ArtHouse Jersey is sharing the brand new comedy short film, ‘Fort Stories’ by Jersey-born, Brighton-based comedian Christian Jegard.
‘Fort Stories’ is a short fictional documentary interviewing three former Fort Regent staff members; one a fitness expert, one an entertainer and one a now retired admin powerhouse. Viewers hear about their time at the Fort and find out about their experiences since leaving.
In 2023, inspired by the Fort Regent themed exhibition Playtime by Will Lakeman at ArtHouse Jersey at Capital House, the arts charity commissioned Christian Jegard to create a short comedy film based on fictional employees of Fort Regent’s past. The film sees Christian reenter the hallowed halls of the iconic leisure centre, considering its heyday, former majesty and various quirks. He interviews people on the streets of St Helier about their memories of ‘the Fort’, recites poetry and generally gets under the skin of what the venue meant to its former workforce and the Island at large.
This film marks a three year working relationship between Christian and ArtHouse Jersey which began back in 2021 and the production of the award winning miniseries Jersey: A Musical Journey, which enjoyed an incredibly positive reception when released via ArtHouse Jersey’s channels and saw a spoof style documentary introducing some key ‘movers and shakers’ of the Island’s diverse music scene.
In this hilarious new piece, Fort Stories, Jegard introduces us to self assured, yet ever so slightly sinister entertainer Michael St Michael, famed Channel Island fitness guru Grint Gillis and retired administrator Jeanette Langtry, who, among many other tasks, was responsible for the smooth running of the big hitting concerts and that the guest artists were appropriately taken care of…
Comedian Christian Jegard, said: “I’m so happy to be able to make something about places and people I know and love. I’m really grateful to ArtHouse Jersey. It’s lovely to see comedy as an artform be prioritised and valued – it can sometimes be looked down on as somehow not as substantial as the more ‘serious’ arts. But I’ve worked hard to be this stupid and I take silliness very seriously. It’s a lot of trial and error trying to get it right and I hope people enjoy it and it brings them a yuk or two.”
Director of ArtHouse Jersey, Tom Dingle, said: “There’s never a bad time to release some comedy and share some laughs these days, and we’re certain that people living in Jersey and those familiar with Fort Regent will be able to laugh along to Fort Stories. Christian has once again made character creation and impeccable timing look entirely effortless, with his work’s harmless nature and silliness creating a safe place for us all to raise a smile. More broadly speaking, we’re always proud to work alongside Jegard and are happy to join him on his steep creative journey as he continues to flex his craft in the UK comedy scene, leaving many fans, supporters and admirers in his wake. We wholeheartedly encourage everyone who comes across this film to make a cuppa and spend twenty minutes with Fort Stories, as together we remember this somewhat surreal and formerly iconic Jersey jewel of a venue.”
The film can be watched here.
