Download the 2009 Class Clowns calendar here (1.8MB)
Class Clowns is a national secondary school comedy competition and workshop programme, run by the Melbourne Comedy Festival since 1996. Class Clowns holds workshops and performances in every capital city and important regional areas, and brings the funniest school aged acts to Melbourne for a spectacular, sold-out Grand Final every year.
Class Clowns 2009 is open for registrations now! Click here for the national schedule and to sign up. In the meantime, wander around the site to get advice and ideas for your act, and get across the new format for this year.
PLUS! Watch out in 2009 for a special event spectacular: the Class Clowns Teenage Gala! The Class Clowns Teenage Gala is a brilliantly funny showcase of the best comedians in Australia younger than 20, the cream of the Class Clowns crop!
April 24 is the day for this precocious partner of the Festival's grown-up Gala, an L-plated clusterthunk of embarrassingly talented Clownists from around the country. Tickets for the Class Clowns Teenage Gala are onsale right here.
Don't be afraid to email us with any questions, and make sure to pester your teacher to get on board. We mean, really pester.
See you at a gig!
Start here. Come with some ideas or none. A professional Festival comedian comes to you, and spends a couple of hours giving you the tools and techniques to generate your first five, funny minutes.
The Festival can arrange a Crash Course at your performing arts centre or school, on request at any time of the year. Workshops last for between two and three hours and have a maximum of 25 participants.
Contact Bridget Bantick bridget@comedyfestival.com.au or 03 9245 3700
Or call the Comedy Festival to arrange your own custom-made Crash Course.
Are you in Sydney?
Class Clowns is working with Impro Australia to use impro and Theatresports workshops to develop comic writing and development skills.
During May and June of each year, over 100 teams from high schools in
Sydney and regional NSW take part in the Theatresports® Schools
Competition (TSC).
Theatresports® challenges students to create scenes based on surprise
offers with no preparation time, and it's also the basis for such TV
shows as 'Thank God You’re Here'.
Teams can enter the Intermediate (yrs 9 & 10) or Senior (yrs 11 & 12)
division. For more information, email geoff.bartlett@improaustralia.com.au.