Australia is home to some stellar dark comedians. Before we get into our top five however, what even is dark comedy? As a somewhat controversial topic, it is often misunderstood. What is dark comedy? Mental health struggles, addiction, divorce, death, you name it. If’s clearly not reminding you of rainbows and unicorns, then it’s most likely ‘dark’. And it’s not …
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival in the world, and the second-largest international comedy festival on the planet. Typically running for four weeks from March through April, it plays host to thousands of the best local and international comedians. A good chunk of those comedians are alumni from our very own Hard Knock Knocks …
If there’s one thing that’s been great about lockdown, it’s that we’re all accustomed to watching shows on platforms other than free-to-air network TV. And this has opened up a whole world of alternative comedy, made by Aussies for Aussies. So what are the best Australian comedy web series to get us through lockdown – or awful summer programming on …
Melbourne is undoubtedly the comedy capital of Australia. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival generates in excess $17 million Aussie dollarydoos, and more people watch a stand-up comedy show during the festival than attend the AFL Grand Final series. With those numbers, it’s surprising that there’s only three dedicated comedy clubs in Melbourne. But conveniently, they are located north, central and …
There’s a new stand-up comedy venue in Melbourne, and it’s ‘south of the river’! It’s the ‘The Rubber Chicken‘, and it aims to be Australia’s first comedy hub. Those familiar with Melbourne’s comedy scene will recognise the names of comedy disruptors, Ben Horowitz and Morry Morgan. Since 2016, the duo have been helping build Melbourne’s stand-up comedy industry, first with …
Creating new jokes from scratch is one of the hardest parts of stand-up comedy. Our brains are hardwired for repetition, patterns, and habits. This is where random words can help. Using a random word generator helps our thinking jump two or more steps away from the obvious. And that’s where the humour can be found. Follow these steps: Step 1: …
Each week the School of Hard Knock Knocks highlights one of our recent graduates from our Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney courses. This week, it’s Daniel Tohill from Melbourne. Daniel Tohill attended the November 2020 stand-up comedy course in Melbourne with guest comedian Anthony ‘Lehmo’ Lehmann and resident comedy coach, Brad Oakes. This was the last graduation for 2020, and one …
Generating ideas for stand-up comedy is difficult at the best of times. Just about any topic is open game, but that freedom doesn’t make joke writing easier. If anything, the brain needs constraint to help flex the creative muscle. Here’s four constraints that we use at the School of Hard Knock Knocks to help our students generate ideas for stand-up …
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 …
