Queen Victoria Women's Centre presents

QVWC Program Opening Launch

for Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Hosted by Gillian Cosgriff

Details

Thursday 21 March
6:00pm - 8:00pm
FREE - book to secure your spot!
Location: Wayi Djerring, Level 4

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024 runs from 27 March to 21 April - https://www.comedyfestival.com...

MICF @ QVWC

Alex Reynolds Scrum

“Hi there, I’m Bruce Scrumson but the boys just call me Scrum. I love the Cronulla Sharks, VB and my wife and kids.”

Alex Reynolds unleashes Scrum against the advice of everybody. We watch the rise of a true blue Aussie hero. What’s next? Only God knows, but Scrum is on the up and the sky's the limit. Most likely politics, word on the street is there might be an opening as a member for Hughes. One thing's for sure, once a streaker, always a streaker.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Anna Dooley Endhoe

Hot off receiving four-star reviews and winning the Hollywood and the NZ Tour Ready Awards at Sydney Fringe this year, it's time for ENDHOE to take on Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

It's no surprise that Endo just got promoted to CEO of Anna's body. She's hard-working, cunning, enticing and a 'team-player'. But with the rise to the top, so comes the judgement and belittling from the rest of the world. Join Endo as she takes you on a tour of the inside-workings of Anna's body. She's here to shake off any 'bad press' and prove to you that she has what it takes to be one of the world's most painful diseases. No codeine shall pass.

Anna has lived through four operations, more than 30 hospital visits and a gargantuan amount of unsolicited advice. This is her story of living with endometriosis.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Brown Women Comedy

Laugh your heart out to a besharam (shameless) line-up of Indian, Pakistani and South Asian comedians living in Australia. No topic is too taboo – these women won’t be holding back. Featured in The Age, SBS and Draw Your Box in 2022, we're back!

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Catherine McClintock Not Cool (AUS,CAN)

Two-time RAW Comedy State Finalist Catherine McClintock is not cool. Who decides what’s cool, anyway? With two successful stand-up shows under her elasticated waistband, Catherine presents a new show that pokes fun at the not cool in all of us and in life.

Have you ever played Trivial Pursuit by yourself for fun? Catherine has and many other not cool things. Funny and relatable, she wears many hats on her objectively giant head – comedian, nurse, mum, Canadian, body acceptance and chronic illness advocate. She has a weird autoimmune disease nobody can pronounce called dermatomyositis.

Catherine's previous stand-up hours Burst and Please and Thank Yous played to sold out shows and glowing reviews. She has performed throughout Australia and North America, supporting acts such as Claire Hooper, Judith Lucy and Geraldine Hickey.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Gemma Caruana Galah Galah

This very loud little girl was handed down two things – a nickname comparing her to a noisy bird and a lot of high expectations.

The newest work by Gemma Caruana, recently branded as "the new face and brain of modern cabaret" by Theatre Matters, Galah Galah features hilarious and heart-wrenching stories that every high-achiever-perfectionist-anxiety-ridden-eldest-sister type will find scarily familiar.

Directed by powerhouse creative Sarah Frencham, Galah Galah is a cabaret that critics and audiences alike have been waiting for.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Jess Karamjeet & Sophie Gibson Grief-Sex-Race (NZ)

Award-winning music comedy duo show GRIEF-SEX-RACE is coming to Melbourne International Comedy Festival, brought to you by stand-up comedian Jess Karamjeet (NZ Comedy Trust's One To Watch) and singer songwriter Sophie Gibson.

Guitar in hand, stand-up comedian Jess Karamjeet – a 30-something, mixed-race, bisexual immigrant – navigates the awkward intersections of her identity while grieving the loss of her dear, departed dad.

Riding shotgun is Sophie Gibson, an NZ ON AIR funded singer/songwriter with over a million Spotify streams, who's made the ever so logical side-step into stand-up comedy.

Because some say tragedy + time = comedy... and GRIEF-SEX-RACE takes out the middle (wo)man.

So get your running shoes on, then prepare for your socks to be knocked off. This taboo-busting, stereotype-subverting hour is a workout for your mind and your sides (you know, from all the laughter).

As seen at Auckland Fringe, New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Kate Dolan A Different Kind of Unhinged (UK)

UK comedian Kate Dolan is... a bit weird to be honest, but in a totally hot and totally fun way.
Growing up Kate was always told she was a little weirdo, which was conflicting information for a girl who was convinced she would be the 27th member of the Pussycat Dolls.

Kate explores the bizarre expectations put on women, the refreshing perspective that grief can bring and how accepting yourself is harder than your Nan's nipples in the winter.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Lana Walters Big Mum Energy (NZ)

Lana Walters is a rising star from the New Zealand comedy scene now bringing her brilliant hour Big Mum Energy to Melbourne International Comedy Fest.

This show unpacks the first year of parenthood, all the way from overly ambitious birth plans to nappy changes that feel like crocodile death rolls. Find a Mum friend who needs a night out (many are being held hostage by tiny children with sharp fingernails).

Lana has twice been nominated for the Billy T Award, which recognises outstanding potential by the NZ International Comedy Festival

She works as a comedy writer for The Project NZ on which she makes regular appearances as well as local panel show 7 Days. She has also performed in the NZ Comedy Gala and The Great Comedy Debate.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Liv McKenzie & Becky Umbers I Can't Believe I Shaved For This (NZ)

Ever gotten all glammed up and ended up in a Nandos listening to how indoor rock climbing changed a 26-year-old finance bro’s life? NZ comedians and hot messes Liv McKenzie and Becky Umbers might not have their shit together, but their jokes are definitely worth shaving for.

Liv McKenzie is a stand-up comedian from Christchurch, New Zealand. She’s a 2024 Billy T Award Nominee, the winner of Best Newcomer at the 2019 NZ International Comedy Festivaland the host of TVNZ+'s new show, Cubicle Confessions. You may have seen her on 7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention NZ and The NZ Comedy Gala.

Becky Umbers is a multi-award-winning comedian who you might have seen on 7 Days, The NZ Comedy Gala and The Project NZ. She works as a writer for a variety of shows and has performed throughout NZ and in Australia, with a unique take on life and the voice to match. A Finalist in Act of the Year at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Winner of Best Debut at the 2019 New Zealand International Comedy Festival and nominated for Best Female Comedian by the NZ Comedy Guild 2022, Becky is a delightful regular on the New Zealand comedy scene.

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com...

Raise the Bra (AUS,CAN,PAK)

Raise the Bar Comedy proudly presents Raise the Bra, a unique show featuring top women and non-binary comics from the Festival. With different acts each night, our show is a riot with themed nights like Tinder Tales (March 28), Mum's the Word (March 29), Guilty Pleasures (March 30), Black Widow (April 4), Career Day, (April 5) and Dysfunctional Families (April 6). Follow our Instagram for more info on the themes and lineups!

Raise the Bra is not just a show; it's a celebration of comedic brilliance and a testament to the power of diverse voices in the world of comedy.

Come down to Queen Vic Women's Centre in the heart of the CBD and enjoy a night of big laughs in a warm, vibrant environemnt! This will be one show you'll be glad you left the house for.

For years, Raise the Bar Comedy has been setting the stage on fire with their sold-out monthly showcase, spotlighting the best and brightest women and non-binary comedians from Melbourne and beyond. Now, the laughter extravaganza takes centre stage at Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Some of our featured acts have included Lizzy Hoo, Sashi Perera, Bev Killick, Jude Perl, Shiralee Hood and Kirsty Webeck among others.

Raise the Bar Comedy is produced and hosted by Amna Bee, a Pakistani-Canadian-Australian comic who, when not collecting passports and doing sold-out international comedy gigs, loves producing and hosting Raise the Bar shows in Australia. You can check her Instagram shenanigans at @amna.bee.comedy

Bookings: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/raise-the-bra#

Queen Victoria Women's Centre

The Queen Victoria Women's Centre's vision is that all women and gender diverse people have a place where they are welcomed, valued and celebrated and have the power to determine their present and future. Our purpose is to hold and create space for Victorian women and gender diverse people to thrive.

Website: www.qvwc.org.au