The Tin Shed in Barwon Heads is set to become the Bellarine’s newest comedy venue with a series of shows kicking off in June.
The popular venue will play host to three comedy nights between June and September, featuring lineups programmed by comedian and creative producer Stella Kinsella.
Chris Franklin, who shot to national fame in 2000 with his number one single Bloke (a parody of Meredith Brooks’ song Bitch), will headline the first show on Thursday, June 5.
Franklin will be joined by Melbourne-based comedians Evan Hocking and Billy Stiles, with follow up shows featuring much-loved comics Richard Stubbs and Dave O’Neil.
Kinsella, who has recently moved to Ocean Grove after many years of running comedy events in Melbourne, said she hoped the three shows would be the first of a regular series of comedy events.
“Comedy is one of those brilliant forms of, if you want to call it art, that connects very quickly with people,” she said.
“And while we think we know comedians from the television, when they’re in the room with you – when they’re in a room that is made up of a community like Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove – there’s a really uniting connection that’s quite bespoke to that event.
“So I wanted to start up a space in Barwon Heads. The headline comedian is the hero of the night, but I want to be able to give support acts an opportunity to work as well.
“(There is a) growing comedy scene in Geelong and I’ll be able to provide opportunities for stage time for some of the comedians that are working in and around Geelong and the Bellarine.”
Kinsella said she was looking forward to connecting locals with quality comedy.
“Audiences here are terrific, people are switched on down here,” she said.
“They’re aware, interested, connected through social media and relative to the news… and they go to lots of stuff. But a lot of the things they go to are in Geelong, or in the city.
“So my theory, which is the one I worked on in the inner west of Melbourne, was if you only have to drive five minutes and pay your babysitter less than two hours to have a really good night out, then that’s a winning combination.”
Tickets on sale at stellavision23.com.au or at the venue.
