The Melbourne International Comedy Festival may be officially finished for the year, but why should the laughs stop there?
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow has arrived. . . To ensure the jokes go on and the talented comics get to take to the stage beyond the main event in March-April. It's a comedy road trip, starring a top-tier line-up of comedy legends and fresh faces.
The Roadshow is hitting venues in Victoria, the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, and Tasmania until July.
Award-winning comedian Maddy Weeks is part of the line-up, hitting Toowoomba, Caloundra and Cleveland.
“It’s absolute chaos. It’s a van full of comedians, most of whom have ADHD – bags get left behind in towns we left four hours ago, someone’s always lost and everyone’s constantly loudly riffing,” Maddy says. “It’s the best kind of chaos. We thrive in it. But it’s also pure camaraderie. You bond fast when you're running on servo snacks and two hours' sleep. Plus, nothing brings people closer like being collectively traumatised by roadside pit toilets.”
Fellow comedian Harry Jun, who has featured on ABC's 'Good Game' and was the Moosehead Recipient of the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, will appear in Perth, Kalgoorlie, Belrose, Cessnock, Newcastle, Dubbo, Armidale, Moree, Tamworth, and Taree.
“Parents love bringing their kids to my shows cos I’m on ABC’s 'Good Game' and I have to tell them up top that I’ll be saying some naughty words. The parents are so cool about it luckily,” Harry jokes.
“There’s so much backstabbing and sabotage that happens on these Roadshows that they have to mix up the line-ups every year. Kidding! It’s always fun. One year, we lost a comedian but found him 30 minutes before the show started, so all good.”
Along with Maddy and Harry, audiences across Australia will be entertained by the likes of Josh Glanc, Jude Perl, Tom Ballard, Janty Blair, Takashi Wakasugi, Alex Ward, Robyn Reynolds, Zoë Coombs Marr, Scout Boxall, Luka Muller and many more.
“It’s bloody brilliant,” Maddy says. “I saw live comedy for the first time when the Roadshow came to Goulburn, and it changed my life. These shows bring the best of the fest straight to you – five amazing comedians [per show], something for everyone, I 100 per cent guarantee you’ll have a great time – that’s in writing and 100 per cent legally binding!”
Maddy and Harry are looking forward to seeing audiences in all kinds of different locations.
“I’m pumped for Caloundra,” Maddy says. “The Events Centre looks stunning, and I’ve never been to that part of Queensland. Bulcock Beach looks awesome. We’ll be there in winter, but I live in Melbourne, so my standards for good beach weather (and good beaches) are low. If it’s not hailing, I’m getting in.”
“I’ve never been to Kalgoorlie and I always love gigging in cities for the first time,” Harry reveals. “Heard it’s a big gold mining town which sounds so cool.”
It was another huge year for Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This year's event featured an impressive selection of acts from home and abroad, and the return of huge events like The Comedy Allstars Supershow, the Oxfam Gala, the Annual Great Debate, RAW Comedy, Deadly Funny, and more.
The Roadshow is an exciting way to experience talents from MICF all over the country.
“If you can’t make it to MICF, they bring it to you,” Harry says of the Roadshow. “How good! I admire that level of customer service. Also it’s a fun way to find your next favourite comedian!”
Harry and Maddy are pretty adamant on what they'd never fail to bring with them on tour: “My external power bank,” Maddy answers confidently. “I take a lot of photos on tour – like, I currently have 158,845 photos on my phone. That’s not a typo. I’ll probably hit 200k by the time we get to Queensland. My phone battery lives in fear of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow.”
“Jokes. That’d be embarrassing,” Harry admits. “Last time I forgot them I was bullied relentlessly by the comics.”
Audiences can rest assured that Harry, Maddy, and the extensive selection of comics hitting the road this year will be providing jokes at the highest velocity, as the national happiness spreader that is the Roadshow, gets underway.
Check out the list of Roadshow tour dates (across VIC, ACT, NSW, QLD, NT, WA, TAS).
Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is on the road until 12 July.
