Just for laughs … Footscray Community Arts Centre CEO Jennifer Barry is thrilled to be hosting events for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 59314Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By Charlene Gatt
THE Footscray Community Arts Centre is laughing all the way to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
The venue has become the place to go in the West come festival time, with the Footscray Community Arts Centre hosting a slew of events during the month of April.
The centre will kick off the laughs with a Raw Comedy heat on 10 February.
Hosted by Dave Callan and featuring comedy duo Anyone for Tennis, the event is Australia’s biggest open mic comedy competition and hosts dozens of heats across the country.
There’s also Deadly Funny workshops – Australia’s only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander competition – throughout the month of February.
During April, Footscray Community Arts Centre will host four shows, including a Mia Stanford premiere.
Ms Stanford is the winner of the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Deadly Funny award.
Footscray Community Arts Centre hosted its first Melbourne International Comedy Festival event last year and is teaming up with The Dog Theatre to make this year bigger and better – and CEO Jennifer Barry is thrilled.
“It’s new for us, and it’s something we’re very excited about,” Ms Barry said.
“People will start to see the Footscray Community Arts Centre in a new light, and since we’ve got a new performance space, we’re able to reconfigure and host things simultaneously.
“That’s a very exciting thing for the West, because we really need that kind of cultural venue that is accessible and welcoming and relaxed, and we certainly fill that gap.”
Footscray Community Arts Centre unveiled its newly renovated premises in October last year and received money from the former Labor Government to fix up its basement level, which should be complete by July.
