Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s (MICF) Class Clowns returns to Geelong as part of the search for Australia’s funniest teenager on Tuesday, February 21 at Limelight Studio 4.
The national comedy competition gives young people aged 14-18 the opportunity to receive mentoring on their routine and stagecraft before performing in front of a live audience.
The winner of the Geelong heat will then advance to the state final at the Melbourne Arts Centre on March 31 to try to earn a place in the national grand final held at the 2023 MICF.
Comedian Annie Louey, who will be performing again at this year’s MICF, is a former Class Clowns national finalist.
Annie, who will be both a mentor and the host of the Geelong heat, said her experience as a Class Clown national finalist in 2010 had a major impact on her career as a performer.
“There’s not a lot out there in terms of learning comedy; there’s definitely no courses for young people, so Class Clowns is a really valuable opportunity,” Annie said.
“Class Clowns gave me that small nugget of opportunity, and you just keep growing from there. I’m so glad the festival believed in me.
“Just this week, I rewatched my national final set; I was cringing so hard, it was physically painful to watch. But fast forward 10 years and I’m about to co-host a TV show now.
“That’s something I would tell anyone who wants to sign up: you’re going to get something out of it no matter what.”
Annie said the mentoring workshop with participants would focus on sharpening up their gags and giving them a grounding in the little things that could make them more comfortable and effective performers on stage.
“We’ll spend some time listening to their sets and punching them up, but also get into those little tips and tricks that even some comedians might never have learned,” she said.
“For instance, how to pick up a microphone. I remember the first workshop I did with Harley Breen and George McEnroe, they were teaching us not to play with the microphone lead.
“It’s getting down to the basics, like how to control your nerves. It’ll be really practical things that can be applied to various things they might do in the future, whether that’s in the boardroom or managing stress for exams.”
For ticketing, registration or more information on Class Clowns go to geelongartscentre.org.au/whats-on/all-events/class-clowns/.
