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 …
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 disruptor, Morry Morgan. Since 2016, the Morry has been helping build Melbourne’s stand-up comedy industry, first with his stand-up comedy …
Creating new jokes from scratch is one of the hardest parts of stand-up comedy. Our brains are hardwired for repetition, patterns, and habits. If I ask you to think of a number, colour or city, it’s likely that your answers are related to past experiences – a limiter to comedy This is where random words can help. Using a random …
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 …
Since January 2021, stand-up comedy students at the School of Hard Knock Knocks will each receive a photography package as part of the standard comedy course. Photographer and former graduate of the School of Hard Knock Knocks, Adam Sparnon, has been shooting headshots and body shot photos at each course which are vital for comedy posters, particularly with the comedy …
“YES, AND…” is the rule-of-thumb response in improv comedy. It’s also a great way to lead. The ‘yes’ immediately encourages the acceptance of the contributions added by others, rather than shutting down the views of others, and the ‘and’ opens the contribution for further positive refinement. The words ‘no’ and ‘but’ are the polar opposites. Listening to others is a valuable leadership skill. Comedy can …
A comedian could kill on one night, but bomb on another, with the only difference being the audience. Conducting an AUDIENCE analysis, ahead of your gig, is one way you can increase the chance that you will kill in stand-up comedy. Here’s the eight letters of the acronym explained: Attentiveness Comedians are not always the centre of attention. Sometimes it’s …
The Hard Knock Knocks comedy school is a stand-up comedy school. Of course it is! The Lord of the Fries makes great, well, fries. And Splashdown is in fact a real portable toilet rental service – made famous by actor Shane Jacobson’s movie, Kenny. These are some of Australia’s funniest business names. These names also stick in our minds. Humour …
