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10 Victorian Indigenous storytellers selected to develop comedy projects

Media Releases  11 Jul 2017

Film Victoria and NITV have announced the 10 successful applicants who will participate in the ‘Bust Up’ comedy initiative.

Indigenous practitioners across a broad range of creative disciplines will take part in the five day Melbourne workshop with comedy writer and producer Mark O’Toole (Black Comedy, Full Frontal, Spicks and Specks).

Through a combination of group and focused sessions, participants will spend time working on their comedy concepts with the aim of being further developed and produced as short narrative content for broadcast on NITV.  

Participants:

  • Jason Tamiru - a proud Yorta Yorta man, Associate Producer at Malthouse Theatre and Producer of Blak Cabaret.
  • Sam Saunders - wrote and directed the short film Turn Around which premiered at Sundance and played at Aspen, Flickerfest, Clermont-Ferrand and St Kilda Festivals
  • Davey Thompson - a Bidjara, Inningai, Wakka Wakka, Gubbi Gubbi writer, producer and activist who recently produced Chasing Smoke at Yirramboi First Nations Arts Festival.
  • Kat Clarke - member of the Victorian Blak Writer’s Group and collaborator with organisations including The Rag and Bone Man Press, The Footscray Community Arts Centre and the Emerging Writer’s Festival.
  • Dion Williams - actor (Angry Boys, Redfern Now, The Time of Our Lives and Gallipoli) who came second in the 2017 Deadly Funny National Showcase
  • Ian Michael - a WAAPA graduate whose one man show Hart had sold out and award winning seasons at the Melbourne, Adelaide and NZ Fringe Festivals.
  • John Harding - a writer, radio broadcaster, actor and a founding member of Melbourne’s Ilbijerri Aboriginal Theatre Company.
  • Darren Clinch - a Badimia from Yamatji country in WA and a stand-up comedian.
  • Elijah Louttit - a Pitta Pitta, Maiawali and Karuwali comedy writer.
  • Kimberly Lovegrove – an RMIT student and aspiring stand-up comedian

Full participant bios can be accessed on our showcase page.

Film Victoria CEO, Jenni Tosi congratulated the successful applicants saying “This opportunity will enhance the skills of these creative individuals in what promises to be a dynamic and exciting workshop.”

“Through this initiative we hope to build the pool of Indigenous storytellers and increase the level of comedy content produced in Victoria.”

NITV’s Channel Manager, Tanya Orman said: “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a sense of humour like no other; eclectic yet distinct, it can take us all on hilarious journeys to unexpected places. With the group of participants now in place NITV has 10 exciting reasons to bust up with laughter. We’re thrilled to be creating opportunities that contribute to the careers of our mob in Victoria - a new generation of comic storytellers - further ensuring our voices and laughter are both heard and shared on the National stage.”

The Bust Up workshop will run from 10-14 July.