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 …

October is a tough month in comedy: comedians are wracking their brains trying to work out how to name and describe a show for next year’s Comedy Festival in order to register it. A show which, thanks to the way stand-up works, is probably no more than a mad glint in their eye.
Sometimes this work in isolation can result in doubling up; this year a trio of subversive political stand-ups led by Courteney Hocking are The First Three Against the Wall, while Karin Muiznieks’ new revolutionary-themed cabaret is First Against …

Q. Did you hear the one about the female comedian?
A. Actually, women aren’t really that funny..
It’s the laughable line that gets trotted out every Comedy Festival.
Delivered in didactic terms in queues for Wil Anderson, spluttered by seedy types holding up the Festival bars, whispered guiltily as those few ladies who actually get a guernsey at the Gala take the stage.
The standard “Sheilas can’t crack a joke”, the occasional “Kristen Schaal is the exception that proves the rule”, and of course “Oh yeah, then why is there twice the number of …

In no particular order, here are our hints for shows that are anything but straight standup.
Rod Quantock – In the Beginning
Fancy a walk down memory lane?  You can, quite literally, do just this with Mr Quantock this year as he strolls through Melbourne’s streets visiting the historical sites and stories of comedy in our hometown.
Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour
Ben McKenzie has done us all a favour, bringing back one of last year’s sell-out comedy offerings for another year.  If you like your comedy with a smidge of “I never knew that!”, …

Tim Vine (UK) – The Joke-amotive
A man after our own heart, Tim Vine prides himself on keeping the art of the pun alive. Not just a pun-tastic title, this show promises (or threatens) to offer the most puns-per-show ratio of the festival.
Wil Anderson: Wilful Misconduct
Ever year we open the festival guide to see what truly terrible name-based pun Anderson has gone with this time around. Not one to disappoint, this year it is Wilful Misconduct.
Dean Arcuri – To Sir with Glove ?!
What else would you call a show about fetishism? …

Happy International Women’s Day!  With only a little over two weeks until Melbourne International Comedy Festival begins, we’re celebrating the ladies of the festival by posting our first Top 5 of the year.  Here are our Top 5 shows featuring talented women in 2010, in no particular order.
Keep Your Skirt On
Yes, yes, we’re biased.  We awarded the inaugural Keep Your Skirt On show of 2009 our Professional Development Award.  Their first year was a veritable treasure-trove of talented women, and it’s shaping up to be just as impressive this year.  …

It’s time to get your laugh muscles in training.  Melbourne International Comedy Festival is heading our way again.  In a matter of months Melbourne will be transformed into a Mecca of comedy, and we’re back for another year to guide you through the madness.
The festival website is up and running, ready for you to check out your favourite performers and search for some new talent.  Take a look, start to plan your comedy schedule and buy your tickets before you miss out!  In the meantime, we’ll be keeping an ear …

Are you a budding writer?  Got a passion for live performance?  The Pun is now accepting applications to be a part of our team for 2010.  We’re searching for reviewers, writers and sub-editors to cover the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.  To apply, send your resume and two samples of your writing (including one live performance review) to lefa@anewleaf.com.au by 28 February.

After 21 years at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, Greg Fleet wanders into the 21st Pun Podcast with Matt Smith. This time, he’s asking people for the location of his well deserved present of the equine nature, with his show Where’s my Pony?

The nominations have been announced and the competitive end of the festival is here.  Here’s the low-down.
The Barry Awards – 2009 Nominees

Tim Minchin (AUS) – Ready For This?
Rich Hall (USA) – Otis Lee Crenshaw Featuring Special Guest Rich Hall
Wilson Dixon (AUS) – Wilson Dixon Rides Again
Sarah Millican (UK) – Sarah Millican’s Not Nice
Asher Treleaven (AUS) – Open Door (Moosehead Award Recipient)
The Pajama Men (USA) – Versus vs Versus
Henning Wehn & Otto Kuhnle (DEU) – 1000 Years of German Humour
The Golden Gibbo – 2009 Nominees

Heath McIvor – Randy’s Postcards from Purgatory
Rob …

When you see upward of twenty shows during the festival, there are plenty of moments of deja vu. The slightly older comedian complaining about young people’s “music”; the references to 80s pop culture; a throwaway gag about Facebook. The feeling isn’t overwhelming, because comedians are always reacting to and commenting on human experience and society, and those things are pretty universal. Besides, while the themes might be the same, the jokes are unique… most of the time.
I may be a ‘just in’ Generation Xer, but for me the abbreviation LOL …

In no particular order, here are our Top 5 suggestions for shows which break out of the stand-up mould to offer you something a little different.
1. Denise Scott – Number 26
Sit back, relax and put your metaphoric comfy nightie on so you can join Scott in her jaunt down memory lane.  Part stand-up, part storytelling with a dash of showbiz thrown in, this show is one you’ll remember long after you’ve rushed off to the next gig.
2. Wilson Dixon Rides Again
If you haven’t seen a Wilson Dixon show before, you’ll …

If there’s one issue that gets comics hot under the collar as a collective group, it’s reviews and reviewers.  As the festival begins, they’re keen to get media outlets into the audience in order to get a review.  After the reviewer has been and the review is written, often their attitude can change significantly.  The same performer once complaining that nobody will come review their show can now be found spilling bile and hatred for reviewers one-and-all.  It’s a phenomenon that is pretty unique to comedy, and as somebody who …