Hailing from Canberra and now making her mark on the Australian comedy circuit, Bron was the co-winner of the National Raw Comedy competition in 2022, a four-time champion of the Moth storytelling competition, co-host of the podcast ‘Good Sheilas’ and both the best and the worst mum living at her house. She is a comedy writer at The Project and has a prominent presence on stages all around the country. Bron’s critically acclaimed show ‘Probably’ sold out in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane, and it scored her a nomination for Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s ‘Best Newcomer’ for 2023.
THE STREET TALKED TO BRON BEFORE PERFORMING HER NEW SHOW IN CANBERRA.
WHY COMEDY?
I was a high-school teacher for close to a decade, and if there was ever a career where you had to find the funny side of things, it was that one. Between being sworn at by teenagers, or begging them to read Shakespeare, I discovered the greatest challenge was to make them laugh. Bombing on stage is not dissimilar to trying to persuade Year 8s that your impersonation of Sylvia Plath is actually pretty accurate.
In addition to that, I’m also a mother of three small kids, so in the midst of exhaustion, I’d lost my sense of shame. Stand-up comedy to most people is terrifying, but when it’s either that, or wrestling the kids at bedtime, you’re going to find yourself searching for an open-mic night.
So as you can see, being ignored by teenagers and bossed around by toddlers, I was just desperate to have anyone listen to me, so comedy stand-up was the natural course of action.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE INFLUENCES ON YOUR COMEDY CAREER FROM YOUR HOMETOWN OF CANBERRA.
Canberra is a very tight-knit town, which is absolutely lovely in a lot of ways, but only if you weren’t insufferable in high school (aside: I was). I’m always amazed that people stayed there after high school because if I did, I’d have constant flashbacks of working at Belconnen Mall Donut King where the manager Tracy refused to learn my name, and accused me of stealing a 70-cent cinnamon doughnut (aside: I did).
One of the greatest lessons I learnt in my schooling years in Canberra was how the class system worked. My mum was a single mum with five kids, and we lived in commission housing until mum’s nursing agency made enough money for us to build a house in Queanbeyan (bragging). I went to a derelict primary school in Spence, then to Radford College for Years 7 – 10 where I had to beg mum to never drive our peach coloured Tarago into the turning circle because the sheer shame of that car was too much for teenage me to bear!
My show, ‘Probably’ is extremely nostalgic, and I recount many moments from my teenage days. I cannot wait to perform it there.
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE OF COMEDY?
My comedy is dry and extremely physical. I never shy away from acting something out, so the bigger the stage the better. Before I started comedy, I performed at storytelling nights often, and Cal Wilson, the host of the event encouraged me to start stand-up comedy. In my first few years in comedy, I tried to jam in as many gags as possible, which was fun, but it didn’t feel authentic.
In the last couple of years, I have realised my passion in comedy lies within stories rather than cheap gags. I love to flesh out a story and find all of the juicy moments of humour before I move on. ‘Probably’ is filled with these stories, so the show is a real journey.
WHERE DO YOUR STORIES COME FROM?
My life. I pride myself on all my stories being true, because a good storyteller doesn’t need to make stuff up for the story to be good.
My show ‘Probably’ explores stories from my childhood, specifically as a teenager. I feel for teenagers because their limbs are all growing at different rates, and they reek of Lynx Africa. It’s sad because society doesn’t like them much and we blame them for everything. Crime? Teenagers. Awful fashion trends? Teenagers. Invasive smells? Teenagers. We love to hate them because they remind us of when we were teenagers, and no one can honestly stand by their cringeworthy teenage decisions.
I also have stories of when I was a high school teacher, and also my time as a mother. Both of these jobs are huge responsibilities for someone who used to work at Belconnen Mall Donut King, so my missteps are plentiful and extremely entertaining.
HOW DO YOU TEST YOUR MATERIAL?
I gig a lot, and I mean a lot. Most nights of the week you will find me behind a microphone finessing a bit, or testing something new. I say jokes and stories aloud to my two-year-old, but he often leaves the room before the punchline, so the only thing I learn from those experiences is I’ve raised someone with terrible manners.
I have to perform in front of a willing audience to know what is worth fleshing out even further. A story or a joke doesn’t come to life for me unless I’ve given it to an audience to bounce around like a beachball.
AUSTRALIAN COMEDY ROYALTY CLAIRE HOOPER DIRECTED YOUR SHOW PROBABLY AT THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL. TELL US ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN YOUR COLLABORATION WITH HER.
Hoopsis one of the reasons I started comedy in the first place, and I trust her wholeheartedly. Our eldest daughters started Prep together, and we started a friendship at the school gates. When she found out I was performing at the storytelling nights, she joined Cal Wilson in encouraging me to give stand-up a go.
Over the years, we have become great mates, and we gig together often. I sometimes record a joke when I am walking to the shop and send it to her, and she lets me know if there is anything there, or whether I need to get more sleep.
Hoops restructured ‘Probably’ for me. I sat in her backyard one sunny afternoon, and I showed her a piece of paper with the order of jokes and stories for the show. She respectfully changed it all around, and everything fell into place.
Claire Hooper is a humble human, but if you ever work with her, or if you take a minute to notice the joy she brings to this world, you’ll recognize that she is one of the greatest entertainers in this whole damn country, and I’m so lucky to have had her direct ‘Probably’.
WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK COMEDY PLAYS IN AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY?
Australians depend on comedy for almost everything. Our style of comedy is dry, ironic, modest and transcends generations. Unlike Americans, we don’t pander to showoffs, so our comedy celebrates the underdog. We love embarrassing stories, and we absolutely adore taking a long nostalgic walk together as an audience – even if we’re learning things as we go.
We have always been a culture that relies on the lighthearted, but it’s not until quite recently when we started to actually acknowledge how funny our own comedians are. We’re looking less to the US and the UK for content, and we’re developing much more Australian comedic television shows, which makes my heart sing!
As a result of this, our very own comedy festivals across Australia are getting bigger and better every year. Comedy works much better with an audience, and it’s bloody spectacular that we are embracing it.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE FACE OF COMEDY AND THE GENDER BALANCE?
Oh golly. Where do I start? When I began my venture with comedy, I had to learn some hard truths quickly. As a woman in my 30s, starting at the open mic clubs meant I was performing alongside over-confident 20 year old blokes who hated women and lived with their mothers. Contrasting this, my comedy was about my experiences with motherhood and employment – both completely unrelatable to these grubs.
Needless to say, I didn’t thrive in the open-mic scene. I had moments when I had to really question whether I should try and change my material to fit their version of ‘funny’, or stick to trying to be authentic. I tried both, and I learnt that a cheap laugh isn’t worth the pain it takes to get it.
Pardon the political statement, but women in their 30s start to fade from the public eye, and by the time we are in our 40s, and especially 50s, we are pretty invisible. Helen Garner wrote an unforgettable essay detailing her experience of seeping into the abyss with age, and her fury about the matter. My initiation to comedy made me understand what she was writing about. The comedy world is, unfortunately, very imbalanced when it comes to female representation. Sure, it’s getting better, but we aren’t anywhere near where we should be. I know countless women who have started comedy, and then given up on it, because in comedy, we do have to work harder to be taken seriously (ironically).
I am really passionate about women in comedy, and I think we’re on the right path for people to feel the same.
WHAT’S INSPIRING YOU IN COMEDY AT THE MOMENT?
My stories. I started comedy at 32, which is much later in life than most comedians. The advantage I have is I have lived so much of my life without having to put a comedy lens on it, so I get to relive all of my pre-comedian experiences by reflecting on them and thinking things like, “Yeah, being completely useless at my sister’s labour was pretty full on at the time, but upon reflection, it was actually pretty funny.”
I am a writer for The Project, so if I’m not parenting, I am performing, and if I’m not performing, I’m writing. I live and breathe comedy – and I have never been more passionate about anything in my whole life. Yes, feel free to tell my ex Year 9 students that.
WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WATCHING CURRENTLY?
I’m reading ‘Dirt Town’ by Hayley Scrivenor, which is a gripping murder mystery based in rural Australia. Whilst it isn’t a comedy, I find it fascinating how Australian humour can squeeze itself into the darkest of plotlines. I am also a sucker for Australian rural settings because they remind me of spending my school holidays at my nan’s house in the Riverina. Like I mentioned, us Australians love nostalgia more than any other country. I wish reminiscing was a sport at the Olympics, because we would win that one hands down.
As for telly, I love ‘Fisk’ on the ABC which was written by Kitty Flannagan and her sister. Kitty is one of the greatest comedians in the whole world, and her show ‘Fisk’ embodies the awkwardness and subtle nature of Australian humour.
So if you like Australian comedy, treat yourself to Kitty Flanagan’s ‘Fisk’, and my show ‘Probably’. They are two shows you won’t want to miss!
Bron Lewis performs Probably at The Street Theatre on the 15th of September 2023.
STREET TALK 