THE Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow remains scheduled to descend on Ulumbarra Theatre on 13 June, after expertly criss-crossing the country since April.<\/p>\n
Festival director Susan Provan said in response to the latest snap Victorian lockdown, the touring party organisers had been \u201cplanning contingencies and crossing our fingers\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf travel has opened up within Victoria, we have an amazing cast ready to deliver a show,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we have to postpone, we\u2019ll manage that too. We are very good at flexibility and responsiveness!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShowbiz is always a bit precarious, but having the rug pulled out from under the entire entertainment industry by COVID has created a level of uncertainty none of us have had to deal with before.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was undoubtedly the case for the recent return of the main Festival in Melbourne, which pirouetted miraculously this year to feature local acts only across more than 350 shows.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Comedy Festival team and our broader community of performers and producers were amazing,\u201d Ms Provan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t really know what sort of live audiences we could have until very close to the main event, and every day was stressful, wondering what might happen. We were very lucky to get through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bendigo instalment of the roadshow is set to feature more than two hours of side-splitting shenanigans, with a bunch of the Festival\u2019s most popular comics hitting town, including 2021 Most Outstanding Show nominee Ivan Aristeguieta and the hilarious Kirsty Webeck.<\/p>\n
Webeck said Bendigonians can look forward on the much-anticipated night to an outstanding lineup, huge laughs and a \u201cmassive crocodile\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of these things isn\u2019t guaranteed – we don\u2019t have access to reptiles!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In all seriousness though, Webeck also said \u201cit\u2019s the best feeling in the world\u201d to be back doing what she loves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel incredibly lucky, especially in such unstable times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI adore Bendigo audiences, which is why I keep going back. I\u2019ve never had the pleasure of performing at Ulumbarra Theatre before, so I can\u2019t wait to get up on that stage.\u201d<\/p>\n