Norpa News

Some of Australia's funniest people will be appearing in Lismore this month, when the travelling roadshow of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival pulls up at Lismore City Hall on May 20.

Four feature acts have been confirmed: Damian Clark (pictured), Damian Callinan, Jackie Kashian and Justin Hamilton. One more big name is yet to be revealed.

Damian Clark is from Western Australia, and after getting a six from Red Symons on Red Faces, went on to win the Perth 2000 Comedy Fringe Award. As well as stand up gigs around the nation, he has been part of two wildly successful comedy shows - The Art of Schmoozing with Anthony Mechetti in 2002 and his solo show The Bandit, which won the Moosehead Award at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Damian Callinan will be a familiar funny face for fans of Channel Ten's Skithouse.

During this year's Melbourne Comedy Festival, as well as performing his own one man show 'From Cave to The Rave - The Story of Dance', he directed Dave O'Neill's one man show and also ran workshops and heats nationally for the festival's school program, Class Clowns.

Jackie Kashian hails from the USA, and got her start in comedy when she heckled a guy called Sam Kinison in 1985 at a bar in Madison, Wisconsin.

Since that fateful night, and her subsequent performance at the pub's open mike night the next Saturday, her career has grown wings.

She's appeared on all the US's leading comedy shows, including Comedy Central and NBC's Late Friday.

Justin Hamilton started out in Adelaide with musical comedy duo The Bunta Boys.

His first solo stand up show in 2000, Screw You Misery, I'm The Karaoke Guy!, sold out its run at the Adelaide Fringe. Since then his CV has expanded to include the Edinburgh Fringe and co-hosting breakfast shows on Triple J.

Tickets for the show are now on sale at the Northern Rivers Ticket Centre (phone 6621 5600).

Freebie: For a chance to win a double pass to the show write us a good joke. Put it with an Echo masthead in an envelope with your name, address and phone number on the back and send it to: Comedy Double, NORPA, PO Box 225, Lismore, 2480. The joke that makes us laugh the most, and reaches us by next Thursday, May 12, will be the winner.

Events and giveaways

• The Australian String Quartet will performing at Lismore City Hall on May 14 from 8pm, and tickets to their show Music of the Spheres are still available! Phone 6621 5600 to book. There are also still places available at the workshops on Sunday, May 15, for local string instrument players. The cost is only $15/$10. Phone 6622 0300 to register. Winner of the double pass to Music of the Spheres offered in The Echo on April 21 was Helen Revis of Lismore.
• Next week is Dance Week, and NORPA Dance Action has joined forces with local movers and shakers to put on free public dance performances. In Lismore's Magellan next Wednesday, May 11, from 12.30pm, locals will be treated to a showcase of hip-hop, contemporary and dance theatre pieces by Northern Rivers Conservatorium students, Lismore High students and local cutting-edge dance artists. Byron Bay will celebrate the end of Dance Week on Sunday, May 15, with an afternoon of outdoor dance performances at the beach park, opposite the Beach Hotel. Local groovers will be joined by some of the Big Feet, Little Feet artists.