Through the power of comedy this project has built strong two-way cultural engagement between India and Australia and has provided a platform for mutual understanding and cross-pollination of ideas.

Sector: Comedy

Grantee: Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Project description

In November 2019 the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow toured to three cities across India presenting a taste of Australia’s largest comedy festival, and current Australian comedy performance to Indian audiences at the NH7 Weekender Festival in Pune (India’s largest contemporary music and comedy festival), and in Mumbai and Kochi.

The Roadshow included eight sold out performances across all cities and was widely promoted across Indian and Australian social media channels. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading comedy festivals and a launchpad for new Australian creative talent to perform to an international audience. The Australian touring party included comedians Blake Freeman, Michelle Brasier and Tom Cashman, and joined by local MC's Kanan Gill, Biswa Kalyan Rath and Niveditha Prakasam.

The performances demonstrated cultural collaboration and gender diversity with both the Australian touring party and local talent integrating a mix of female and male artists, supporting the promotion of female comedians and encouraging greater gender diversity in the Indian comedy sector. The inclusion of local hosts made possible an authentic artistic exchange between the Australian and Indian artists and opened a comfortable connection with Indian audiences for the Australian comics. Twelve Indian comics have also been identified as potential talent and will be programmed into the Melbourne International Comedy Festivals in Australia in the future.

Project start-end dates: November 2019

Country: Australia and India

Total project value: $57,668

Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grant: $39,743

Website: Melbourne International Comedy Festival - Roadshow hits India

Instagram: #5starKeLOLStars comedy stage