Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Monday 30 March
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Comedy aims to make us laugh, but it’s not all sweetness and light. Humour can be a way of taking control over the dark side of life: for the comedians who write the jokes and the audiences who relish them.
The ‘sad clown’ cliché is often true, with high-profile comics increasingly coming out of the closet about their struggles with mental health, partly due to an increased awareness and acceptance. Can seeing the world from a skewed or outsider perspective make humour easier, even if it makes life harder? When we joke about mental health, is there a line between catharsis, or boundary-pushing, and offence? Join host Tom Ballard, Lawrence Mooney, Mark Watson and Sarah Kendall as they peek out from behind the red curtain to share their insights.
Featuring
Tom Ballard
Tom Ballard is a comedian, writer, broadcaster, actor, philanthropist and philanderer.
In 2009 he became the youngest person ever to win the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Best Newcomer Award. Since then he's co-hosted the Triple J breakfast show for four years, won an ARIA, supported the likes of Wil Anderson, Stephen Merchant and Danny Bhoy, roasted Jimmy Carr and even filled in for Tony Jones on ABC TV's Q&A .
While all that's very impressive, you should also know that Tom has quite bad eczema, is scared of going to the gym and can not cook anything at all.
Sarah Kendall
Since bursting onto the scene at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival, Sarah Kendall has performed at many of the world’s leading comedy festivals — including Montreal, Kilkenny, Edinburgh, Melbourne and Hong Kong. Her work there has helped her to win and be nominated for many of the industry’s most prestigious stand-up comedy awards.
Lawrence Mooney
Lawrence Mooney is a stand up comedian with 18 years of experience.
Last year he was awarded Best Comedy at the Melbourne Fringe and the Crikey Best of The Fest at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He is currently appearing on Agony Uncles on ABC1.
Lawrence has also been taking on less comic roles in the past year, including in Winners and Losers on the Seven Network and Conspiracy 365 on Movie One.
Mark Watson
Mark Watson is one of the most celebrated comedians on the international circuit. He has been awarded and nominated for numerous awards, including Best Newcomer at the Perrier Awards, the Panel Prize at the If.comedie Awards ...