The Comedy Writers Group

This week I'm joined by comedian, writer, and published poet, Johanna Cosgrove. We chat about Johanna's move to Melbourne from NZ, her advice on emails, where she likes to write, and the massive amount of misogyny in comedy. We dig into remote podcasting, the Kiwi mafia, writing for Shortland Street, and a whole lot more. This is a podcast for comedy writers and comedy fans to learn more a...

On this week's episode I'm joined by Raw Comedy National Finalist and Moosehead Award recipient, Freddie Arthur. We chat about how it feels to win this prestigious grant, Freddie's new show, as well as catching up on a recent bomb, before getting into the fallout from Freddie speaking up on instagram about some gross behaviour in the Melbourne comedy scene. We talk rejection, ideal tim...

This week I'm joined by Bronte Locke and Barney Pollock to talk about Hand Foot in Mouth ; Bronte's debut show directed by Barney. We chat about what inspired the show, how it was developed, and the value of "finding it in the room." We also chat about acting school, mentoring, clowning on zoom, and how it feels to be directed by someone you're in a relationship with. Follow...

This week I'm joined by the brilliant Mish Wittrup. You may know Mish from Aunty Donna , Fisk, Sam Pang Tonight or her excellent stand-up shows. We chat the realities of a full-time freelance comedian where every week is a little bit different, swapping theatre for comedy, getting out of debt, the value of a director, warm-up, and a whole lot more. Stick around at the end to hear a special bon...

On this week's episode I'm joined by Jess Bray, creator of the new Channel 4 rom-com Break Clause , and writer, actor (and best fried) Nathan Foad. We chat about Jess and Nathan's origin stories before getting into Break Clause 's journey to the small screen. We chat about writers rooms, SNL UK, "re-writing" the pilot, stress-testing the premise, and a whole lot more. Bre...

Nicolette Minster ( The Weekly , Cop That ) returns to the podcast to chat about her screenwriter origins. Nicolette has a load of great advice when it comes to getting your script made. We also chat about her first role appearing on screen alongside Sam Neil and Meryl Streep, writing for light entertainment, and what it's like having parents in the industry. We cover everything from sleeping your...

Hayley Edwards returns to the podcast to talk about their new show The Carrot Show coming to the Melbourne Fringe. We dig into what led Hayley to make the show along with what led to ten months of isolation. We cover Edinburgh Fringe, icky industry interactions, the value of collaboration, ethical conundrums and a whole lot more. Stick around at the end to get a special preview of this week's bonu...

This week we're workshopping new bits with Nicole Chapman and Theo Rylan, who are joining me in our new Melbourne Fringe show, Uh-Oh Laugh Comes to Town . We chat about Nicole and Theo's first six months on the stand-up scene before breaking into some fresh material. We chat about the Aussie tradition of going barefoot to the shops before getting into Theo's desire for dates to arrive on schedule....

We've hit 200 episodes so to celebrate we put on a live show on Humdinger's iconic stage with special guests Ivan Aristegueta (Thank God You're Here), Kirsty Webeck (Guy Montgomery's Spelling Bee), Janty Blair (Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala), and featuring band-leader Blake Everett (Wham Bam Thankyou Jam.) We chat tours, writing buddies, catching up for content, then dig into some joke workshoppi...

On this week's episode I'm joined by multi-award nominated Andy Balloch! Andy is a brilliant Melbourne comedian with a string of top-tier solo shows under his belt. We chat about how his development process helps him steer away from that pesky burnout that seems to come for so many creatives. We also chat about being a child actor, The Silver Brumby, Gantt charts, the value of a team, and a whole...

This week I'm joined by comedian and celebrity social worker (as seen on Netlfix), Esky Escandor. Esky has been a member of The Comedy Writers Group since the early days and it's time for him to make his solo debut at the Sydney Fringe. Come and be a fly on the wall as I offer my two-cents in the development process of the show. We chat about shortform versus storytelling, Esky's fifteen minutes o...

This week I'm joined by the great Paul Williams. Paul is a comedian, musician, and the Taskmaster's assistant on Taskmaster NZ . He's also the creator of the new TV show, New Zealand Spy available to watch now on ABC iView and TVNZ. We chat about the origins of the new show, being cast in Taskmaster , Paul's relationship with confidence, stunts, problem-solving, music-making, and a whole lot more....

This week I'm joined by returning guest, Dylan Murphy. Dylan is an award-winning director, filmmaker, comedian, and actor. We chat about his recent success landing a major role in ABC's Ground Up alongside Sam Pang and Emma Harvie. We chat about the audition process, working with director Wayne Hope, and what it's like filming comedy. We also get into what else is on Dylan's slate and chat more ab...

On this week's episode I'm joined by comedian, screenwriter, actor, Tegan Higginbotham. Tegan is returning to stand-up after several years from the spotlight. We chat about why she left and what she's working on now. We talk about our mixed relationships with stand-up, the state of the Melbourne scene, her new show, and "young people stuff." Follow @ teganhigginbotham Follow your host, @marcelthec...

On this week's episode I'm joined by the great Josh Earl to talk about his new show Coach coming to The Comedy Republic. We talk about the origins of the show, the value of an off-season, and get stuck into some parts that are still being worked out. We talk about smelly teenagers, the manosphere, and a whole lot more. It's a great chat. Tickets to Josh's show: https://www.comedyrepublic.com.au Ho...

On this week's episode I'm joined by Nicole Chapman (Raw State Finalist) and Ainslie Rose (Ainslie's Bootcamp). We get stuck into Beyonce fandom before discussing identity, the Black experience, and we workshop a new joke about the dark side of acting. Follow @ blackchickabroad Follow @ ainslierose4 Follow your host, @marcelthecomedian Follow @comedywritersgroup on instagram and join the patreon ....

This week on the podcast I'm joined by improviser and actor, Graham Dickson. Graham is the founder of The Free Association in London and a co-founder of the West-End smash hit, Austentatious. We talk about finding improv, working alongside Steen Raskopoulos, the game of the scene, the origins of long-form in London, building a theatre, and how it feels to discover you're living the dream that you...

This week I'm joined by actor and comedian, Rhys Mitchell, to talk about guest starring on one of the best shows in town. We talk about how this Melbourne actor ended up in LA acting across from Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder as The Amazing Steven, along with Rhys' origin story, pitching shows, film school, low moments, and what particular thing has lead to the most success. I also practice pitch...

This week I'm joined by multi-disciplinary award-nominated comedian Kate Dehnert. We talk about how her show Echo become a sensation (my words) at Melbourne International Comedy Festival with rave reviews, an award nom, and a heap of buzz. What's it like to have a break-up show that's a total break out? We also chat music, morning routine, after show rituals, the dread of social media, and a whole...

This week I'm joined by Conk to chat about their award winning and iconic show, Man Sings the Same Song Again and Again for an Hour . We chat about the value in chasing the fun, what's in a title, physical stamina, working with an outside eye, trusting the bit, and getting a producer on board. Conk is doing his show at Comedy Republic on June 28th. Follow @ conkconkconkconk Follow your host, @marc...

This week we're in panel mode with Lukas Meintjes (professional clown), Casey Gould (director and dramaturg), and Darby James (musical comedian) to talk about the realities of the independent artist experience in the wake of additional fees being introduced at Melbourne Fringe. We chat about the festival experience in general, tour-ready awards, the rights of artists, the challenges of boards, the...

This week I'm joined by the briliant Andy Procopis to have a long overdue catch-up. Andy left his job to pursue comedy full-time a little while ago and we check in to find out how it's all going. We talk about Andy's success posting stand-up carousels on instagram, his podcast The Advice Accreditation Bureau, his goals, the weekly routine, and we workshop some new jokes. Stick around at the end fo...

This week I'm joined by Anastasiya Ador: actor, writer, character comedian and vision board enthusiast. I was looking to make new connections in the UK because I'm travelling there in July, little did I know that it would be our most globetrotting episode yet. Our story goes from Minsk to Mumbai as Anastasiya talks about growing up in Belarus before moving to India as a teenager. We cover the Indi...

This week I'm joined by the brilliant Yve Blake! Yve has long been one of my dream guests. She is a writer for film, TV, and stage - her show Fangirls was a smash hit that went from Belvoir to the Sydney Opera House to London. We chat about Yve's new show Mackenzie born of an incredible 'What if?' A re-imagining of Macbeth set in 2006 inspired by Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. We also discuss...

This week I'm joined by actor, comedian, and writer, Grace Rouvray to talk about her memoir Is It Too Early to Bitch ? The book explores a "lightning-in-a-bottle friendship" and what happens when it ends abruptly. We discuss writing about the death of a friend, if there's a right time to start writing, the publishing process, doing the Raw Comedy competition when things are much too raw, and a who...