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36-519: The Melbourne International Comedy Festival ( MICF ) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starting in March and running through to April. The Melbourne Town Hall has served as the festival hub, but performances are held in many venues throughout

72-601: A bottle of shitty red wine"). The award is funded by the Moosehead Benefit , which is staged on the last night of the festival. As of 2024 the other MICF awards include: In addition to the MICF awards, the Brian McCarthy Memorial Trust, which was established in 1987 in honour of Melbourne comedian, actor and fringe comedy producer Brian McCarthy, who died in an accident. Funds are raised by

108-546: A live audience for the same reason. Jessica Delfino holds the record for most comedy sets performed in one night by a female comedian. Phyllis Diller holds the Guinness World Record for most laughs per minute, with 12. Taylor Goodwin holds the Guinness World Record for most jokes told in an hour with 550. Lee Evans sold £7 million worth of tickets for his 2011 tour in a day,

144-658: A number of special one-off events. The best-known of these is the Comedy Festival Gala , which showcases short acts from many headlines and award-winning comedians performing shows at that year's festival. It has become known as the festival's flagship event and typically sells out months in advance. It is typically hosted by well-known popular comedians. Headline acts at the Gala have included world-famous comics Arj Barker , Eddie Ifft , Adam Hills , Russell Kane , Stephen K Amos , Mike Wilmot and Rich Hall . The Gala

180-439: A report for the state government, which they accepted. The inaugural festival was launched in 1987 at a media conference hosted by Barry Humphries (as Sir Les Patterson ) and Peter Cook . Traditionally the festival would open on or around April Fool's Day (1 April), though it now generally begins in mid-to-late March and runs for roughly four weeks. Its first year, in 1987, featured 56 separate shows, including performances by

216-710: A series of awards. The Age Critics' Award was presented to the best local act between 2001 and 2010, as selected by reviewers at the Melbourne newspaper The Age . The award for the most outstanding show of the festival is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award . It was called the Barry Award until the 2019 festival, named after Barry Humphries . However, due to comments about transgender people, including describing transgenderism as "a fashion", Humphries' name

252-421: A specified number of paying guests with them to receive stage time. As well as being a mainstay of the comedy circuit, festivals often also showcase up-and-coming acts, with promoters and agents using the festivals to seek out new talent. Experienced comics with a following may produce a television special or a comedy album . It may be recorded on tour or at a show advertised and performed specifically for

288-615: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience , where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts . These performances are typically composed of rehearsed scripts but often include varying degrees of live crowd interaction . Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners , stories, observations, or shticks that can employ props , music , impressions, magic tricks , or ventriloquism . A performer in this genre can be known by

324-455: Is difficult to successfully sue for joke theft regardless due to the idea–expression distinction . According to Anna Spagnolli, stand-up comedy audiences "are both 'co-constructors of the situation' and 'co-responsible for it ' ". In stand-up comedy, an unspoken contract with the audience allows for the exploration of unexpected, controversial, or scandalous subjects. The reception of a joke, whether met with laughter or disapproval, hinges on

360-479: Is filmed and broadcast at a later date during the festival on the ABC . Since 1995 the Gala has been a charity event, with all proceeds from the live performance and the screening going to Oxfam Australia . The Great Debate has been an annual event since 1989 and has been televised variously on Network Ten , Nine Network and currently airs on ABC . The comedy debate features two teams of comedians facing off loosely in

396-522: Is greater competition to gain an audience. Journalist Simon Fanshawe describes Melbourne as "the festival where the comedians go to play ... the most relaxed, least fevered and probably the most audience-friendly of all the festivals." Lorin Clarke, a Melbourne-based writer and director of comedy theatre, suggested that shows self-produced by Australian comedians have great difficulty competing against shows featuring international comics which are produced by

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432-539: Is staged on the last night of the festival, to raise funds for the Moosehead Awards, which are grants supporting emerging comedians. Following the end of the festival in Melbourne various local and international comedians join the MICF Roadshow, which spends several months touring regional Australia and in 2010, Singapore. In addition to over 200 nightly shows which play during the festival, there are

468-770: The Doug Anthony All Stars , Wogs Out of Work , Gerry Connolly , Los Trios Ringbarkus , and Rod Quantock . By 1999, it contained over 120 shows and was being attended by some 350,000 patrons annually. In 2010, it played host to a record (at the time) 369 shows and 4,947 performances both local and international, including artists from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and China. In addition, it achieved an attendance of over 508,000 and its highest-ever box office revenue of A$ 10.9  million, ranking it as Australia's largest cultural event. Activities were originally centred around

504-507: The jester's privilege , which is the right to discuss and mock anything freely without being punished. Social commentators have referred to the concepts of "punching up" and "punching down" in attempting to describe who should be the "butt of the joke". This carries the assumption that, relative to the comedian's own socio-political identity , comedy should "punch up" at the rich and powerful without "punching down" at those who are marginalized and less fortunate. Many comedians have criticized

540-578: The Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Clarke argues that this conflict of interest stifles creativity. Comedy festival A partial list of well-known comedy festivals includes: McCarthy, Sean L. (27 February 2017). "The Definitive Guide to Comedy Festivals for 2017" . The Comic’s Comic . Retrieved 25 March 2020 . This festival -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This comedy- or humor-related article

576-513: The Moosehead Benefit on the last night of MICF, and the trust gives grants to help support emerging comedians. In recent years it has supported up to six comedians each year by grants which pay the MICF registration fee, the first A$ 3,000 of venue rental, up to A$ 2,500 for creative support, and up to A$ 2,000 towards accommodation costs if the recipient lives outside of Melbourne. From 1988 to 2018, cartoonist Michael Leunig designed

612-614: The Sandwich Islands . Charles Farrar Browne (April 26, 1834 – March 6, 1867), better known by his nom de plume , Artemus Ward, is considered America's first stand-up comedian. The first documented use of "stand-up" appeared in The Stage in 1911, describing Nellie Perrier delivering 'stand-up comic ditties in a chic and charming manner'. However, this referred to a performance of comedy songs rather than stand-up comedy in its modern form. The term appeared again in

648-655: The Universal and Athenaeum Theatres but in the early 1990s, the MICF shifted its venue to the newly refurbished Melbourne Town Hall, which has remained the festival hub. Soon after this, it spread out further to include an independently produced program at the Melbourne Trades Hall as well. In 2010, for the first time, the Festival also ran the Trades Hall venue. In 2006, the opening of the festival

684-559: The appeal of stand up is in appreciation of the skill of the performer, as studies have shown that many people find the idea of standing on stage daunting; research on the subject has consistently found that the fear of public speaking is more intense than the fear of dying . The audience is integral to live comedy, both as a foil to the comedian and as a contributing factor to the overall experience. The use of canned laughter in television comedy reveals this, with shows often seeming "dry" or dull without it. Shows may be filmed in front of

720-509: The artwork for the festival program and other materials such as advertising posters. In 2019, Leunig was replaced by Judy Horacek , following his recent controversial works on vaccines and marriage equality. Horacek will remain as the illustrator for the festival until at least 2020. Australian comic Peter Helliar says that performing in Melbourne is more fun for comedians because there is less pressure involved than in Edinburgh, where there

756-399: The audience's understanding of the premise and appreciation of the punchline. A seasoned comic is able to instantly react to the audience's reaction and use it to further the narrative. Stand-up comedy, distinct from traditional performing arts, features a lone comedian directly engaging the audience. Success hinges on creating spontaneity, fostering intimacy, and deterring heckling. Part of

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792-557: The city. MICF also produces three flagship development programs: Raw Comedy , Australia's biggest open mic competition; Class Clowns , a national comedy competition for high school students; and Deadly Funny, an Indigenous comedy competition that celebrates the unique humour of Indigenous Australians . Awards are given for the best acts of the development programs as well as other categories of performances. The festival also undertakes an annual national roadshow, showcasing festival highlights in regional towns across Australia. The festival

828-514: The cultural rhetoric concerning "punching up" and "punching down", including Colin Quinn , who described the terms as a product of activism and "not created by humorous people." Appropriation and plagiarism are considered "social crimes" by most stand-ups. There have been several high-profile accusations of joke theft, some ending in lawsuits for copyright infringement. Those accused will sometimes claim cryptomnesia or parallel thinking, but it

864-460: The development of routines, which they construct and refine with jokes and interconnected "bits." These bits form an interwoven narrative, leading to the "closer," the final joke that ties the show's themes together for a satisfying conclusion. Most jokes are the juxtaposition of two incongruous things and are made up of the premise, set-up, and punchline , often adding a twist, topper ,or tagline for an intensified or extra laugh. Delivery relies on

900-543: The festival has also included sketch shows , plays, improvisational theatre , debates, musical shows and art exhibitions. The televised Gala is one of the festival's flagship event, showcasing short performances from many headline and award-winning comics. Other popular events include The Great Debate, a televised comedy debate, the Opening Night Super Show, and Upfront, a night of performances exclusively featuring female comedians. The Moosehead Benefit

936-663: The host, compere, or emcee "warms up" the audience and introduces the other performers. This is followed by the opener, the feature, and then the headliner. The host may also act as the opener for smaller shows. Proven comics tend to earn regular bookings at clubs that are part of a chain and comedy venues. Jobbing stand-ups may perform sets at two or more venues on the same day. Clubs and small venues often run open mic events; these slots may be booked in advance or left for walk-ins. Comedians use open mics to work on material or to show off their skills to get an opener slot. "Bringer shows" are shows that require amateur performers to bring

972-729: The masculine and gender-neutral terms stand-up comedian and stand-up comic , or by the feminine term stand-up comedienne . Performances can take place in various venues, including comedy clubs , comedy festivals , bars, nightclubs , colleges, or theaters . Stand-up comedy originated in various traditions of popular entertainment in the late 19th century. These include vaudeville , the stump-speech monologues of minstrel shows, dime museums , concert saloons , freak shows , variety shows , medicine shows , American burlesque , English music halls , circus clown antics , Chautauqua , and humorist monologues, such as those delivered by Mark Twain in his 1866 touring show Our Fellow Savages of

1008-427: The purpose. A TV special originally released on television, video on demand , or in film theatre's may be re-released as an album on audio CD , LP record , or audio streaming . A "half-hour special" is typically between 20 and 35 minutes in runtime excluding commercial breaks and an "hour-long special" is typically between 40 and 65 minutes excluding commercial breaks. Stand-up comedians define their craft through

1044-424: The similar "Storming Mount Albert By Tram ", which used buses and trams respectively as mobile theatres in which the audience members were also passengers. The MICF plays host to hundreds of local and international artists; in 2018, the festival listed over 550 shows and 6,700 performances (including more than 160 free performances) by 3,500 artists. Although it is mainly a vehicle for stand-up and cabaret acts,

1080-442: The structure of a formal debate over humorous topics such as "Laughter is Better Than Sex", "Coming First is All That Matters" and " Food is better than sex ". The winning team is chosen by audience applause. Since 1994, the festival has produced Upfront, a night exclusively featuring female comedians which routinely sells out. Each year, the MICF ends its Melbourne run by recognising the most outstanding shows and performers with

1116-447: The three largest international comedy festivals in the world, behind Edinburgh 's Fringe Festival and ahead of Montreal 's Just For Laughs . Although it is mainly a vehicle for stand-up and cabaret acts, its programme has also featured sketch shows, plays, improvisational theatre , debates, musical shows, and art exhibitions. There is also a tradition for experimenting with unusual comedy venues, such as Rod Quantock's "Bus" tours and

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1152-426: The use of intonation, inflection, attitude, and timing as well as other stylistic devices, such as the rule of three , idioms, archetypes, or wordplay. Another popular joke structure is the paraprosdokian , a surprising punchline that changes the context or meaning of the setup. In order to falsely frame their stories as true or to free themselves of responsibility for breaking social conventions, comedians can use

1188-412: The “Stage Gossip” column of The Yorkshire Evening Post on November 10, 1917. The article discussed the career of a comedian Finlay Dunn, stating that Dunn was "what he calls a stand-up comedian'" during the latter part of the 19th century. However, the term may have been used retrospectively. Stand-up has multiple genres and styles with their formats. Common ones include: In a typical stand-up show,

1224-531: Was delayed due to the Festival Melbourne that occurred as part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne. The 2020 festival was cancelled in its entirety due to concerns surrounding COVID-19 and the extension of restrictions relating to efforts to stem the spread of the pandemic in Australia . The MICF generally begins in mid-to-late March and runs for roughly four weeks. It is one of

1260-539: Was founded in 1986 by John Pinder and his business partner Roger Evans. According to Pinder, the idea of holding an international comedy festival originated in the early 1980s. In 1986, Pinder persuaded the Victorian Tourism Commission to fund an overseas trip in order to visit other international comedy festivals and investigate the possibility of holding a festival in Melbourne. Pinder became convinced it would work, and after his return he wrote

1296-492: Was removed from the prize and it was renamed. The Golden Gibbo was established in 2004 in honour of Australian comedian Lynda Gibson , who died of cancer in 2004. It celebrates a local, independent act that "bucks trends and pursues the artist's idea more strongly than it pursues any commercial lure" The recipient of the Golden Gibbo receives A$ 3,500 in cash, and the Golden Gibbo statue ("which looks suspiciously like

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