(Photo above: Morry Morgan, Bradford Oakes and Punter Konrad)
What started as satirical video posts on social media has turned into packed shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF). And in the process, Punter’s Politics’ founder, Konrad, has done what few in MICF history have ever done – sold out their debut performance.
The four shows, titled ‘Punter’s Politics’, were held at the Golden Gate Hotel in South Melbourne and were produced by the Hard Knock Knocks founder, Morry Morgan. Comedy legend, and Hard Knock Knocks resident comedy coach, Bradford Oakes, was MC, and four different politically savvy comedians added further energy to the politically charged comedy shows. Lars Callieou lamented on the geopolitics of living in Canada next next to a bully. Filmmaker and satirist Dan Ilic joked about the upcoming Australian election. Comedian and podcaster Fergus Neal discussed the cost of living, and comedian, podcaster, YouTuber and self described ‘serial pest‘, Lewis Spears highlighted the double standards within Aussie home ownership.
The four sold out shows attracted close to 450 ‘punters’ who enjoyed Konrad’s stand-up, one-on-one interviews as well as a new segment, Lobbyopoly. Based loosely on the well known capitalist themed board game, audience members chose between the ‘Mining Magnate’, ‘Media Mogul, ‘Gas Baron’ and ‘Tax Payer’ player tokens before moving around the board and snapping up Australia’s assets at rock bottom prices. Unsurprisingly, the ‘Tax Payer’ lost.
In the lead-up to the comedy festival, Punter Konrad had raised over $90,000 through GoFundMe (and growing) to launch a nationwide billboard campaign spotlighting how “gas and mining companies are scamming everyday punters”. To date, 17 billboards have appeared across major cities, educating Aussies, while turning up the heat on Canberra and even angering gas executives.
Through all this, the mainstream, commercially funded media has been silent. To date, only the ABC has covered Punter’s Politics massive impact on the political discourse surrounding what Konrad refers to as “corporate bludgers” plundering Australian’s resources. But that’s to be expected. Remember, the ‘Tax Payer’ loses.
If you’d like to know more about Punter’s Politics, you can watch, listen and read more here:
The four Punter’s Politics Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows were was produced by the Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School, a Melbourne-based training ground for comedians. With almost a decade of experience, 800 graduates and 30 comedians producing their own shows at this year’s MICF, the Hard Knock Knocks continues to shape Australia’s next generation of comic talent.