Melbourne International Comedy Festival comedian Q&A: Old Treasury Building, Behind the Lines 2018

Come along to the Old Treasury Building to take a look at this exhibition showcasing the best political cartoons of 2018.

Behind the Lines, Old Treasury Building

What can people expect from your show at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival?

Behind the Lines presents the best political cartoons of 2018, and what a year that was!

No wonder the exhibition theme is Curiouser & Curiouser!

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland fit right in with the vibrant and sometimes larger-than-life politicians shown in immensely clever caricature.

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This exhibition literally asks us to step through the looking glass and remember a year of resignations and relationship dramas, marriage equality and asylum seekers.

It was the year we all learned the meaning of section 44, and found ourselves with a seventh Prime Minister in 10 years, while across the Pacific the US presidential carnival unfolded in act after slap-stick act.

Tell us about the Old Treasury Building.

The Old Treasury Building is one of Melbourne’s iconic historic buildings.

Built at the height of the gold rush, it now hosts a variety of displays centred on the history of Melbourne.

Exhibitions explore the development of Melbourne from fledgling village to modern metropolis, while in the building’s basement visitors can visit the original gold vaults, built to house the vast quantities of gold ore pouring out of the Victorian gold fields during the 1850s.

Who should see your show, and why?

Anyone with an interest in politics will get a real kick out of Behind the Lines.

With more than 80 cartoons from 30 artists, there’s sure to be something for everyone.

As Cartoonist of the Year, Matt Golding said: “People are drawn to cartoons, they gravitate towards them because of their beautiful simplicity and their power to challenge, to make people think and possibly see the world in a different way”. The Herald’s own cartoonist Mark Knight has several drawings in the show. The Muppet Show was chosen as one of the top 5 cartoons in show.

What’s your No.1 tip for people coming to see a show at the comedy festival?

Keep an open mind! You never know exactly what will spark your imagination.

Anything else you want us to know about you or your show?

This annual exhibition comes to Melbourne from the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra.

Each year MOAD selects the best cartoons published in the previous 12 months and turns them into a highly entertaining and informative exhibition guaranteed to delight.

OLD TREASURY BUILDING, BEHIND THE LINES 2018