Wagga comedian Dane Simpson was the breakout star of the 2016 Aboriginal Comedy Allstars, cracking up the countryside in 55 destinations over 4 months, amidst selling out shows at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

In Aborigi-LOL Dane hits the road again with his muso mate, Dane Kennedy. Dane (Kennedy) boasts influences such as Ben Harper and Sam Cooke, and has appeared on The X Factor as well as gigging solidly in the Riverina region.

Dane (Simpson) introduces Dane (Kennedy) to the stage at the start of the show with a short, friendly, informal acoustic set. After the break Dane (Simpson) returns with a winning headline set of shamelessly goofy dad jokes, picaresque tall tales and charismatic, observational yarns. His mate Dane (Kennedy) rejoins him at the end of the set for a song and a bit of a jam with his guitar and Dane (Simpson's) didgeridoo.

It's a highly engaging, highly approachable variety night for two sparkling, emerging Indigenous talents.

Venue Format
Theatre, Hall, Black Box Venue
Technical Rating
D
Touring Party
3
Considerations

Lightweight and very adaptable stand up comedy variety night. Unique, contemporary Indigenous talent; “Standup plus”: music element softens club standup into a more general, affable variety night.

Show is well structured for community presenters who want to build a dinner and show offering around the two acts.

The Milstead Company is Toby Sullivan, an independent producer of storytelling, comedy and cabaret from Melbourne, Australia, who has been working since the early ‘90s. Between 2009 and 2019 Milstead traded as “DWC Comedy”.

Toby/Milstead/DWC has produced a wide range of international artists, across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the U.K., Ireland, Korea, the U.S.A. and Canada. Major touring projects and artists have included the Aboriginal Comedy Allstars, The Listies, Damian Callinan, Die Roten Punkte and Bunk Puppets.

Major presenters with whom he has worked include the Sydney Festival, Perth Festival, Sydney Opera House, Blumenthal Performing Arts Centre, Melbourne Museum and Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

Toby/Milstead’s focus is on new voices who push perceptions of the artform. In particular, storytelling, clowning, emerging southeast Asian artists, Australian First Nations artists, and kids’ comedy.

Company Website
milstead.com.au

Unique Selling Point

Dane Simpson in Aborigi-LOL builds on established audience demand for accessible standup comedy, but with a fresh and highly engaging new twist. Just as branded genres of "wog comedy" have transcended the personal profiles of the performers to build a substantial audience, this showcase presents a strong, simple proposition to audiences.

Furthermore, the show is an excellent and efficient opportunity to develop Indigenous and youth audiences, or further leverage existing audiences from your MICF Roadshow, for example.

Marketing Materials

Poster templates, media release copy, review quotes footage, and good quality images are all provided. Dane is an adept social media marketer and and excellent talent at media calls.

Community Engagement

see attached.