Festival of Critical Comedy 2024

All done! Thanks to everyone who made this a success and looking forward to next year! -Jeremy Dixon, Secretary.

This year’s Festival of Critical Comedy will be on the weekend of November 16 and 17, 2pm till late, at the historic Unitarian Peace Memorial Church 110 Grey St East Melbourne.

Close to the CBD, next to the Fitzroy Gardens.

Easily accessible by public transport

Main update: Awkward Giraffe is pleased to welcome the remarkable comedian Greg Fleet who brings his Psychology of Addiction show at 9:00pm Saturday and Sunday 8:30pm. Also we welcome the great queen of raconteurs Judy Stutz with her unsettling tale of improbable surivival Drinking With the CIA on Sunday 2pm

Despite earlier rumours Steve Hughes will not be on the lineup.

A weekend you may never forget!

Acts will include the much acclaimed and ground breaking comedy team Ridiculusmus, the surreal Tristan Haze, the hilariously cancerous Becky Steepe, the apophenic Sofie Prints – and now the addictively insightful Greg Fleet. Best to come for the whole weekend and see everything.

“Critical comedy” is comedy intended to make you think and challenge your preconceptions. Whatever your preconceptions are we think they will be challenged somewhere along the way. And you may have a a few laughs as well.

Tickets $50 or $25 concession a day or $70 and $35 concession for the weekend. (We’ll take your word for it and not look at concession cards etc. If it is still too much talk to the giraffes on the door, we are not about excluding people.)

Tickets at the door or through Trybooking https://www.trybooking.com/CUWAO

Provisional Programme

The legendary comedy team Ridiculusmus, with David Woods and Jonathan Haynes will do two shows, the first “Alas! Poor Yorick” will be at 7:45pm, around dusk, on the Saturday. The second, “How To be Funny”, with the assistance of Dr James Daly will be on the Sunday afternoon about 5:30pm before the debate

Also on both Saturday and Sunday evenings we have one of the bright lights of Australian comedy, Greg Fleet. He will be discussing the forms of addiction.

At 2:00 pm Sofie Prints ,the dark lady of stand up will be there to explore the limits of reality in “Apophenia”

After Sofie at about 2:50pm we have Tim Cummins with an ensemble of fine comedians talking about something other than themselves, in “Freedom From Expression”

Then at about 3:50pm we will have Kasey Mills with his “Relax I’m An Atheist” exploring why we believe what we do.

The surreal Tristan Haze will be surreal at 4:30pm with “Crisp Bread Party”.

At 5:30pm Becky Steepe will tell of her battle with cancer and the disturbing truths it revealed about the human condition and the Australian medical system. That show is “Cancer Card”

Then at about 6:30pm we will have Slappy Tee comparing Schroedingers Comedy. Is that open mic? Well, it and it isn’t. Our previously booked comic is going to a Saints concert.

At 7:45pm we have Ridiculusmus’ “Alas! Poor Yorick”

And after 9pm, Greg Fleet!

Then on SUNDAy 17th:

On Sunday at 2pm we have the legendary Judy Stutz with her Drinking With the CIA. It is a true story and funnier because she didn’t get killed.

Then at 2:45pm Louis Nicoll will explore the comedic possibilities of the piano in “Mephisto”

At 3:30pm the enlightening and tuneful Slappy Tee will bring us Traumedy the musical

At 4:30pm Justin Mclean will present “Beyond Belief”. Why is your boss a psychopath? Justin believes he knows.

And then Ridiculusmus will reappear at 5:30pm with “How to Be Funny”

At 6:30pm we will have the Comedy Debate moderated by notorious Anarchist Dr Joseph Toscano. The proposition is “That Tragedy Plus Time Equals Comedy”

At 8 o’clock Kirk McKenzie, “Homeless Kirk” will very possibly do a set. Life is flux. Something funny will happen then anyway.

And at 8:30 Greg Fleet to bring the formal program to an end

Some adjustments to times and lineup are to be expected.

What we are hoping is that people will come and stay for the whole day or whole weekend, watch different acts perhaps of a type or point of view that they would not otherwise have seen, and hang around for discussion. Leave that weekend free, it will be awesome.

The Melbourne Unitarian Peace Memorial Church is a scenic 10 minutes walk from Parliament Station or Jolimont Station, through the historic Fitzroy Gardens. Or a couple of
minutes from the 12 or 109 tram. Then there are buses, bikes, scooters and automobiles.

Wheelchair accessible and hearing loop, BYO alcohol. Food will be available