The Twitter addicted, relief teaching Brisbane comedian Melinda Buttle is ready to perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the first time. She hasn’t always imagined performing at the festival, however, as comedy hasn’t been a direct career path for the twenty eight year old. Although she had always been curious about trying stand-up, Mel started out as a drama teacher. Until that fatal day she saw an advertisement for an eight week stand-up course. “At the end of it we had to do a performance. And it was just like they say really, I caught the bug.” After doing open mic at various venues around Brisbane, she entered the Raw Comedy Competition, and following a win for the state of Queensland, she ‘began to think, “hmm, maybe I can make a career out of this … “‘

Mel is a relief teacher, substituting at some of the roughest schools in Brisbane. Students have been to her gigs, too, although she doesn’t let it affect her performance. “It’s more awkward for them, not me. One of them has come up to me after the show and hugged me and still called me Miss Buttle. It’s fun – when they see me perform they get to see the real me.” She also refuses to let their presence change her material, much of which is about the schools she has worked in. “I find they don’t mind me mentioning the schools, as people just love a mention. I could stand there and say, ‘My mum has the biggest beard and she really needs to shave it all off’, and all she would hear is ‘Oh! That’s me! She’s mentioning me on stage!’”

Like all the best comedians, Mel has run into some trouble with hecklers, particularly female audience members who sometimes have issues with the languages in her shows. “Look, it’s just mainly when I do hen’s nights,” she says. “Mother and Aunty Joan are often invited along and while they have no problem with wearing penis shaped name tags, they can have a problem with my language.” Is it enough to put her off comedy? “I don’t let it affect me much. Comedy comes with both the highest highs and lowest lows. After five Chardonnays, heckles can happen. It’s all part of the gig.”

Of her debut show, Sista Got Flow, Mel says “It’s basically all about me. Surprise! How original”. Not just her ‘wacky adventures’ are discussed in her show, however, delicate and intimate topics are discussed as well, such as her virginity. When asked if she has ever had any regrets about integrating her stage and personal lives so closely, she is quick to reply: “Definitely not. Comedy should be truthful, like a dinner party with friends. All the comedians I like use really honest and truthful material. Honest material is the best and funniest comedy.” But discussing such intimate things with a room of strangers has to be daunting, doesn’t it? “I believe it to be really important to be intimate with the audience,” is her honest reply.

Sista Got Flow has been in the making since December of 2008. Mel began to put some stories with other bits of material, and found she had a ‘sort of show’ forming. After spending all of last year open mic-ing around Brisbane to polish the material, she is now excited to take on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. “I’m excited to be involved; see shows and perform shows, go to the HiFi Bar. I’ve only ever been to the festival to watch shows before. The festival is really just like Christmas for comedians. You know, you’re just walking around Melbourne and you suddenly go, ‘Oh My God! I think that’s Wil Anderson buying a curry!’”

As an industry, though she is regarded as relatively new, she has already experienced the help and support of many a comedian. As Mel states, “There’s quite a ‘we’re all in the trenches together’ mentality between comedians”, and stresses that there is definitely more of a supportive, rather than competitive, feel in the industry. She is quick to endorse other comedians as well, having already made plans to see Josie Long, Sarah Millican, Russell Kane, Tom Ballard and Fiona O’Loughlin perform at the festival.

A Twitter enthusiast, I ask Mel if she ever uses the social networking site to try out stand-up material (in under 140 characters, of course). Rather than using Twitter to trial material, though, she uses it as somewhat of a training tool. “On trains, instead of listening to music, I’ll be on Twitter trying to think of jokes. Whenever I watch something like The Circle, I will make an effort to think of a related joke and Tweet it, for instance. I use it as a way of keeping sharp.”

As Mel performs Sista Got Flow throughout this year’s festival, you can expect major laughs and raw, honest material from a talented and Twitterific new voice.