Improv comedy and stand-up comedy are two popular forms of comedic performance, each with their own distinct style and approach. While both aim to make audiences laugh, they differ significantly in their execution, preparation, and interaction with the audience. Improv Comedy ‘Improv’ is short for improvisational comedy and is a form of live theatre where comedians create comedic scenes, sketches, …
Comedian Gabe Hogan has been a Raw Comedy state finalists twice. She’s also built a solid comedy career that has extended into commercial radio. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast interview, Gabe talks about that initial comedic journey, advice for Raw Comedy competitors, and the importance and dangers of comedy cliques. If you’re curious about how to start …
Starting out in stand-up comedy in Australia is tough. Open mic gigs are in the evenings, often on a weekday, and the audience is usually comprised of other comedians with zero interest in your gags. It’s therefore important to learn the ropes, and the mistakes, as soon as possible so you can move up the ranks quickly, and start getting …
Dave O’Neil has been performing stand-up comedy for an incredible 29 years. It was only fitting that a TV show about his life should be made, and in this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast Dave and I talk about producing ‘Dave‘ – the show about ‘Dave’. We discuss the politics of the TV world, casting stand-up comedians as actor, …
Simon Hughes runs Kings of Comedy, a comedy room in the heart of Melbourne. He’s also an up and coming stand-up comedian. A class clown at school, Simon was naturally drawn to entertainment – until drug addiction turned his world upside down. But Simon has bounced back, and even turned his traumatic experience into a Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) …
New Zealand born, Brisbane raised, and globally travelled, Chris Wainhouse, has been in the comedy game for over 20 years. The son of a fundamental Christian mother, it should come as no surprise for those that know Chris’s material, that his views are somewhat different – after all, he called his most recent Melbourne International Comedy Festival show (MICF) ‘The …
Comedian and actor, Dilruk Jayasinha, has taken out the ‘Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent’, at the 2018 Logie Awards, held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, beating out dramatic actors, including two from ‘Home and Away’. Dilruk, whose Twitter account (@Dilrukj) went on radio silence, later resurfaced on Channel 9’s YouTube channel, apologising for not thanking the voters …
Gavin Sempel is one of the hardest working new comedians in Australia. At the age of 18, in March 2016, Gavin began his stand-up comedy career by enrolling in the very first School of Hard Knock Knocks course. Two years later, almost to this day, he’s done close to 300 open mic, curated, and paid gigs all around Australia. Last …
Chances are you’ve laughed at a Dave O’Neil joke. This is because not only is he a seasoned stand-up comedian, but dave’s been writing for Australian TV comedy shows since 1994 – television shows such as Jimeoin, The Eric Bana Show Live, Full Frontal, Totally Full Frontal, The Mick Molloy Show, The Micallef Program, and most recently Open Slather and …