Queen Victoria Women’s Centre (QVWC) opens its doors once again for one of the finest programs at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
As part of the Comedy Festival, QVWC has assembled an electric and eclectic femme-led lineup from late March to April.
Originally famous for being Australia’s first ever hospital ‘for women, by women’, the longstanding building has spent the past few decades honouring its roots as a welcoming destination holding and creating space for women and gender diverse people to thrive, a haven for creative expression.
There is no better home for the following 10 of the Comedy Festival’s best femme-led acts, set to perform from March 27 to April 21.
Kate Dolan
- When: April 9-13, 16-20
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Millarri Murnmut
- Tickets here
UK comedian and 2023 Funny Women nominee Kate Dolan has made the trip Down Under with A Different Kind of Unhinged.
Dolan examines the weight of expectations put onto women, the journey to self-acceptance, and how grief can make you see the world in a different light – all while dropping the loosest of one-liners.
Lana Walters
- When: April 9-13, 16-20
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Wayi Djerring
- Tickets here
It’s been called ‘the only show about motherhood you need to see’ – New Zealand’s Lana Walters unpacks the good, the bad, the gross and the utterly hilarious aspects of her first year of being a parent in Big Mum Energy.
From absurd birth plans to nappy changes that feel like crocodile death rolls, the Project NZ comedy writer lays it all bare with an hour-long set that’s pure catharsis for any new mums out there.
Brown Women Comedy
- When: April 6
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Wayi Djerring
- Tickets here
One of the best and biggest lineups of Indian, Pakistani and South Asian female comedians in Australia right now, Brown Women Comedy isn’t holding back. With a set that covers experiences of ‘growing up brown’ to divorce and disownment, this is a superb and often taboo-tackling performance by some of the greatest comics in Australia right now.
Anna Dooley
- When: March 27-31, April 2-7
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Wayi Djerring
- Tickets here
A hit at Sydney Fringe earlier this year, Anna Dooley’s rave-reviewed Endhoe has made its way to the Comedy Festival.
Dooley is determined to get rid of the ‘bad press’ around endometriosis and curate an informed conversation around one of the world’s most painful diseases. Showing the inner workings of Anna’s body, this special balances four operations, 30 hospital visits and a heap of ‘unsolicited advice’ in touching, yet hilarious fashion.
Gemma Caruana
- When: April 9-13, 16-20
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Wayi Djerring
- Tickets here
Gemma Caruana’s Galah Galah centres around a little girl given two things – a nickname comparing her to a noisy bird, and a lot of high expectations.
As heart-wrenching as it is hysterical, Caruana’s newest cabaret tells a story painfully real to anyone who’s felt the anxiety of being a high achiever.
Jess Karamjeet & Sophie Gibson
- When: March 27-30, April 2-6
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Millarri Murnmut
- Tickets here
With the help of singer-songwriter Sophie Gibson, guitarist Jess Karamjeet manoeuvres the journey of finding identity as a 30-something, mixed-race, bisexual immigrant – all while grieving the loss of her dad. It’s a deeply moving show and one that perfectly balances humour with a range of emotive experiences.
Liv McKenzie & Becky Umbers
- When: April 9-13, 16-20
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Millarri Murnmut
- Tickets here
New Zealand’s Liv McKenzie and Becky Umbers make the trip up from New Zealand with I Can’t Believe I Shaved For This (what a title). From red flags to regrettable Nandos runs with finance bros, these jokes are indeed worth shaving for.
Catherine McClintock
- When: April 9-13, 16-20
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Millarri Murnmut
- Tickets here
Catherine McClintock is Not Cool – but the two-time RAW Comedy State Finalist isn’t bothered. Her new standup is funny and highly relatable, poking fun at the fact that we’re all a little not cool sometimes…or often. We can speak from experience that Catherine is one of Australia’s finest comedians right now and well worth the price of admission.
Raise The Bra
- When: March 28-30, April 4-6
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Millarri Murnmut
- Tickets here
A celebration of comedy and diversity, Raise The Bar Comedy presents its first ever Raise The Bra: a show with a powerful lineup of female and non-binary comics, running for six nights, each with its own unique theme. It’ll be a riot.
Alex Reynolds
- When: April 9-13, 16-20
- Where: Queen Victoria Women’s Centre – Wayi Djerring
- Tickets here
Against the advice of everyone, Alex Reynolds unleashes Scrum – a true blue Aussie hero. With a love for the Cronulla Sharks, VB and his wife and kids, Reynolds’ newest character is nigh unstoppable, and a barrel of laughs to boot.
Learn more about what’s on offer throughout the Melbourne International Comedy Festival at QVWC here.
This article was made in partnership with Queen Victoria Women’s Centre.
