Melbourne International Comedy Festival comedian Q&A: Josh Cake, Three Guards on Manus Island
Manus Island is no laughing matter but when three guards form an amateur dramatic society you’re in for a show, says comedian Josh Cake.
Comedian Q&A
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What can people expect from your show at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival?
Come for the laughs.
Stay because you can’t leave.
What happens when three guards on Manus Island form an amateur dramatic society?
They perform to the only audience they have: their detainees.
We’ll be the guards.
You, our audience, will be our detainees for an hour.
No phones, please — we can’t have you sending pictures to your pesky mates at the Guardian. You’ll see us perform scenes and songs from our new play, as we embody cowboys, slices of cheese, and everything in between. (Some would call our work ‘sketches’, but we are a serious theatrical society.)
Tell us about you.
Hello. We are the Manus Island Amateur Theatrical Society.
We are trialling some scenes from our new play in front of our captive audience here on the island before taking it to Melbourne.
Who should see your show, and why?
Anyone who loves comedy, or hates what’s happening on Manus Island, or both.
All proceeds go to the Refugee Action Collective of Victoria.
What’s your No.1 tip for people coming to see a show at the comedy festival?
Come to our show.
Which other comedians/shows are you keen to see at this year’s festival, and why?
We are keen to see Juicy, Paul Noodle PhD Candidate, Williamson and Weir, Clara Cupcakes, Demi Lardner, Emily Tresidder, Zach and Viggo, Maria Bamford, Ross Noble, Danny Bhoy, Bella Green, Lauren Bok.
What are you expecting Melbourne to be like?
As guards on Manus Island, we expect that people in Melbourne will really, really love us. We know that some people oppose our work, but they’re probably in other parts of Australia.
Who or what is your comedic inspiration, and why?
Anyone who can say ‘I prefer skim milk’ with a straight face.
Anything else you want us to know about you or your show?
Content warnings: stage violence, low level sexual references, infrequent coarse language, adult themes.
JOSH CAKE, THE MANUS ISLAND AMATEUR THEATRICAL SOCIETY, THREE GUARDS ON MANUS ISLAND, APRIL 8-14, THE BUTTERFLY CLUB DOWNSTAIRS, 5 CARSON PLACE. BOOK TICKETS
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