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 …
When it comes to becoming a stand-up comedian, not much has changed in the last 30 years. Turn up to a pub that runs an open mic night. Perform five minutes of embarrassing jokes. Then repeat. Do that for three or four years, night after night, and you might have a shot at the big time. Maybe. That’s how Christine …
The audio interview of this transcript with Gavin Sempel is available here. Morry: Comedian Gavin Sempel is one of the hardest working new comics in Australia. At the age of 18, in March 2016, Gavin Sempel began his stand up comedy career by enrolling in the very first School of Hard Knock Knocks course. Two years later, almost to the …
Comedian Ben Horowitz knows Raw Comedy well – he entered three times. His first brush with the amateur competition was in 2002, and although he did pick up two footy club gigs immediately after, he got no further. “The gig was huge,” says Ben reminiscing of his first brush with fame. “There were over 500 people in the audience, and …
Australian comedian Joe White is the nice guy of stand-up comedy. Ethiopian born, Perth raised, Joe has quickly developed a loyal following, both in Australia and around the world, due to his great habits of giving before receiving, and customising his comedy sets to his specific audience. In this School of Hard Knock Knocks podcast episode, you’ll hear how Joe …
A total of 39 graduates of the School of Hard Knock Knocks will be performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) this year. Each of the 12 shows, starting on April 5 and concluding on April 15, are an hour long, and include a different mix of four graduates each night, plus MC Ben Horowitz. Ben is the co-founder …
What a year we’ve had at the School of Hard Knock Knocks. In this episode, Ben Horowitz and Morry Morgan talk about the year that was, the celebrity guest comedians who taught our stand-up comedy courses across Australia, the personalities that emerged from our comedy graduates, as well as the upcoming opportunity for our “Best” graduates to perform at the …
Comedy has ups and downs, but it’s less violent than boxing.
How do you remember stand-up comedy? You know each joke by heart. You’ve practiced a hundred times. But still, there you are, staring at the sea of faces from the stage, with a metaphorical tumbleweed rolling through your head. Crap! You’ve got an acute case of stage fright. Stand-up comedian and School of Hard Knock Knocks co-founder, Ben Horowitz, knows the …
