Sideway Comedy encourages you to be Canberra’s next comedy headliner

Posted on 23 September, 2020

COVID has presented many of us with an opportunity.

Some of us have learned to cook the perfect focaccia, while others have taught themselves a new language. It has also offered us time to reflect and reconnect with what binds us together as a human race.

And overwhelmingly, there has been a renewed appreciation for the power of laughter as a cure-all to keep spirits high.

It seems that comedians Chris Ryan, Frankie McNair, Agata Nabaglo and Laura Campbell have cottoned onto this—and are keen to transport our COVID funny bone from the living room to the stage.

This female powerhouse has just launched Sideway Comedy, an inclusive comedy night run fortnightly which is placing diversity at the forefront.

Every second Thursday at 7 pm, an audience will arrive at Civic’s Sideway bar, ready to laugh. And who are the headlining acts? Well, one of them could be you.

“We want Sideway Comedy to bring voices and stories to the stage that perhaps we haven’t heard before in Canberra,” explains co-founder Frankie McNair, adding that diversity is the name of the game.

“We are actively trying to get a more balanced line-up that includes women, people with disability, LGBT+ and Black, Indigenous or People of Colour (BIPOC) and judging from our first night, that’s seems to be what Canberra audiences have been looking for.”

Designed as an open-mic format, Sideway Comedy aims to rectify the traditionally male-dominated comedy sector by championing diversity—the door, or rather, the GoogleForm, is open to all.

Co-founder and disability advocate Laura Campbell adds that “Accessibility in comedy, particularly physical accessibility, is a huge problem within the comedy community…While we continue to be inaccessible, we are missing the opportunity to hear from a whole range of comedians Canberra has to offer.”

The response to this new approach to creating a line-up has been overwhelmingly positive. The room has sold out its free registrations twice, showing there is a clearly a demand for this fresh perspective.

Each open-mic night has space to feature 12 comedians and an MC. The process to get involved is as easy as signing up to a GoogleForm released via the event’s Facebook Page.

The overall atmosphere is designed to be supportive and source new talent, so there has never been a better time to get involved.

The venue has a few accessibility constraints for people with disabilities, as there is no lift to access upstairs. However, Laura has informed us the team is working with Sideway to try and make the site “more accessible”, where they “hope to be in a position to make it so in the future.”

Feature image: The Sideway Comedy team—Chris Ryan, Laura Campbell, Agata Nabaglo and Frankie McNair. Image supplied.