Katherine Phelps

I’ve been participating in the comedy scene long enough I’ve observed people go from performing in the back corner of a pub to the main stage at Melbourne Town Hall. Sammy J is one of those rising stars. Sammy J and Heath McIvor found their characters and story format very early in their development. With [...]

Australian comedy is an interesting thing. We have many storytellers whose stories happen be comedic, who masquerade as comedians whose comedy happens to tell a story. I like it either way. In Ouch & Other Words I would say that Jennifer Wong leans more toward the storyteller, though she does come up with some choice [...]

So much comic talent is present in Tie Her To The Tracks!, all you would have to do is add Josh Earl and/or Michael Workman and you would get a hilarity chain reaction. The entire Melbourne Town Hall would melt down. No one knows the half-life of Gen-X or Gen-Y humour just yet. It could [...]

Dingo and Wolf in Winning at Life were top on my list of acts to see this comedy festival. A friend of mine had been raving about them and I thought it was about time I gave them a look-see. I was mightily entertained. Dingo & Wolf (Laura Dunnemann and Eleanor Webster) are a tightly [...]

The Big HOO-HAA! has been a proving ground for a number of Australia’s favourite comedians, including Tim Minchin (So Rock), Claire Hooper (Good News Week) and Xavier Michelides (Rove). Melbourne Big HOO-HAA! was founded by Michelle Nussey. Last year she was crowned Theatresports National Champion. The Big HOO-HAA! continues to be a proving ground for [...]

I enjoy participating in improvisational theatre and improvisational speaking. I have to admit that memorising lines and performing the same material every night can get tedious. Having to come up with something on the spot is the artistic equivalent of bungee-jumping: scary but what an adrenaline rush high. Of course watching impro is another matter. [...]

I do watch film and television comedies. In fact my highest aspiration is to write scripts for television and/or film. However, as far as this blog is concerned, I mostly stick with live comedy. Many people are already covering the other, and live is such a rich fertile ground for experimentation and growth. If you [...]

Melbourne is fortunate enough to have one of the most interesting of resources: The National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA). I was aware of its founding in 1995. At the time I mentored for Big Brothers Big Sisters and kept encouraging my little mentoree to run away and join them. Since I’m keen to learn [...]

Justin Hamilton is both a delightful person and comedian. Having him as a companion for a three hour show of comedy is a joyous affair that seems to last no time at all. He and the inimitable Adam Franklin MC their Show The Shelf Mondays at Toff in Town. For the moment The Shelf is [...]

Simon Taylor in Ten Things I Know About You I feel lucky to have caught the shows I did this year at Fringe. I always find something to enjoy; this year’s festival managed to attract several particularly exceptional works. Simon’s Ten Things was amongst these. Ten Things I Know About You plays with psychology, language, [...]