The Pureste Mother of All Galas
Following on from last year's debut sell out success, The Pureste Mother of All Galas is back in 2009!
Presented by Pureste, Australia's first and only new range of sterilised feminine care products founded by Australian women, the Pureste Mother of All Galas will bring together some of the funniest ladies on the planet to deliver an explosive night of comedy about mothers, mothering, life, the universe and all things female.
The line up will include, among others:
Julia MorrisA household name in the nineties, Julia was best known for shows including Full Frontal, In Melbourne Tonight, and Beauty and the Beast. Her refreshing honesty captured the imagination of British comedy's elite and whilst in the UK Julia got to work with the likes of Paul Whitehouse, Stephen Fry and the great Dame Edna. Since returning to Australia, Julia has featured on every major commercial television network, on shows including Good News Week, Thank God You're Here and was series team captain on Foxtel's Astra award-winning The Singing Office.
DeAnne Smith (Canada)
DeAnne Smith, a New York native, knew she wanted to be comedian at age eleven as she watched Live at the Improv in the living room with her dad. After just 16 short years of repressing her dream DeAnne exploded onto Montreal's comedy scene in 2005. By 2007, after performing in every nook and cranny of the city, as well as co-creating the popular Comedy Off The Main show, DeAnne began to get recognition for her smart, original style of comedy.
Amelia J Hunter Flying by the seat of her pants yet banned from domestic air travel, Amelia is Richard Branson's worst nightmare. Originally from Darwin, Amelia is now a Sydney based comedian/performer. Her unique brand of energy filled character comedy provides hilarious insights into the wicked and wily workings of a well bred, lateral thinking mind. Her humour is both confronting, sensitive and intelligent, a hearty grain fed, well rounded, full bodied flavour with lashings of laughter and a generous side of political profanity. Amelia's brand of individual comedy has earned her top accolades and comedy awards.
Jackie Loeb One of Australia's finest comedy talents, Jackie has appeared in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Cracker Comedy Festival, The Great Escape, Girlfest, FEAST Cultural Festival, the Newtown Food & Wine Festival and Comedy All Stars at The Sydney Royal Easter Show. Not limited to straight comedy, Jackie utilises her amazing vocal skills and acting ability to parody everyone from old favourite Shirley Bassey to contemporary superstars, The Pussycat Dolls. This cabaret element has led Jackie to win the prestigious Sorlies Cabaret Award, as well as gaining work as a singer / actor / songwriter on award winning television series Full Frontal.
Hannah Gadsby If you've ever wondered what it was like to grow up a little bit lesbian and accident-prone, with a mother who is slightly homophobic, misogynist and has a pathological fear of doctors - then Hannah Gadsby is for you. After winning Triple J's Raw Comedy Award in 2006, Hannah went on to stand second highest on the dais at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival equivalent: "So You Think You're Funny". The following year Hannah won Best Newcomer at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and was chosen to perform in The Comedy Zone at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. To top off an already big year, Hannah returned to the Edinburgh Fringe, then went on to hone her craft on the competitive New York circuit. In 2008, in a slight change of pace, Hannah collaborated with Amelia Jane Hunter on "Meat! The Musical" and the show won the coveted Moosehead Award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and the Director's Choice Award at the Sydney Cracker Comedy Festival.
As well as
Felicity Ward and several other special guests.
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter told us about the humorous extravagant:
What can we expect at this event?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : I would imagine there would be one or two laughs in the two hour show! We're sure it will be a fantastic night, we are all very diverse and quirky! It is probably quite different to going to see your conventional stand up show, because we are all so funny! There is the most delicious selection of comedians, they are all out favourite girls.
Is it for an all female audience?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : The audience won't be, but only females will be on the stage of the night.
Do you think males will enjoy the show as much?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : Absolutely! Definitely! They will be strangely aroused, lots of knockers on stage! (Laughs) They will gain a fascinating window into the mind of a female! They so need it!
Is it more difficult to work as a comedy team rather than alone?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : Well there will only be one of us on stage at a time. In actual fact we all just try and do our time on stage so we can get back stage and have a real laugh. (more laughs)
How do you cope with having to pause for extreme laughter?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : Well I think we have all been doing stand-up for what feels like about 85 years so it is just business as usual!
Why do you think this event had such great success last year?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : Because we're in it! (Laughs) That too! You also have seven international and Australian comedians on stage. I'm not going to stay women, but we are the funniest comedians in the world on the one stage for two hours! These comedians will be doing their tightest and bestest seven to ten minutes, I'll probably do twelve! (laughs). It is just a great night, the energy in the room, like I say, is electric! It really is! The audiences absolutely love it, you come off stage feeling wonderful! It is a wonderful time!
It is defiantly a rocking good night out. The audiences are so relieved that it is seriously hilarious! It isn't a repetitive night at all. I want to encourage people to come by saying, it's not one of those nights that you are seeing seven acts who are all talking about the same thing! We are all talking about different things, we are all so diverse and so different. The subject matters that we cover are assorted. It isn't like going to a show where males just bitch about their girlfriends! We definitely be bitching about our boyfriends and girlfriends, depending on what you want. It is really, really different. It is so refreshing to have a night where everyone's material is so vastly different from the one who has gone on before them. Or we could all be talking about the same thing... I don't know! (More Laughs)
It's one of the acts where all the comedians gather at the side of the stage and listen to each others material so we too can have a laugh! Or at least steal it for the next timeĀ
(Laughs).
Do you think being females it is better support? You all seem to have a lot of fun together!
Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : Yes! We'll I think it is an advantage because we are all woman because otherwise we wouldn't be in this gig together! It is lovely, most of us are friends anyways and these gigs give us a chance to have a social outing, because most of us don't see each other, otherwise.
Julia Morris : That is by choice, that we don't see each other! (Laughs)
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : No that's factual! I want to make it clear, blokes are pretty cool too! I like to share the stage with blokes too, actually I just like to share the stage with great comedians, who are pushing the envelope!
Oooh I wonder what would happen if they had an all-male gig though? (Laughs!) 'The Father of All Galas'! Would there be an outcry that there is only men on the stage? I think women will bitch about anything! That is one thing that is great about being women, we can get upset about things! I would be pretty sticky backstage, but then again who isn't? Thankfully we have Pureste there to wipe up! Oh my Gosh! (Laughs) What a great sponsor! This years show bag will definitely be quite a practical one. (Laughs) Big Nappies!
Let the truth be told, are there fights over the mirror backstage?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : Oh Yes! They will be scratching each other eye-balls out! It will be worse than the under-elevens netball comp! (Laughs) We use the lip-gloss wand as our weapon of choice! (Laughs)
It sounds like a lot of fun?
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : (Laughs) It sounds like? No! It's not! (More Laughs) We haven't even had a drink yet, it's never too early! (Laughs) It is a lot of bitching and stabbing and basically there is only one center in the netball team and everyone wants to be it! It is the sort of night that you could easily bring a boyfriend, but why not gather a group of girls together and laugh until you bleed!
Lucky Pureste is sponsoring then!
Julia Morris, Jackie Loeb and Amelia Jane Hunter : Yes yes yes! Because they are absorbent and comfortable, on so many levels! Oh and sterilised! Which most of us are sterilised after being on stage!
PurestePureste is Australia and New Zealand's first and only range of sterilised feminine care products initiated by Australian women. With women as busy as ever, wellbeing and peace of mind is even more important and Pureste is everything women expect from feminine hygiene products: absorbent and comfortable, with the added benefit of being sterilised. 100% Australian owned, the new Pureste sterilised range includes tampons, pads with wings and panty liners and is available now from Woolworths, United Discount Chemists and independent supermarkets and pharmacies. The only sterilised choice.
The Pureste Mother of All GalasVenue: The Enmore Theatre, Enmore Rd, Sydney
Dates: Thursday 7 May @ 8pm
Tickets: $32, Conc and Groups 6+ $28.00
Bookings: 9020 6966 or
www.sydneycomedyfest.com.auMothers Day Special - Bring your mum along and get a free bottle of champagne for groups of 6!
