The Victorian Government's Stand Up! initiative supports emerging comic talent, ensuring more people can deliver the laughs at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
The 2024 Stand Up! Grants program supports women and non-binary comedians to showcase their work at the festival, making it easier and more accessible for emerging performers to join the industry.
This year’s recipients include Melbourne comedians Nat Harris and Bridget Hassed, as well as the comedy collective Breast of the Fest, with grants supporting marketing and promotion expenses and costs for both venues and rehearsal spaces.
Award-winning comedian and radio broadcaster Nat Harris will perform Lathered, a show that draws on the glamour and tropes of TV soap operas while Bridget Hassed, who was a RAW Comedy state finalist in 2019, will present her debut solo show GIRL GIRL GIRL, following recent seasons in Brisbane and at Sydney Fringe Festival.
Breast of the Fest is an annual showcase of early-career comedians and this year’s stellar line-up stars comedians Patti Fawcett, Helena Hogan, Tarsh Jago, Montana Papadinis, Bell Woolley, Grace Zhang and Sez.
The Stand Up! grants program was established by the Victorian Government in 2019 in partnership with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to back the careers of women and non-binary comedians and overcome barriers in the industry.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024 runs from 27 March – 21 April 2024. To book your tickets to Stand Up! supported shows and to view the full 2024 program visit comedyfestival.com.au