27. ↑ "Paco Erhard - Hallodri Für Europa". Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V. (in German). Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  28. ↑ "StandUpMigranten - Comedy mit allem und scharf". programm.ARD.de. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  29. ↑ "StandUpMigranten/Episodenliste", Wikipedia (in German), 2018-12-16, retrieved 2019-02-06
  30. ↑ NDR Comedy Contest Staffel 7: Folge 4 (in German), retrieved 2019-02-06
  31. ↑ "NDR Comedy Contest". programm.ARD.de. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  32. ↑ "www.vereinsheim.net - Vereinsheim - Occamstr. 8 - 80802 München". www.vereinsheim.net. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  33. 1 2 "Stuttgarter Comedy Clash: Politische Haltung mit Humor". stuttgarter-zeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  34. ↑ "Paco Erhard: 5-Step Guide to Being German Review | Edinburgh Guide". www.edinburghguide.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  35. ↑ "comedy cv - the UK's largest collection of comedians biogs and photos". comedycv.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  36. ↑ O'Donoghue, Natalie. "EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Interviews: Comedian Paco Erhard". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  37. ↑ "Paco Erhard: 5 Step Guide To Being German". ThisWeek London. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  38. ↑ "At the Edinburgh Fringe, Paco Erhard is a German comic, not a comic German". SO IT GOES - John Fleming's blog. 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  39. ↑ "Forschungszentrum zum Lernen in Wissensnetzwerken vorgestellt - FernUniversität zeichnet Nachwuchswissenschaftler aus". idw-online.de. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
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