Whether you win or lose a bundle on the gee-gees, kicking on at a comedy show after the race is a fine way to finish off the day.

Your comedy options are listed by State:

SYDNEY

Comedy @ Marble Bar: catch The Axis of Awesome supported by Ray Badran, Jay Sullivan and MC’ed by David Smiedt at the iconic Marble Bar under the Hilton Hotel in George Street, Sydney. Includes “so you think you’re funny?” spot for the audience and a prize for the best hat! Doors 5:30pm, show 7pm $15 [more details]

Full Body Contact No Love Tennis Horse Race: a night of impro mayhem with pairs of veteran improvisors competing for the night’s prize at the Roxbury Hotel in Glebe. 8pm. Book through moshtix [facebook]

Comedy On The Edge@ Hotel William: Makybe Diva as MC! 8pm, Exit by donation [myspace]

Comedy @ The Harold: Harold Park Hotel: Featuring Brett Nichols 7pm, [more details]

Ridiculismus @ Belvoir: UK comedy duo play all the parts in The Importance of Being Earnest. Multi-award winning show. 6:30pm on Tuesday nights. $52/$45/$33 [more details]

MELBOURNE
Being a public holiday, there’s a Monday night gig kicking on late because everybody can sleep in the next day!
Local Laughs @ The Local, St Kilda: Why not wear a hat? MC is Lawrence Mooney
PLUS: David Quirk, Damian Lawlor, Ryan Coffey, Dan Walmsley, Adam Knox, Richard McKenzie, and more. $12/10 [myspace]

Tuesday night:
Laughing Lion @ Toorak Lion: Chris Franklin, CJ Fortuna, Eliza Rounds, Cameron Marshall, Steele Saunders & Luke Ryan. Doors 8pm, show 8:30 $12/10 Ph: (03) 9827 8244 [myspace]

Mock The Vote @ The Bella Union Bar (Trades Hall): A night of fresh political satire, witty barbs and last chance deals on George Bush material. Hosted by Courteney Hocking and featuring Rod Quantock, Mat Keneally, Dan Burt, Kate McClennan and Nick Caddaye. There’s a panel of political pundits, and quite possibly no horses will be mentioned at all. $18/$15 [more details]

ADELAIDE
PJ O’Briens: Featuring Ben Darsow, MC Phil Cowie. 8pm, $10 Entry $8 Conc. [more details]

PERTH
Wild West Comedy Fest @ Subiaco: spoiled for choice! Featuring performances by Rachel Berger, The Scared Weird Little Guys, Ben Russell, Jeff Hewitt and many more!!! [more details]

Addit: Shapiro Tuesdays @ Lazy Susan’s (upstairs at The Brisbane): MC Ben Wright, Jordan Newnham, James Palm, Josh Makinda, Cameron Davis, John Conway, Laura Davis, Paris, Tess and Sam (class clowns WA winners), Ben Russell, Zack Adams & The Sexy Ghosts [more details on facebook]

Please leave details of any comedy shows not listed in the comments below.

Tags: Axis of Awesome, Bella Union, Belvoir, Ben Darsow, Ben Wright, Brett Nichols, Chris Franklin, CJ Fortuna, Damian Lawlor, David Quirk, Full Body Contact, Harold Park, Laughing Lion, Lazy Susan's, melbourne cup, Mock the Vote, Phil Cowie, PJ Obrien's, Ridiculismus, Rod Quantock, Ryan Coffey, Shapiro Tuesdays, Wild West Comedy Fest

Gleaned from sources sundry and various:

• If you missed the first show of SBS new homegrown comedy Swift and Shift Couriers on Monday night, you can catch the full episode online at the SBS TV homepage. The next show airs on Monday 3rd November at 8:30pm.
• Melbourne impro troupe The Crew are providing the entertainment at a fundraising trivia night at the Melbourne Town Hall to support the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. Book by October 31st! [The Crew blog]
• Ying Tong: A Walk with The Goons is heading to Adelaide in November after a strong run in the eastern states. Veteran comics Geoff Kelso and Johnny Biggins play Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers respectively. [Independent Weekly]
  

  Written by Roy Smiles, the show also features David James as Harry Secombe and John Hannan as voiceover man Wallace Greenslade and follows Milligan through a period of hospitalisation after a nervous breakdown.

• Kitty Flanagan is appearing in Byron Bay on November 3rd. [Byron Shire Echo]
• A new celebrity improvisation show is coming to the Comedy Channel on Nov 8th: Comedy Slapdown, hosted by HG Nelson. [TV Tonight]
• Pam Ann back in Australia:[SameSame]
  

  Fresh from her recent run of Terror At 41,000 Feet, the insatiable Pam Ann, air hostess with the mostess, has flown to Sydney to film her new show The Pam Ann Experience at Foxtel Studios.

Got some more comedy news? Why not leave us a link in the comments box below?

Tags: Adelaide, Byron Bay, Comedy Channel, Comedy Slapdown, David James, Geoff Kelso, HG Nelson, John Hannan, Johnny Biggins, Kitty Flanagan, Pam Ann, Swift and Shift Couriers, The Crew, The Goons, The Pam Ann Experience

The annual Mo Awards were presented last week at the Bankstown Sports Club in Sydney.

Comedy Performer of the Year - Kenny Graham

The full list of recipients is at the Mo Awards site [link]

Tags: Kenny Graham, Mo Awards

Canned Laughter

On Friday 4 July the Hordern Pavilion will play host to the third annual Canned Laughter comedy night, where all proceeds go to cancer charity CanTeen.

MCs - Lehmo, Justin Hamilton
Featured: Adam Hills, Dave Hughes, Peter Helliar , Wil Anderson, Akmal Saleh, The Umbilical Brothers, Rove McManus, Corinne Grant, Denise Scott
Book Through Ticketek

Lenny Henry: The Where You From? Tour

2-3 July 2008 - Adelaide - Her Majestys Theatre
4-5 July 2008 - Sydney - State Theatre
6 July 2008 - Newcastle - Civic Theatre
8-9 July 2008 - Melbourne - Hamer Hall, Victorian Arts Centre
11 July 2008 - Canberra Theatre
18 July 2008 - Brisbane Concert Hall, QPAC
20-21 July 2008 - Perth Concert Hall
Then he’s going on to New Zealand for a few shows before heading back to the UK.

Stephen K Amos

Wednesday 23 July 8pm NSW Enmore Theatre [ticketek]

Steve Philp

The Playhouse, Civic Theatre Newcastle, NSW on Fri 25 Jul 2008 8:00PM [ticketek]

Puppetry of the Penis

Regal Theatre WA - Perth Fri 25 Jul 2008 to Sat 26 Jul 2008 [ticketek]

Performers are welcome to plug any other shows for July in comments to this post.

Tags: Adam Hills, Akmal Saleh, benefit night, Canned Laughter, charity, Corrine Grant, Dave Hughes, Denise Scott, Justin Hamilton, Lehmo, Lenny Henry, Peter Helliar, Puppetry of the Penis, Rove McManus, Stephen K Amos, Steve Philp, The Umbilical Brothers, Wil Anderson

Then polish up your best routines and send them in to Auntie! Entries opened Thursday May 8th and close Friday May 30th, so get your skates on. You don’t have to be in the industry already, the opportunity is open to all.

The Comedy Hour is a new, weekly radio comedy series that will air later this year, and ABC Local Radio and ABC TV are giving aspiring comedy writers around Australia the chance to be on the radio - and maybe even on TV.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ABC, aspiring writers, captive radio audience, opportunity, sketch comedy