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Introduction
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Every attempt at accuracy with times, speakers & tutors has been made however it may be necessary to alter the program slightly. Jeez Louise funny women's forum attempts a 'keep it casual, friendly, but on time' approach and is not a medical seminar, therefore we don't call you "delegates." you go to a pfizer or glaxo convention for that one. cheers! |
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TOPICS BY INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS |
guest speakers will invite a q & a session at the conclusion of their talks |
Dr. Yossi Berger"Dribbles, Scribbles & Twitches: The Science of Occupational Stress" |
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Andrew Taylor"A Day in the Life of a Comic's Manager" |
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Fiona Scott-Norman"A Media Perspective" (now online) |
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Kevin Whyte"The First Two Minutes Free" |
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Rachel Berger"Howard, Whores and Hunchbacks – Satire & Advocacy" |
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GROUP PANELS |
all forum panels are provided with time allocations for question & answer sessions and will be moderated by a chairperson. There are three or more guest speakers appropriate to each topic/panel. |
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"From Rags to Radio" |
Current successful (comedy) radio announcers explain why, where and how they became women on the wireless. |
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"Producing the Goods" |
Long established comedy producers from large scale successes to self-produced ones tell us about their work in this field; the highlights, the lowlights, their desires and ably demonstrate how they'll fend off remarks of "hey, I've got this show I want you to look at…"
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"Everything I Wanted To Ask But Forgot" |
The "speed panel" of the weekend. The answers will be short, sharp & straight to the point. It attempts to direct people to where they might find detailed information/answers to the many diverse comedy related topics; ones that could not possibly be covered in a single weekend. Here's one NOT to ask: "how come there was nothing about cartooning or much about impro?" because the answer will be "…and where would we have fitted that in? Try this number…" |
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WORKSHOPS |
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"Write Funny & Get Paid For it" |
An accomplished writer of newspaper columns, television comedy, radio material & her own books heads this fairly self-explanatory workshop. Discover where your writing talents lie & utilise them. |
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"Who Are You?" |
Developing comedic characters. A hands-on workshop helping you find the voice, motivation & performance of character/s with expert comic actors. |
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"Is This Thing On?" Part I: The Technicalities |
You set foot on the stage and it all starts to go horribly wrong? This workshop deals with all of those hiccups from handling the microphone to handling hecklers; dealing with 'dry mouth' to dealing with 'dying'. A highly accomplished comedian will have you basking in the spotlight instead of stumbling into it and tell you what to do with all of the 'what ifs.' |
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"Is This Thing On?" Part II: Confidence |
As a follow on to the previous day's "Is This Thing On?", Part II deals with issues of confidence (or more accurately) the lack of it. A number of established comics join this workshop to pass on their own fail-safe tips for gaining control of yourself and then the stage. A must for all of those who suffer the dreaded 'stage fright.' (Whilst Part I is not a pre-requisite for this workshop, it is highly recommended should you plan on doing this one.) |
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"Get To The Friggen Point!" |
A well-established comic, affectionately known amongst her peers as Melbourne's current "joke doctor", exhibits how she finds the joke within a bunch of too wordy text. In a practical session she demonstrates targeting the laughs in your monologue or stand-up piece and will help you get those laughs if there aren't any. And if there still aren't any after this one, learn to become a bricklayer. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring copies of material they'd like help with and go under the knife of the Doc. This workshop is a particularly valuable aid for those who would like to participate in the "Faux Show." |
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"Dynamics of a Group or Duo" *** special note: will only be run if numbers warrant, as the concurrent workshop "Is This Thing On?" Part II: Confidence will likely be more popular. |
Members of successful troupes n' groups attempt to explain why working in bunches doesn't necessarily make for a bigger or better bunch. How to do it if you really feel you must. Using examples of successful couplings/troupes we will examine why some work well and some not so well. |
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SPECIAL EVENTS |
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The Incredibly Useless Debate |
Any festival, convention or Mardi-Gras worth its salt has to have the obligatory debate! And if you think we couldn't think of a topic, think again. Yes, it's "Are Chicks Fucked Or What?" Well, are they? Who even cares? But we'll give it a whirl with teams made up of comedians who… probably don't care either. |
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"The Faux Show" at The Comic's Lounge |
Pull together a hand-selected, sympathetic audience, a Melbourne comedy club, a whopping dose of nerves, lights, a disposable camera and a wee bit of action and you've got yourself a show… sort of. This is the chance for many with little or no experience on a comedy club stage to bite the bullet and give it a red hot go! With a bit of luck and a lot of encouragement, participants might just remember some of the stuff they've learned over the weekend and actually do "okay." With post-show constructive advice offered by note-taking professionals, they'll learn that it's also okay if they stuff up. Every forum guest and participant is strongly encouraged to come (even if they're not the brave souls baring theirs for three whole minutes.) |
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The Big Sister Diary Room |
That's right, it involves a big chair and a video camera. Please spend fifteen seconds (literally) of your time to sneak into Diary Room and tell the image capturing monster who you are, where you're from and your impressions of the forum so far. Saying awful stuff is highly recommended. It will not only serve as a record of the forum's participants but it will… serve as a record of the forum's participants. So put your thinking caps on prior to the weekend because fifteen seconds is quite a lot to come up with. |
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The Natter Factory |
Whaddya mean you've heard it all before? Oh, you're one of those bitter & twisted old pros who'd rather gasbag with long-lost buddies, right? Well… fair enough. In "The Tent" you'll find coffee, snacks, a place to park your bum and natter away to your heart's content. |
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Saturday Night |
Whether you're running from seeing a Fringe Festival show (or whizzing off to do your own show) at least get together with every other Jeez Louis-er at some stage on Saturday from 9:30pm for a drink or two at the newly renovated Courthouse Hotel over the road. (You'll need your JL participant's tag.) Graciously hosted by the Director & Staff |
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STUFF TO PONDER |
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Should I bring anything? |
Probably not. Notepads supplied by Printlinx. You may want bigger ones of your own, though. For those wanting to attend the "Get To The Friggin' Point!" workshop or want some of their material "reworked" then please bring (multiple) copies of your writing (something you can scribble on.) Same with the "Write Funny & Get Paid For It" workshop. Yes, bring a camera. You will probably only need to buy your own dinner on Saturday night. There is a (free) City Circle tram about two or three blocks away. If there's something you'd like to pin on the bulletin board, bring that. If you need directions to budget accom, Donna, Linda or Kristin can direct you to that. There should be somewhere to store your luggage at the venue if you come straight to the forum on Saturday morning before checking into your accom. Kristin (at the sign-in desk will help you with that.) |
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What about that "faux show?" |
How many times have you performed on stage? It doesn't matter If it's stand-up, monologue or any other comedic piece or not. Maybe you've never even done it before? Then that's who we want for the Faux Show. It's your chance to perform to a small audience, with (private) feedback from professional performers, in a regularly run comedy club with the full sound, lights and intros by a (pro) host. If there's even the slightest chance you might want to do this, please let Kristin know when you sign in so that we can gauge the numbers beforehand. Preference will be given to those with the least amount of performing experience should everybody want to do it. The audience will be a sympathetic one and if there's the unlikelihood of hecklers, they'll be removed from the venue! And yes, you're allowed to stuff up and be given another chance to come back on and start again. |
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OUR VALUED HOSTS & CONTRIBUTORS |
Click on the websites and support our generous hosts and contributors in any way you can for without their support we couldn't have brought us all together. |
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Our Host |
Melbourne Fringe Festival with special thanks to Jeremy Gaden and Vanessa Pigrum |
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Our Major Supporters |
Melbourne International Comedy Festival with special thanks to Susan Provan, Jo Mackintosh, Rebecca Austin and Ged Wood and all of the staff at MICF The Comic's Lounge - Errol Street, North Melbourne (with particular thanks to Tony and Shane) |
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Our Very Special Contributors |
Goss Cosmetics with special thanks to Fiona Sharkie Creative Contingencies with special thanks to Donna Benjamin & Peter Lieverdink The Comedy Channel with special thanks to Simone Reeve Guardian Pharmacies De Jour Printlinx BEAT Magazine InPress |
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Hands On Helpers Extraordinaire |
With so much love and thanks to Linda Catalano, Donna Benjamin, Meshel Laurie, Jo Mackintosh & Katrina Mathers |
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Other Loved Helpers |
Kristin Haggar, Christine Basil, Anika Haggar, Cheryl Mizzi (BEAT Magazine), Lefa Singleton, Ged Wood, Joanne Brookfield (InPress) |