Guy Wah: Professional Arsehole

Performed at (Brighton &) Hove Grown and Brighton Fringe in 2017, this was my debut solo show. I also produced a CD featuring the songs from the show which can be heard on Soundcloud.

Promotional Blurb

“Professional behaviour”: a series of actions deemed acceptable in the workplace.

Also: a term used to justify inhumane behaviour and enable idiots to maintain positions of power.

Guy looks at how our reliance on professional behaviour is eroding our humanity, and how our progress as a society has been dumbed down in the name of professionalism. Featuring songs, sketches and examples of real life idiocy. Warning: May contain politics.

Press release

A funny look at how our progress as a society has been dumbed down  in the name of “professionalism”

Professional behaviour: The unwritten code of conduct that stops you calling your boss a dick. The set of rules apparently designed to enable you to do your job can actually prevent you from doing the right thing in the moment. This is the platform from which Guy Wah explores our reliance on “professional behaviour”, using stand-up, sketches, and original songs to illustrate his points.

Guy Wah has worked in numerous unfulfilling jobs. He’s worked as a kitchen porter, a checkout operative, a call centre manager, and an advisor to people with mental health support needs. He’s been the arsehole that has terminated contracts, and he’s been the rock that people could rely on for support at their lowest ebb. Using real-life experiences across the public, private, and community sectors, Guy is convinced that our inability to communicate humanely is directly linked to the expectations of presenting a professional face.

Guy is excited to be presenting this new show at Brighton Fringe: “I’ve studied everything from business to mental health, and managed call centres and pizza shops. I want people to realise that just because you’ve been put in a position to act like an arsehole, it doesn’t mean you have to be an arsehole. I’ve been a corporate arsehole, and now I’m a caring arsehole.  My hope is that people will laugh, sing along, and quit their jobs, but this is a comedy show, not a lecture – I’m not that sort of arsehole.”