The Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School is coming up to our tenth year of coaching stand-up comedy, and one thing we know for sure, graduates are super keen to perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, ASAP. But are they ready? Performing a ‘tight five‘ at a Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School graduation is one thing. Performing over multiple nights …
⚠️ Alert! Joe White is the guest celebrity comedian for the November comedy course in Melbourne. Comedian Joe White has made significant strides in the comedy world, establishing himself as a unique voice in Australian stand-up. Known for his ability to weave cultural insights with humour, Joe has become a favourite at major events, particularly the Perth Fringe, Melbourne International …
Each year close to 1000 amateur comedians compete in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Raw Comedy competition. Getting past a heat is an accomplishment, but winning a State Final to get into Raw Comedy National Final is incredible. And Hard Knock Knocks graduates have done just that. Six times! Stella Wu – Graduated May 2023 Stella Wu graduated from the …
Two of the 12 finalists of Australia’s Funniest Boomer were Hard Knock Knocks alumni. But this should come as no surprise. After all, the comedy school, which has over 700 graduates across the country, had three alumni reach the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Raw Comedy national final this year. That’s an impressive record, and one reason the Hard Knock Knocks …
(Updated 6 July, 2026) We’re going to go with 180. But answering how many stand-up comedians there are in Australia is tricky, given the transient nature of this performing art. Comedians often take a break from ‘gigging’ to jump on jobs in theatre, radio, TV and even writing books. Here’s our ‘living document’ our ‘Stand-up comedian list’ of current list …
What do Tim Urban, Sir Ken Robinson and Amy Cuddy all have in common. First, they are the most watched presenters on TED, having each been watched by over 60 million! And second, they all include humour in their presentations. And since close to 50,000 talks have been given at 10,000 events since TED launched in 2009, it’s fair to …
The Hard Knock Knocks comedy school is no ordinary experience. From night one, to night five, the experiences for the comedy students, and the friends and family enjoying the graduation performances, is carefully choreographed, right down to the music. That’s right! We’ve produced our very own stand-up comedy sound track. Have a listen to some of the Hard Knock Knocks’ …
You may have heard that over the first week of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, British sports commentator Bob Ballard was dismissed by Eurosport for a comment directed at the Australian women’s swimming team. The remark? “Well, the women just finishing off. You know what women are like, hanging around, you know, doing their makeup.” Eurosport was quick to react …
This week we highlight graduate and comedy enigma, Arwin Kraze. Arwin is a multi-disciplinary artist, with skills spanning painting, music and twenty years ago, stand-up comedy. It was comedy that he wanted to return to, but through his own admission, lacked the confidence and discipline of his former, younger self. That’s where the Hard Knock Knocks comedy school played it’s …
