On the third Thursday of every month you can find comedian Jade Fitzgerald along with other local acts serving up laughs on stage upstairs at The Bended Elbow.
Jade’s Off The Rails Comedy North East Victoria hosts Comedy in the Club, a night of dinner and laughs featuring a mix of local comedians and professionals from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
Tired of constantly travelling to the big cities for comedy gigs and with a view to grow the local comedy scene, Jade decided it was time to bring more comedy to the Border.
“I got sick of travelling to do comedy,” Jade said.
“Comedy is such an accessible art form. Everyone has a sense of humour. Places like Wagga Wagga and Bendigo have a comedy scene, so why haven’t we got one on the Border?”
“I figured I would either run for council in Wodonga or joke about it”
Off The Rails Comedy is currently promoting two shows – one on the third Thursday of every month at The Bended Elbow and one more ad hoc at St Ives. Both shows attract a mix of local amateur talent and professionals from the capital cities.
The shows at The Bended Elbow and St Ives are the first of their kind in the North East, being locally produced and sourcing a mix of local and more professional talent to deliver the evening of laughs. Jade is passionate about using comedy to bring the community together through art and creating opportunities for regional comedians.
“I’ve grown up here. I look at everything very critically, which you have to do as a comic. I figured I would either run for council in Wodonga or joke about it,” she said.
Jade started Off the Rails Comedy North East Victoria in June last year, with regular comedy nights at O’Maille’s in Wodonga, before moving to The Bended Elbow with a restructured show and more professional acts in March of this year.
Each show runs for about two hours and is split into two acts, creating a casual vibe that draws on venues like Melbourne’s The Comic’s Lounge for inspiration. Entries are open to any local comedian who can put together a 10-minute set, which Jade says gives the performers more time to develop their material and delivers a better experience for the audience.
The next Comedy in the Club at The Bended Elbow is June 21 and features Gav Comtessi from Wagga Wagga, Deadly Funny 2018 runner up, Bill Makin and local radio personality Seamus Evans. This will be Seamus’ second appearance on the Comedy in the Club stage, after hosting the first event in March this year. Tara Trewhella will be hosting the evening and Melbourne comedian Lana Schwarcz will be headlining.
Tickets are $15 at the door and doors open at 7.30pm for an 8pm start.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/OTRcomedy/ for more information.
