Bread Revue returns to the stage with their all-new comedy sketch show, Mother Doughs Best

Posted on 14 September, 2023

Don’t go baking my heart – it’s scone to be a lot of fun!

After the success of their debut show Mind the Crust last year, the Canberra-based comedy group Bread Revue once again blends community and comedy to create the most delicious one-night-only show – Mother Doughs Best.

Entirely self-produced, self-funded, written, and directed by Bread Revue, Mother Doughs Best will be performed only once – at 7 pm on Saturday 23 September. Tickets to the show will cost you $44, but all the profits go towards the local charity HelpingACT (good karma and a hilarious show? Worth it).

Don’t let the name fool you – Mother Doughs Best is not two hours of bread puns (I’m no comedian but that does seem a tad impossible).

As Alana, the productions’ assistant director explains, “Essentially, sketch after sketch, what you can expect is a wild ride of every form of comedy you could possibly dream of.”

Though the title of the show keeps with the backstory of Bread Revue’s inception, the show has no through theme (other than the heart and soul that went into the writing of each sketch). All the sketches are curated, ensuring that the energy naturally flows between skits. Get ready to enjoy a diverse range of performances, both in content and in delivery – because beyond the comedy, the show also includes parody, live music, and film sketches.

“We have it all, and it’s really a testament to what we’ve been able to build up.”

It takes Bread Revue about a year to put together a show like Mother Doughs Best, with a clear direction for the show needing to be locked in by February, and writing finished by the end of June. During this time, Bread Revue meet weekly to ensure they’re ready for that one magical performance in September.

But as Alana says, “The payoff is a spectacular, one-night-only show that feels immensely special to all those who are involved, and all of those who are watching.”

Synan, the director of Mother Doughs Best, is excited about the show, saying, “It’s really ambitious, and bigger than last year’s show.”

Bread Revue has only grown since their performance of Mind the Crust, with many of the creative minds involved originally returning for this year’s iteration. The group has also welcomed many new faces into their community, who all come with a broad spectrum of skills – especially beyond the skills you normally associate with creating a comedy show.

“A lot of people need that creative outlet, and want to challenge themselves in that way, and they just need that forum and platform to do that.”

For everyone at the helm of Mother Doughs Best, the best aspect of this year’s show is the ambition and the community that it represents.

Its producer, Rohan, says that being able to “Create something and watch it develop is really extraordinary.”

Though the Canberra arts community is very supportive of creatives, Rohan and Synan found that there was lack of a space with direction to allow people to grow their skills beyond their university theatre experience.

Synan says, “I wanted to put on a show that I thought could do Canberrans and the comedic scene justice … the main goal became to create a community of very talented and diverse artists and give them the opportunity to show what they’re capable of.”

Bread Revue creates shows that bridge a gap in the Canberra comedy scene, and so they make comedy that is accessible and diverse, building a safe and supportive environment for individuals to continue to create and perform.

“… and I thought you know what, we both have the skills, we both have the drive, let’s see what we can make from the ground up,” explains Rohan. “It came from this very simple idea of let’s do something ourselves, and it spiraled out into something that’s a really fulfilling creative drive.”

Community spirit permeates through every step of the production process for Bread Revue. All profits from Mother Doughs Best goes to HelpingACT, especially after how high the bar was set last year (they raised $900!). HelpingACT is a small charity, focused on providing support to members of our community who are struggling, such as providing groceries, or how they’re currently fundraising for a food trailer to help serve hot food to those who need it.

“As a show that is essentially built from the ground up doing what it can with what resources that we have, we wanted to try and connect our artistic endeavours and our desire to do comedy with community good, and we found that HelpingACT really embodies what that community good looks like.”

Mother Doughs Best also relies on the thriving Canberra arts community to help the production reach its full potential. Belconnen Arts Centre gives Bread Revue a wonderful venue to be able to perform in, and Sidestage provides not only the technical equipment the show relies on, but also helps the crew learn how to use it.

Tickets are on sale, so if you’re ready for a night filled with laughter and joy (knowing that joy is two-fold by its charitable nature), you’d better quit loafing around!

Feature image: Jeremy Tsuei.