Young comic talent quest coming to Geelong

The hunt for Australia’s most hilarious teenager will come to Geelong next month as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Open to those aged between 14 and 18, Class Clowns at the Geelong Arts Centre is a free, one-of-a-kind national comedy competition that aims to encourage teenagers across the Geelong region to find and showcase their comic voice through stand-up, sketch, musical or physical comedy.

Participants, who will be in the running to be awarded the national crown of Comedy Clown, are required to prepare three to five minutes of original comedy material of any genre.

Competitors may enter originally or in groups of up to three people.

Geelong’s heat will be held in Limelight Studio 4 on February 21, and competitors will first attend a free two-hour workshop where they will have the opportunity to rehearse and refine their act with the help of a professional comedian before the performance hears.

From 7-8pm, audiences are invited to watch the next generation of aspiring Australian comedians as Class Clowns competitors take to the stage to show off their fine-tuned acts.

The funniest competitors on the night will continue their journey up the comedy ladder to the state finals, with the winners invited to participate in the national grand final to be held during this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The ultimate winner will earn themselves $1,500 in cash as well as a workshop package for their school.

As well as workshop and performance opportunities, all registered Class Clowns participants can get access to expert advice through an exclusive series of videos from some of Australia’s funniest people, filled with tips and tricks to help get budding performers started on their comedy journey.

For more than 25 years, Class Clowns has played a huge part in helping hundreds of young people develop their comedy potential.

Notable Class Clowns participants who have gone on to highly acclaimed careers include Joel Creasy, Rhys Nicholson, Aaron Chen and William McKenna.

To register for Class Clowns for more information, or buy tickets to the performance, head to geelongartscentre.org.au/whats-on/all-events/class-clowns