Adelaide-born Kosta came to Melbourne to fill a gay quota. Don’t believe us? Watch his set below. This was Kosta’s very first stand-up comedy set, and as you will see, both the audience AND he are having a great time. Kosta is now past of the Hard Knock Knocks alumni, and so his stand-up set will continue to evolve and …
One of Melbourne’s most popular Singer Celebrant MCs, Veronica Lees-Amato (or “V”, as her comedy moniker) might be new to stand-up—but she’s no stranger to the stage. With a long and vibrant career entertaining crowds across all kinds of events, she brought her signature energy and charisma to the Hard Knock Knocks stage Respected, lively, and never short on sparkle, …
Originally from China, Amy Yang might be new to stand-up comedy—but she’s definitely not the shy type. Living in Melbourne with her girlfriend and partner, Amy brought boldness, honesty, and a cheeky charm to the Hard Knock Knocks stage. Despite never having done stand-up before, she tackled the mic with confidence and a fresh perspective. Safe to say, Amy’s no …
Back in 2022 we reported that seven graduates of the Hard Knock Knocks were performing their own comedy shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This year, in 2025, that number has BOOMED to an astonishing 30! Here’s who to look out for this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025, and remember if you liked what you saw, you can …
This week we highlight graduate Mary Gillen Blythe. Don’t be fooled by her name. Mary is not a 1800s Gothic fiction writer, although she does have a background in Hollywood. Rather, Mary is a bucket list ticker who decided she’d tick off ‘perform stand-up comedy’ and do so in front of over 50 people at the November Hard Knock Knocks …
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 …
Three alumni of the Hard Knock Knocks comedy school have beaten close to a thousand amateur comedians to compete in the National Raw Comedy final at the Melbourne Town Hall on April 14, 2024. The three were chosen alongside nine others selected from all of Australia’s States and Territories, making up the final 12. What’s incredible is the speed at …
This week we highlight graduate James Pendrith James attended the Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School in February 2024, flying down from Brisbane to attend the five night course. He had dabbled in open mic comedy a couple of times, and had a goal of polishing his performance with the help of coaching, and performing to a big crowd. He got …
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 …
