Comedy for a Cause: The CanBra Comedy Gala

Posted on 20 November, 2018

Juliet Moody might be one of Canberra’s most highly-regarded comedians, but she didn’t necessarily set out to be. 

Juliet explains that she first fell into comedy with best friend and fellow comedian Cathy Crowley, almost seven years ago.

“It was a bit of an accidental journey,” says Juliet. “Cathy and I had done a lot of improv previous to that and we ended up being in an improvised musical show.”

“We wrote some cheeky, funny songs together which ended up catching on and from that, I guess we’ve been really lucky.”

‘Catching on’ is a bit of an understatement, as the duo’s satirical song about breastfeeding in public ‘Ruin Your Day’ went viral in 2014 and since then, Sparrow Folk, as Cathy and Juliet’s double act is known, has gone from strength to strength, performing across Canberra and Australia.

But Juliet’s been keeping busy on other fronts too. In 2016 she created the Fearless Initiative, to  help prevent family and gender-based violence in the community. A glittering night of comedy and charity, the Initiative’s annual Fearless Gala has just enjoyed its third wildly successful year in 2018 and now, Juliet’s ready for her next challenge.

The CanBra Comedy Gala this Saturday will be a night of comedy for an excellent cause, with all funds raised going to the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (CRCC), which helps victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

The CanBra crew. Juliet Moody (far right).

Juliet created CanBra as a result of her working relationship with the CRCC, as well as the devastating impact of the death of female comedian Eurydice Dixon in Melbourne earlier this year.

“Following the tragic events in Melbourne, there was a groundswell response within the comedy community to unite together to make a stand against violence,” she says.

Juliet said that the CanBra audience can expect a “fantastic night of comedy” at the gala and will have the opportunity to see a wide range of talented Canberra comedians perform.

“We are very fortunate in Canberra to have incredible comedians who are doing amazing things in Canberra and interstate as well,” she says.

The CanBra line-up will include Canberra comedian legends Chris Ryan, Tom Gibson and Danny Bensley, as well as some incredible new acts. It will also feature the award-winning comedy duo Sweaty Pits who recently won the Sydney Fringe Festival NZ Tour Ready Award.

Juliet said that the primary goal of the CanBra Comedy Gala is for comedians to unite against sexual and gender-based violence.

“Our aim is to unite the community in making a stand against violence and challenging them on the collective responsibility to bring change to our society.”

CanBra isn’t just a play on words either, with all performing comedians donning a bra on the night.

“One way we’re trying to challenge people is asking all artists to wear a bra on stage as a bit of an acknowledgement that women face different challenges to men,” explains Juliet. And while it’s all in the name of good fun, the message has never been more serious, especially as calls to services such as the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre spike around the holiday season.

“We hope our audience comes away from the event knowing that their support is making a real difference.”

“Our responsibility as performing artists is to try and challenge the community that we can do better.”

the essentials 

What: The CanBra Comedy Gala
When: Saturday 24 November from
Where: The Street Theatre, Childers Street, Acton
Tickets: Via The Street Theatre website