The Comedy Writers Group

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...

This week I'm joined by returning favourite, Penny Greenhalgh. Penny is a TV writer, actor, clown, director - she does it all! I wanted to chat to about her experience as sketch-writer on the new ABC sketch series Urzila , starring the iconic Urzila Carlson. We talk about what it's like in the writers room, before getting into Penny's relationship with directing solo shows, writing to a formula, a...

We're back with a special Sydney Comedy Festival edition of Is This Anything? where we workshop material live on the show. I'm joined by three brilliant comedians (and longtime Comedy Writers Group members!), Mandy Scotney, Rachael Sue Ragland, and Kirsty Carr, to hear about their upcoming SCF solo debuts before throwing some joke ideas around. We also chat about Newcastle Fringe, Sydney Fringe, a...

This week I'm joined by Raw Comedy National Finalist, Jorgia Rice. Jorgia represented Victoria in the iconic open mic competition. We discuss her experience leading up to the big day and how she felt stepping onto the stage at the Melbourne Town Hall. We also chat a lot about the value of a healthy mindset and what motivated Jorgia to document the whole thing on her blog. Featuring cameos from fel...

This week I'm joined by the brilliant Elliot Ulm! Elliot is a comedian and improviser that you might know from his huge following on the socials making comedy out of graphic design. Elliot is in town for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his show, Book Signing. We cover a lot of ground from naming shows, imposter syndrome, growing an online fanbase, social anxiety, and get stuck int...

This week I'm joined by the legendary writer and filmmaker, John Safran. We chat about how his career started with Race Around the World and the upcoming reboot. We talk about the difference between writing books versus making TV shows, and the behind-the-scenes of how things get made. The Comedy Writers Group is a podcast where we explore the behind-the-scenes of all things writing and performing...

This week I'm joined by comedian and "Gaulier-trained harlequin", Elf Lyons. We chat about how we first met at the iconic and infamous Adelaide Fringe venue, The Producers Hotel and take a trip down memory lane. We discuss how those early days informed the next ten years of Elf's career. We get stuck into clowning, teaching, genre, and class. Follow Elf Lyons: https://www.instagram.com/elflyons Ho...

This week I'm joined by Chloe Petts ( Have I Got News For You, Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda) to chat about her show Big Naturals to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Chloe explains why MICF is her favourite festival in the world before playing a game of F*ck, Marry, Kill alongside Edinburgh Fringe and Just For Laughs. We also navigate networking, vomiting before shows, and the relation...

They said that tragedy + time = comedy. What if you didn't want to wait? What if you wanted to talk about your experience immediately? This week I'm joined by James Barr to chat about his show coming to Australia, Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum). We talk about the process of turning a traumatic experience into a stand-up show, the challenging first season, working with collaborat...

This week I'm joined by Amy Ruffle ( Thank God You're Here ) to talk about her new show Vampire coming to The Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Unfortunately, we are interrupted by an unfortunate double-booking when interrupted by surprise guests, Eric Shift the tech, and comedian Josh Bong. We still manage to chat serious subject matter, collaboration, production and improv. Follow Amy . F...

On this week's bonus episode I'm joined by returning guests, Luke Heggie and Chris Ryan. We chat merch, not caring, jokes VS story, before getting into some new material from the note section. Stick around at the end of the episode to hear me workshopping a new joke with CWG member, Katie Eyles. Catch Chris and Luke performing around the country. Follow Chris . Follow Luke . Follow your host, Marc...

This week I'm joined by the brilliant Josie Long! Josie is coming to The Melbourne International Comedy Festival with her show Now Is The Time of Monsters . We chat about her new show, taking a comedy class at 14, making independent films, and how to channel more positivity into stand-up. Follow Josie . Follow your host, Marcel Blanch-de Wilt . Follow The Comedy Writers Group on instagram and join...

This week I'm joined by Jett Bond, Zoe Heim, and Elyce Phillips to talk room running, open mics, and alt comedy. Jett and Zoe run Proudly and Elyce runs Script Jam. They're all doing excellent work championing the next generation of Melbourne comedy so I wanted to get together to hear about them and their approach. This episode is FREE to listen for a limited time only! Follow Proudly . Follow Scr...

This week I'm joined by Abby Wambaugh who is bringing her show, The First Three Minutes of Seventeen Shows, to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. I figured there was no better way to promote the occasion than to do a very special concept episode where we do the first three minutes of seventeen podcast episodes. Follow Abby . Follow your host, Marcel Blanch-de Wilt . Special thanks to the...

Steph Tisdell returns to continue our journey together developing her new show Steph Tisdell is Fat touring the country this year. In this episode we get into finding confidence, discussing the first act, and resisting the urge to apologise. Make sure you listen to Part 1 first. This episode is FREE to listen for a limited time only! Find tix to Steph's show here . Follow your host, Marcel Blanch-...

Lara Ricote ( Mitchell & Webb are Not Helping, QI, Edinburgh Best Newcomer) is back on the podcast to chat about her new show INKLING coming to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. We dig into Lara's London lifestyle, how she landed her recent TV roles, and how she has been developing her latest live show. It's a delightful time. Follow Lara . Follow your host, Marcel Blanch-de Wilt ....

This week I'm joined by Colin Mochrie and Asad Mecci of HYPROV, a live show that combines hypnosis and improvisation going on tour around Australia and NZ. We chat about Asad's relationship with hypnosis, how they both found improv in their lives, how Colin was cast in Whose Line Is It Anyway , and how Asad dreamed up the Hyprov concept. We also get into pre-show and after-show routines, AI "art",...