Aussie performer Damian Callinan will be Drysdale’s ‘mayor’ for a day when he brings his new show to the Potato Shed.
Callinan has performed on stage, in film, radio and live stand-up and was in the 2013 film Backyard Ashes and wrote and starred in The Merger.
The popularly unelected Callinan is slipping on the mayoral robes for 24 hours to run his comedic eyes over Drysdale.
Armed only with a projector and a microphone, Callinan combines photos, observations, municipal advice, community interactions, colourful yarns and his uncanny eye for seeing things that the locals don’t.
“It’s not particularly political in tone, it’s more a celebratory look at the community,” he said.
“I’ve been doing enough of this stuff to know how to get the line right. Australians are great at laughing at themselves, but you can’t go in all guns blazing.
“It’s easy to turn an audience if you go too far. It’s holding a mirror in different ways.”
Callinan will pay a visit to St Thomas Primary School and will gain some inspiration for the show from the younger generation.
“I get them to muse what they would do if they were mayor for the day and take that back to the audience,” he said.
“They make campaign posters and usually delightfully weird and whacky stuff.”
Callinan’s show is also going to Savernake, Tatura, Edi Upper, Balmoral and Dunkeld.
“I think my favourite thing is at the end I make my pitch and say okay this is what I’m going to change and seeing how they react,” he said.
“It’s always pretty stupid and they won’t get anything out of it. Sometimes it’s turning their ideas back on themselves.”
Mayor for a Day is at the Potato Shed, Drysdale on Thursday October 20 at 8pm.
Tickets: tickets.geelongaustralia.com.au/event/mayor-for-a-day
