State of the Punk: June 2008
It's been a while since our last update, so we figure it's time to fill you in on the latest doings of Shaolin Punk and its creative director, Ben McKenzie.
This Sunday saw the launch of Melbourne's newest comedy event, the Anarchist Guild Social Committee, at the Bella Union bar at Trades Hall. The brainchild of host Nick Caddaye, the AGSC is a monthly live sketch comedy show. Shaolin Punk's Ben McKenzie is assistant producer and also a writer/performer, alongside the main cast of Andrew McClelland, Tegan Higginbotham, Dave Bushell, Celia Pacquola, Richard McKenzie and Courteney Hocking. The first meeting of the AGSC was a huge success, so don't miss its return on July 20!
Shaolin Punk has two new shows coming up in the next few months. First up, as part of National Science Week, Ben McKenzie premieres his new one-man comedy science lecture, A (Very) Brief History of Time, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Stephen Hawking's influential book. Then, for the 2008 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Shaolin Punk presents Set List, an improvised musical performance devised and performed by Dan Walmsley and Karin Muiznieks and featuring Ben McKenzie. Set List will premiere in three afternoon sessions at the Bella Union bar at Trades Hall as part of the Fringe @ Trades programme. Watch this space for more details soon!
And finally, with the departure of Janelle Koenig for the UK, Ben McKenzie has taken on the role of artistic director of Melbourne improvised comedy troupe The Crew. The group's final performance of Impro Sundae at Bar Open, before they move to another venue, is this Sunday, June 22. Don't miss it!
Last days for the Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour and OBE!
The Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour finishes this week, and after some of the great reviews we've had from The Groggy Squirrel and UK comedy site Chortle, our last two nights are sure to be a great success. So come on down! Tonight, Ben McKenzie, Bec Hill and Sue-Ann Post will be your guides, and on Friday, Ben and Bec will instead be joined by Kent Valentine.
It's the last days too for A Record or an OBE, the what if play about hit 70s British comedy group The Goodies. OBE plays this Saturday and Sunday, the 5th and 6th of April, and then every night next week until the 13th of April, with no show on Monday. Remember Tuesday April 8th is your last chance for a cheap $10 ticket!
For those of you unable to come to the show due to its early evening timeslot at 6:30 PM, there are plans for a late show at 11 PM on Friday, April 11th; watch this space for details!
Special ticket deals at Comedy @ Trades
There are a whole lot of shows on at Comedy @ Trades, with great acts including Hound of the Baskervilles, Bec Hill, Andrew McClelland, Courtney Hocking, Adam Vincent, Cath Jamieson, Die Roten Punkte... It's a big list! And if you want to see more than one, you can get special cheap tickets.
The Daily Treble is perfect if you're looking for a big night of comedy - it gets you cheaper tickets for three shows on the one night! (A Record or an OBE, at half an hour early in the evening, serves as a great starter for a Daily Treble.) Or, if you'd rather spread it out, the Tight Five (named for term comedians use to describe a five minute spot of top notch material) gets tickets for five different shows for any Wednesday or Thursday night - at the cheapest price! Both deals are a great way to enjoy the unique atmosphere of Trades Hall during the Festival.
Of course, you can get dirt cheap tickets to OBE with either deal: $12 for a Daily Treble ticket, and only $10 for a Tight Five.
A Record or an OBE at the Comedy Festival
The Adelaide Fringe season of A Record or an OBE has finished, even if the heat wave that accompanied it has not. But that just means it's time for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival season to begin! It all kicks off on Wednesday, March 19 - tomorrow!
It's also nearly time for Shaolin Punk's other Comedy festival project, the Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour. If you thought it was inappropriate to laugh in a museum, get ready for a shock! You can find out more on the Man in the Lab Coat web site.
One week left of OBE in Adelaide!
Yes, the Fringe is into its final week, which means there are just six more performances of A Record or an OBE in Adelaide! Don't miss out; after all, the Independent Weekly was kind enough to say the show is "beautifully played with lots of skilful dialogue" and recommended it to "anyone with an interest in good talent performing a well-worked script that is obviously loved by its players". Even the Advertiser, who didn't get the jokes, thought "the performances of the two protagonists are watertight, the passion is evident and the production is short and sweet".
If you're in Melbourne, then you only have a week to wait until the show opens as part of the Comedy @ Trades programme - and you can buy your tickets now!