The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow has rolled into WA, bringing the freshest and funniest superstars from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to towns and cities right across the state, including a special Perth show hitting UWA’s Octagon Theatre on Thursday, May 26, with tickets on sale now. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with comedians Tor Snyder, Dane Simpson, Anirban Dasgupta, Daniel Connell and Nikki Britton to hear their stories about life on the road, surviving lockdowns, and what we can look forward to when they hit the stage.
TOR SNYDER
What’s the most surprising thing you have seen while out on the road?
Probably the NT landscape. It felt like we were driving on Mars. So much red dirt and craters. Plus, I’m pretty sure I saw an alien. Or maybe it was Dave Callan, who knows?
How do you keep yourself sane on those long commutes?
The scenery helps and travelling with lots of funny people telling stories. Some of these drives should be filmed. “Comedians in Cars Trying not to get COVID”….it’s the next big reality show!
What are you looking forward to most about coming to Western Australia?
Sleeping in my own bed! I’ve been a WA girl for the past 13 years. So very excited to catch up on some zzzs.
A lot has happened in the past two years. What’s a special skill you have picked up since the pandemic arrived?
I started buying and selling retro furniture, doing some restorations and upholstery, does that count? Check me out on instagram @onenightstandfurniture
Finish this sentence with three words. My comedy show is for fans of….
Sex and donuts.
DANE SIMPSON
What’s the most surprising thing you have seen while out on the road?
I am genuinely surprised to see massive crowds in these regional towns we travel too. I once did a gig to 65 people and the town had a population of 60 people!
How do you keep yourself sane on those long commutes?
I love the long commutes. I live in regional NSW in Wagga Wagga and when I was growing up we would travel for hours to major cities or other regional towns to see family.
What are you looking forward to most about coming to Western Australia?
I love the communities in WA and I know I’ll connect with them with my sense of humour. I think we share similar experiences.
A lot has happened in the past two years. What’s a special skill you have picked up since the pandemic arrived?
We hosted a show online over the past two years called ‘Servo Bingo.’ I think I have grown in my skills at hosting but also creating relationships online with audiences.
Finish this sentence with three words. My comedy show is for fans of….
Anyone and Everyone!
ANIRBAN DASGUPTA
What’s the most surprising thing you have seen while out on the road?
The population of these beautiful towns in the outback, a welcome change from the cities back home in India.
How do you keep yourself sane on those long commutes?
A steady supply of photos of my eight month old daughter back home and a long video call at night.
What are you looking forward to most about coming to Western Australia?
Performing to Australian stand-up- audiences who don’t know me is the right kind of challenge for me and one that I am enjoying so much. And the beauty of this part of the world is breathtaking. I am especially pleased to be doing the WA leg of the MICF roadshow that takes me to some wild towns.
A lot has happened in the past two years. What’s a special skill you have picked up since the pandemic arrived?
Chess. I picked it up during the lockdowns and is now part of my warm up process before shows.
Finish this sentence with three words. My comedy show is for fans of….
Unknown international acts.
DANIEL CONNELL
What’s the most surprising thing you have seen while out on the road?
A few years ago, at a show in Alice Springs, a lady in the crowd brought her pet crocodile to the show. I got to hold her (the crocodile), she was about a metre long and had masking tape around her mouth. I have a new found respect for the strength of masking tape.
How do you keep yourself sane on those long commutes?
Writing notes in my phone, playing games on my phone, and telling the other cast members about the time a lady brought a five-metre (I elaborate of course) crocodile to a show in Alice Springs.
What are you looking forward to most about coming to Western Australia?
Exploring all the places I’ve never been, and experiencing some of the local food, especially the seafood down south.
A lot has happened in the past two years. What’s a special skill you have picked up since the pandemic arrived?
I got very good at signing up to different streaming services, using their one-month free trial, then moving onto the next streaming service. I also watched 300 episodes of Blue Heelers, so if there’s a trivia night where the topic is BH, I’d go alright I reckon.
Finish this sentence with three words. My comedy show is for fans of….
Blue Heelers Trivia.
NIKKI BRITTON
What’s the most surprising thing you have seen while out on the road?
There’s a place in NW Victoria, near Cohuna, where there is a sign on the side of the highway that says, “pull over here for stars.” You better believe I was jazzed for a Ryan Gosling encounter. But it turns out Cohuna is a looooong way from the Hollywood Hills. Any hills in fact. It’s one of the flattest, darkest regions in the world, but because of that, and some other interesting scientific explanation I missed because I was hunting for Gosso, you can actually see the curvature of the earth and a mind-blowing display of stars that encompass you like you’re living inside a snow globe of sky sparkles. Incredibly beautiful. Still no Gosling though unfortunately.
How do you keep yourself sane on those long commutes?
Sane is a relative term. I make sure to surround myself with other people who are also gently losing their minds, so I never have to accept how truly nutty I have become. Sometimes I’ll ask – “have I lost my mind?” Then I remember somewhere between Esperance and Kalgoorlie, Dave decided he was a shaman and started beating his chest and squawking, so I reckon I’m fine for another couple of days.
What are you looking forward to most about coming to Western Australia?
Being allowed to come to Western Australia!
A lot has happened in the past two years. What’s a special skill you have picked up since the pandemic arrived?
Accents and character voices. I had to lockdown alone throughout that real dire patch on the east coast (2020-2022) and I found talking to myself in different voices really kept life interesting. I only realised it had elevated from ‘coping strategy’ to ‘skill’ the day my neighbour put a letter under my door saying “if you don’t stop breaking the rules and having people over, I will call the police.” I am waiting on my Oscar.
Finish this sentence with three words. My comedy show is for fans of….
Wetting their pants.
