Comedian Katie Wainhouse didn’t want to work at NASA or work towards world peace. She wanted to be a comedian, and a dark comedian at that. In this 100th episode of the Hard Knock Knocks podcast, host Steve Davis chats with former National RAW Comedy Finalist Katie Burch about what it takes to be a successful comedian, her life in …
Comedy school builds comedy hub in South Melbourne
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 …
Photographic headshots now included in stand-up comedy course
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 …
The subtle art to compete in Raw Comedy finals
How many Indians does it take to change a light bulb? Hey listen, we have one point three billion, take as many as you want. Alright alright, not a great joke, but then again, I never was funny. I was never the funny kid; I was the shy kid, the kid who sat in the corner and laughed at funny …
Gavin Sempel – The hard road to Raw Comedy
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 Hard Knock Knocks course. Two years later, almost to the day, he’s …
Nikki Osborne – Go hard or go home
The audio interview of this transcript with comedian Nikki Osborne is available here. Morry: In her very first Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, comedian Nikki Osborne, not only sold out, but also managed to attract over $100,000 of free or earned publicity for her show, On The Spectrum. That’s the good news. The bad news was she also endured an …
Stand-up School Sends 27 to Raw
Australia runs one of the largest amateur stand-up comedy competitions in the world; Raw Comedy. But don’t be fooled by the name. While the heat’s comic quality can be hit-or-miss, the grand final at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is world class. And competition is fierce! This is what 27 graduates of the Hard Knock Knocks have volunteered for. These …
066: Simon Hughes – The new king of comedy
Simon Hughes runs Kings of Comedy, a comedy room in the heart of Melbourne. He’s also an up and coming stand-up comedian. A class clown at school, Simon was naturally drawn to entertainment – until drug addiction turned his world upside down. But Simon has bounced back, and even turned his traumatic experience into a Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) …
063: Chris Wainhouse – Dark humour and the importance of taboos
New Zealand born, Brisbane raised, and globally travelled, Chris Wainhouse, has been in the comedy game for over 20 years. The son of a fundamental Christian mother, it should come as no surprise for those that know Chris’s material, that his views are somewhat different – after all, he called his most recent Melbourne International Comedy Festival show (MICF) ‘The …








