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Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala, or Oxfam Gala, is a comedy show run annually as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Billed as Australian comedy's 'night of nights', it is held one week before the festival opens, and acts as a fundraiser for the charity Oxfam Australia. List of performers by year 1991 Host: * David Strassman * Gerry Connolly * Gina Riley & Tina Arena * Glenn Robbins & Mary-Anne Fahey * Jane Turner & Peter Moon * Kym Gyngell * Magda Szubanski & Alan Pentland * Marg Downey * Matt Parkinson & Greg Fleet * Nick Giannopoulos & Michael Veitch * Norman Gunston * Rachel Berger * Sean Hughes * Shane Bourne * Steve Blackburn & Geoff Brooks * Terry Jones * The D-Generation ( Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro & Tom Gleisner) * Wendy Harmer 1992 Host: Shane Bourne * Agro * Bea Arthur * Chris Lynam * David Strassman * George Kapiniaris * Georgie Parker * Gerry Connolly (as Elizabeth II) * Jane Turner (as Bobbie Battista) * Jimeoin * Kate Raison ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starting in March and running through to April. The Melbourne Town Hall has served as the festival hub, but performances are held in many venues throughout the city. The MICF plays host to hundreds of local and international artists; in 2018 the festival listed over 550 shows, 6,700 performances (including more than 160 free performances) by 3,500 artists. Although it is mainly a vehicle for stand-up and cabaret acts, the festival has also included sketch shows, plays, improvisational theatre, debates, musical shows and art exhibitions. The televised Gala is one of the festival's flagship event, showcasing short performances from many headline and award-winning comics. Other popular events include The Great Debate, a televised comedy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Veitch
Michael Veitch (born 29 November 1962 in Melbourne) is an Australian author, actor and broadcaster, best known for his roles on the sketch comedy television shows ''The D-Generation'', ''Fast Forward'' and '' Full Frontal'', as well as for his books on World War II aviation, marine science and travel. Life and career Television Veitch emerged from the University of Melbourne (where he completed an arts degree) sketch comedy and revue tradition. After seeing a performance of a Melbourne University Revue, producers from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in 1985 commissioned ''The D-Generation'', a half-hour weekly sketch comedy series. Its immediate success resulted in a second season in 1987. Veitch performed a wide variety of characters over both seasons of the show which eventually cemented itself among the annals of Australian comedy. Veitch then went on to write and perform in the long-running sketch comedy shows ''Fast Forward'' and ''Full Frontal'' on the Seve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Kapiniaris
George Kapiniaris is an Australian stage, television and film actor and comedian. He is of Greek descent and is best known for his role in popular sitcom ''Acropolis Now'' and composed the series' theme song. Professional background Theatre work Kapiniaris appeared in the stage show ''Wogs Out of Work'' with Nick Giannopoulos, in the 1980s. In 2007, he joined forces with fellow comedians Joe Avati, Nish Selvadurai and Simon Palomares for a national tour ''Il Dago''. In late 2012, he played in the Australian stage version of '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''. Television In 1987, Kapiniaris joined the cast of the drama series ''The Flying Doctors'' as Demetris "D.J." Goannidis. He stayed on this role until 1991. During this time, he also starred in the Melbourne-based popular sitcom ''Acropolis Now'' with Giannopoulos, Simon Palomares and Mary Coustas. Since that show's cancellation, he has continued stand-up comedy and has produced a few stage performances, as well as emceeing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bea Arthur
Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving worldwide recognition for her work on television beginning in the 1970s as Maude Findlay in the popular sitcoms ''All in the Family'' (1971–1972) and '' Maude'' (1972–1978) and later in the 1980s and 1990s as Dorothy Zbornak on '' The Golden Girls'' (1985–1992). Arthur won several accolades throughout her career, beginning with the 1966 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Vera Charles in ''Mame''. She won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1977 for ''Maude'' and 1988 for ''The Golden Girls''. Arthur has received the third most nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series with nine; only Julia Louis-Dreyfus (11) and Mary Tyler Moore ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agro (puppet)
Agro is an Australian puppet and media personality, operated by comedian and voice artist Jamie Dunn. He was especially prominent on Australian television in the 1990s due to his co-hosting opposite Ann-Maree Biggar and Terasa Livingstone of ''Agro's Cartoon Connection'', a children's program that was aired from 1989 to 1997 on weekday mornings on the Seven Network. Name and personality The word "agro" (also spelled "aggro") is Australian slang for "aggression" or "aggravation". Agro is sometimes said to have the surname Vation, though the puppet is rarely credited with a surname. Agro's humour tends to be adult, with much sexual suggestion, cursing and uninhibited behaviour. He has often appeared with an innocent-acting female offsider, who is subjected to mocking and innuendo. His pre-taped performances in shows intended for a juvenile or family audience were vetted before broadcast, but in the adult-oriented shows (and in the Christmas tapes of ''Agro's Cartoon Connection'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wendy Harmer
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity in Britain as a feminine name is owed to the character Wendy Darling from the 1904 play ''Peter Pan'' and its 1911 novelisation ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie. Its popularity reached a peak in the 1960s, and subsequently declined. The name was inspired by young Margaret Henley, daughter of Barrie's poet friend W. E. Henley. With the common childhood difficulty pronouncing ''R''s, Margaret reportedly used to call him "my fwiendy-wendy". In Germany after 1986, the name Wendy became popular because it is the name of a magazine (targeted specifically at young girls) about horses and horse riding. People Business and politics * Wendy Davis, American politician * Wendi Deng, Chinese-born American businesswoman * Wendy Morgan, Guernsey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Gleisner
Thomas Edmund Gleisner (born 24 October 1962) is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer, director, writer, occasional actor and author. Gleisner currently hosts Network 10's ''Have You Been Paying Attention?''. Early life and education Gleisner was educated at Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia. Gleisner attended the University of Melbourne in the 1980s, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws in 1987. He was a law student in University of Melbourne when he began working with Santo Cilauro and Rob Sitch in the 1983 Law Revue ''Legal A.I.D.S.''. Gleisner wrote and performed in the 1985 Melbourne University Revue ''Too Cool for Sandals'', and was credited as a writer on ''The D-Generation'' (1986–1987) but not as a regular performer. He did, however, turn up on numerous occasions as a guest star (he featured more prominently in the second season, to fill in for Rob Sitch who was juggling writing/performing for the show with his studies) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santo Cilauro
Santo Luigi Cilauro (born 25 November 1961) is an Australian comedian, television and feature film producer, screenwriter, actor, author and cameraman who is also a co-founder of ''The D-Generation''. Known as the weatherman in ''Frontline'', he is also an author and former radio presenter on the Triple M Network, and achieved worldwide fame with the viral video ''Elektronik Supersonik''. Early life Cilauro was born in 1961 in Melbourne, Australia to parents of Italian descent. Cilauro attended the University of Melbourne in the 1980s and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws in 1987. In 1984, while walking to his aunt's house in Melbourne, he stumbled across a Juventus press conference during their tour of Australia, and after seeing coach Giovanni Trapattoni struggle to answer questions in English, used his Italian skills to translate, which resulted in Cilauro becoming the team translator for the rest of the tour. Acting and production work Cilauro sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Sitch
Robert Ian Sitch (born 17 March 1962) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter, actor and comedian. Early life Sitch was born in 1962, the son of Melbourne bus proprietor Charles (Charlie) Sitch. Sitch attended St Kevin's College and Melbourne Grammar and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 1987 from the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Trinity College. He worked at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, where he assisted in the deliveries of newborns. He practised medicine for a short time. Career Sitch is currently a member of the Working Dog production company which have produced the television shows ''Frontline'', '' A River Somewhere'', '' The Panel'', ''Thank God You're Here'' and ''Utopia'' and the feature films '' The Castle'', ''The Dish'' and ''Any Questions for Ben?''. Sitch co-wrote and directed each of these films. In 2006, to mark 50 years of television in Australia, the Nine Network special ''50 Years 50 Stars'' listed S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The D-Generation
''The D-Generation'' was a popular and influential Australian TV sketch comedy show, produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for two series, between 1986 and 1987. A further four specials were broadcast on the Seven Network between 1988 and 1989. The show would also serve as a stepping stone for many early incarnations of iconic characters, including Lynne Postlethwaite, Gina Hard-Faced B***h, Eileen Maverick and Kelvin Cunnington. Synopsis The series was produced and directed by Kris Noble and was created and written by a group of Melbourne University students who had gained local notoriety for their stage work: Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Marg Downey, Michael Veitch, Magda Szubanski, John Harrison, and Tom Gleisner. Also part of the original team was Nick Bufalo, who appeared in the unscreened one-hour ''D-Generation'' pilot (1985), before accepting a long-running role on TV soap ''A Country Practice''. Several of Bufalo's sketches from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and writing partner Michael Palin wrote and performed for several high-profile British comedy programmes, including ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' and ''The Frost Report'', before creating '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'' with Cambridge graduates Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle and American animator-filmmaker Terry Gilliam. Jones was largely responsible for the programme's innovative, surreal structure, in which sketches flowed from one to the next without the use of punch lines. He made his directorial debut with the Python film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Holy Grail'', which he co-directed with Gilliam, and also directed the subsequent Python films ''Monty Python's Life of Brian, Life of Brian'' and ''Monty Python's The Meanin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shane Bourne
Shane Bourne (born 24 November 1949 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and television host. Career 1970s Co-founded Australian band Bandicoot with Mick Fettes (formerly of the band Madder Lake). They released a self-titled album in 1976 with a top-100 single "Living off the Radio". 1980s–1999 Bourne was a well-known comedic face throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with an acting role on the Australian version of the British sitcom, ''Are You Being Served?'' (in 1980 and 1981). He had regular appearances on the variety program ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' (1988–1994) in various sketches, but mainly appeared on the ''Great Aussie Joke'' segment. He starred in the short-lived sitcom '' Bingles'' in 1992 and 1993. In 1996, Bourne hosted a revived '' Blankety Blanks'', which lasted only two seasons. He also had dramatic roles; he was in 3 episodes of the drama series ''Prisoner'' in the early 1980s as 3 different guest roles. He had a guest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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