Two in a row for winning funny man

THE Bendigo heat of Australia’s biggest comedy competition, RAW Comedy, has been taken out by gagster Dane Knowles before a packed-out room at Hustler last weekend.

After sharing the title last year, this time around Knowles was deemed by judges Anthony Noack from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, John Richards from Bendigo Pride and the Bendigo Comedy Festival’s Poppa to have been far enough ahead of the pack to be awarded the win alone.

This means Knowles will now be offered a spot in the Victorian semi-final and, if he continues his winning run, could find himself in the national final during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The overall winner pf RAW Comedy will be flown to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to compete in the So You Think You’re Funny? stand-up contest.

“Bendigo had a very high standard,” said Luke Morris, producer and president of event supporter Comedy Victoria, who explained that judging criteria included stage confidence and presence, quality of writing, and “importantly, if the act is funny.”

“The judges were keen to send two acts through to the semi-final, but in the end there could be only one,” Morris said.

“This is Dane’s second win in Bendigo, and it gives him a great chance to learn from these experiences, again.”

Morris said next up on the local calendar for Comedy Victoria will be the latest instalment of the Women of Wit series mid-year, followed by the Bendigo Comedy Festival in October, as well as ongoing episodes of the Dissecting a Frog comedy education podcast.

“Dissecting a Frog is a good tip for those interested in comedy,” he said. “It’s a podcast on writing, performing and presenting comedy.

“For anyone thinking of RAW in 2024, this will be a good tool to learn from.”

To access the podcast visit shows.acast.com/dissecting-a-frog.