Susan Provan

Susan Provan is the Director of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival which, along with the comedy program of the Edinburgh Fringe and the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, makes up a trio of the largest comedy events in the world. 

In 2017 the Festival sold over 560,000 tickets, was attended by almost 770,000, and broadcast to millions more across prime time television specials on ABC and SBS. Post-festival the Festival’s Roadshow visited almost 80 tiny towns and big cities from one end of Australia to the other as well as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and four major cities in India.

Susan’s previous roles include Associate Producer of State Theatre Company SA and General Manager of Circus Oz. She is a member of the Administrative Committee and chairs the Comedy Panel for the Helpmann Performing Arts awards as well as regularly judging high-profile comedy awards in the UK and North America. She has served on the boards of Neonheart and Strange Fruit performing arts companies and on the Playing Australia Committee for the Federal Department for the Arts and the Myer Performing Arts Awards Committee.

In 2017 Susan was inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and earlier this year was acknowledged with a Live Performance Australia Centenary Award for lifetime achievement to Australia’s performing arts industry.