Every Tuesday, 7:30pm

New comedians doing their best, and the best comedians doing their new.

Get the crew together for cheap tickets, cheap drinks, cheap laughs. What’s not to love!

TUESDAY 18 JUNE Bea Barbeau-Scurla, Stu Daulman, Blake Everett, Oscar Robertson, Lisa Sharpe, Rapha Mengem & Alex Watson

TUESDAY 25 JUNE Ashley Apap, Rohan Ganju, David Rose, Tess Birch, Adam Knox, Jeremy Dooley & Ellen Mahoney

Wednesday 5-26 June, 6:30pm

Something Good is Melbourne's best improv show, starring cast and crew from Ch 10’s television improv juggernaut 'Thank God You’re Here' Ben Russell, Amy Ruffle, Lena Moon and Alistair Baldwin.

It’s long form improv at its finest, with famous faces dropping by each week for a completely improvised and always chaotic performance.

Based off audience suggestion, Something Good makes up a show that is something great and something that will never be seen again. Past guests include Tony Martin, Adam Hills, Virginia Gay and Broden Kelly.

Wednesday 19 & 26 June, 8:00pm

Melbourne’s premier wacky, weird and wonderful character comedy night.

Showcasing some of Australia’s most lauded and applauded comedians and groups performing brand new characters, sketches, skits and bits.

Regular award winning and nominated performers include Hannah Camillleri, Stuart Daulman, Nat Harris, Alex Hines, Oliver Coleman, Jordan Barr, Belinda Anderson-Hunt, Matt Jenner and Blake Everett to name a few…

PLUS a huge array of very special guests will be joining them this season which include Jude Pearl, Penny Greenhalgh, Suren Jayamanne, Grace Zhang, Aidan Jones, The Games Boys, Bea Barbeau-Scurla, Sez, The Burton Bros and more!

Every show is different. Every show is a wild ride. Yes, Yes…Oh yes.

Thursday 20 June, 6:30pm
Thursday 27 June, 6:30pm
Friday 28 June, 6:30pm

The brand-new live show from the best sketch comedy troupe you've never heard of, The Testy Cools!

Every Thursday - Saturday, 8:00pm (9:00pm all of July)

Comedy Republic's signature lineup show!

Main Stage has quickly become our biggest show, selling out on the regular with huge all-star lineups and lively fun-loving crowds. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, you can be sure to catch a heap of the best comedians Melbourne and the wider world have to offer.

Replay Festival Specials Filming Week 18-20 July: 3 nights of live-taping our own Main Stage lineup featuring the best comedians from this year's Comedy Festival.

- - - MAIN STAGE FORMAT - - -

Main Stage (90min show, 5+ comedians, inc interval)
Thursday 8:00pm - $26
Friday 8:00pm - $29
Saturday 8:00pm - $36

- - - UPCOMING LINEUPS - - -

THURSDAY 13 JUNE He Huang, Tony Lyall, Bec Charlwood, Andy Balloch, Sam Gebreselassie & Gavin Sempel

FRIDAY 14 JUNE He Huang, Tony Lyall, Jordan Barr, Bec Charlwood, Sam Gebreselassie & Gavin Sempel

SATURDAY 15 JUNE He Huang, Tony Lyall, Jordan Barr, Bec Charlwood, Sam Gebreselassie & Gavin Sempel

THURSDAY 20 JUNE Tom Ballard, Prue Blake, Urvi Majumdar, Alex Hines, William Wang & Kelsey De Almeida

FRIDAY 21 JUNE Tom Ballard, Prue Blake, Urvi Majumdar, Alex Hines, William Wang & Ben Searle

SATURDAY 22 JUNE Tom Ballard, Prue Blake, Urvi Majumdar, Alex Hines, William Wang & Ben Searle

Coming up in June: Rohan Ganju, Charlie Lewin, Noah Szto, Firdi Billimoria & more

(Lineups are subject to last minute changes)

Friday 21 June, 6:30pm

Nominee – The Melbourne Comedy Festival Award 2023

Tom Ballard is undeniably one of Australia’s comedians. That simply cannot be denied.

Join Tom for an encore performance of his Melbourne Comedy Festival show ‘Good Point Well Made’, featuring electric zingers and incredible points being made with expert precision. It’ll make you laugh and cry and laugh and think and laugh again, then it’ll make you gasp and laugh and feel alive and laugh and ponder things and laugh some more.

On top of all that, Tom appeared as lovable sweetheart/terrible cop Constable Sven Alderman in the hit Prime Video series Deadloch, cohosted his weekly political podcast Serious Danger, and began the process of cooking up even fresher and gooder jokes about everything that’s going on with the world, etc.

Winner – Best Comedy Performer, Helpmann Award 2016
Winner – Best Local Show, Sydney Comedy Festival 2017

24 May - 28 June, 10:00pm

Hello I'm Greg and I'm going to go crazy for you!

Come and see this limited season of fresh jokes, cool guests, stupid skits and WILD SCENARIOS.

I am the Carl Barron of Australian comedy and these shows will be ZANY.

Every show will be totally different. Come see them all!! Give me money and help me fund my tour of the UK by buying a ticket to witness me in the throes of a serious mental health episode.

YUM YUM YUM.

SEASON PASS TICKET
Every show is totally different, new jokes, new guests, new panic-inducing nightmares. Come to two shows. Come to three. IF YOU BUY TICKETS TO ALL FIVE YOU GET A TWENTY PERCENT DISCOUNT! Buy tickets to all five shows by selecting the Greg Larsen Season Pass ticket type, and you're practically making money! *In today's economy you can't afford not to.

*you are absolutely 100 percent guaranteed to lose that money

2 & 3 July, 7:30pm

Comedy Republic proudly presents Best In Show, a one-off showcase of the award winners and nominees from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This year’s lineup promises an incredible array of Australia’s most ingenious emerging comedy stars.

Discover why these comedians were the judges’ top picks and experience a hilarious night of forward-thinking ideas.

This Year’s Comedy Festival Picks: Ben Russell (Director’s Choice), Claire Hooper (Piece of Wood), Dougie Baldwin (Golden Gibbo), Bronwyn Kuss (Pinder Prize) and Sam Gebreselassie (Best Newcomer - nominee).

Wednesday 3 July, 6:00pm

"cool" - Joe.

A star in his native New Zealand, Joe debuted cool at the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and is returning for an encore performance at Comedy Republic’s Replay Festival.

Joe has performed at Sydney Opera House as part of Just for Laughs Australia, as well as appearances on Have You Been Paying Attention, 7 Days and Celebrity Treasure Island. Having already begun to make strides in the US, he became only the second Kiwi ever to perform in the Main Room at the world famous Hollywood Comedy Store and was invited to join Noel Miller on his US tour.

Making an impact in television, he created and starred in Comedy Central UK series, BOUNCERS which saw him nominated for Television Personality of the Year at the 2023 New Zealand Television Awards.

Wednesday 3 July, 8:15pm
Friday 5 July, 9:15pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT THEORY BAR FRONT ROOM - Ground Floor 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Just act like I'm not here... but, like, not really because maybe I’m just being petty and dramatic, and I’m probably overthinking the whole situation, but perhaps I'd like some acknowledgement, you know?

You’re probably ignoring me. I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. There's no need to be a bitch about it. Sorry for calling you a bitch. You look really pretty today. Are you mad at me?

As seen on ABC's Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe and fresh off her Melbourne International Comedy Festival Best Newcomer nomination (in 2022), Mish Wittrup shares her collection of stories about being overlooked and understimulated.

“An hour in Mish Wittrup's delightful and cheerful company is an absolute joy.” ★★★★ Chortle (UK)  

Thursday 4 July, 6:00pm

Nominee: Golden Gibbo, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2023
Nominee: Best Comedy, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023
Winner: Judge's Pick, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023

In 2027, a meteor strikes and wipes out every comedian on earth. Every comedian – but one. Fifty years later, an arctic researcher discovers an ancient artform known as 'the joke'. In response, the Government decides to awaken the world’s last-known comedian from cryosleep – Con Coutis.

CON 2077 takes comedy to new heights through a sophisticated use of sound cues effortlessly weaved throughout the show. Leveraging cutting-edge technology and surround sound, the show creates a sonic landscape that enhances the humor and storytelling in ways that defy convention.

“Reciprocated with feverish audience laughter.” ★★★★ The Age  

“Con Coutis is a certified, physical comedy genius.” Arts Review  

“One of the most innovative comedians of this year’s Melbourne Fringe.” ★★★★★ Lilitha Reviews  

Thursday 4 July, 7:30pm

After a record breaking season (for her) at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, award winning* comedian Kirsty Webeck is back with her show "I'll Be The Judge Of That."

It’s got a lot of jokes in it because the genre demands them.

She’s recently learned more about her relationship with farmers, she’s had a harrowing experience with classical music and a special thing happened to her at the airport. Come down for some giggles.

* she won the St. Jude's Primary School Courtesy and Friendliness Award in 1989.

“Kirsty Webeck is a born comedian, with comedy in her bones. She's killing it but she's choosing to Kill with Kindness.” Squirrel Comedy  

4 & 5 July, 9:30pm
7 July, 7:00pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT IMPROV CONSPIRACY - Level 1/19 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

The year is 1925. The world is born anew in the aftermath of the Great War, the "Jazz Age" is in full swing, and two brothers do a silly sketch comedy show. Button up your glad rags and feast your peepers on this petting pantry! It's the only sketch comedy show set entirely in the year 1925!

The Burton Brothers return with their fourth original sketch comedy show - now in Technicolor! With sound to boot!

With big band jazz numbers, golden age Hollywood tropes and the stopgap between World Wars - it's a decade rich in material ready to be parodied and portrayed in the modern medium of sketch comedy. The old meets the new as the Brothers take their unique sketch comedy style and play it to the tune of the roaring 20s!

“If you don’t enjoy this show you’re either dead or dead to me.” David Collins, Umbilical Brothers  

“The siblings are comic powerhouses” Steve Bennett, Chortle Comedy  

★★★★1/2 Chortle Comedy  

★★★★ The List UK  

Friday 5 & Saturday 6 July, 6:00pm

Join Geraldine for an encore performance of her Melbourne Comedy Festival show.

I now wear gloves when it’s not cold enough to warrant wearing gloves because I have a thing called Raynaud’s Disease/Phenomenon/Syndrome. I had never heard of it, and not many other people have.

This show is just an opportunity to explain what Raynaud’s is to as many people at once, because doing it individually is a pain. Also, I’ll talk about other things I’ve had going on in the last year. Might yell a bit, in a passionate way, could you imagine me being aggressive?

Seen on the 2023 Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala, Thank God You’re here and Have You Been Paying Attention?

Winner – Melbourne Comedy Festival Award 2021
Winner – Piece of Wood Award, Melbourne Comedy Festival 2019

“Hickey is a Master.” ★★★★ Time Out  

★★★★ The Age  

Friday 5 July, 7:30pm

Join Abby for an encore performance of her Melbourne Comedy Festival show La Soupco.

La Soupco* is the name of a screenplay Abby Howells wrote when she was 11 years old. It is a romance, set in the Navy in the wake of World War II. No historical research, verification or corroboration was undertaken.

Written by Abby Howells aged 11 and performed by Abby Howells, aged 33, La Soupco is a tale of love, loss, nautical trauma and deeply undiagnosed Autism.

La Soupco was the winner of the prestigious Billy T James Award at the 2023 New Zealand International Comedy Festival. You can see Abby on 7 Days, Guy Mont-Spelling Bee and Comedians Giving Lectures.

*The name is not relevant to the story in any way. Don’t expect it to be.

★★★★★ The Age  

Friday 5 July, 10:30pm
Saturday 6 July, 7:30pm

Winner: Director's Choice, Sydney Comedy Festival 2024.

You’ve had a lifetime of lame anecdotes from all the average looking comedians, but the reviews are in – self-deprecation is dead. It’s time to hear from Australia’s First Attractive Comedian.

Elouise bridges the thigh gap between serving good jokes and giving good face. Australia’s First Attractive Comedian is a raucous romp through the life of a quadruple threat, tackling outdated feminism and disgusting men through stand-up, extensive dance training, a trained singing voice and professional acting (you’re welcome). You think it’s hard being funny? Try being smart and good looking on top of that.

★★★★ Chortle  

★★★★ Louder Mag  

★★★★★★ Stage Whispers

Saturday 6 July, 3:00pm

The Do Go On podcast is back, this time in Quiz Show form! Join host Dave Warneke, team captains Jess Perkins & Matt Stewart and some great guests as they pick one big topic from history and find out how much they actually know about it.

At the Melbourne Comedy Festival previous guests have included Wil Anderson, Claire Hooper, Rhys Nicholson, Michael Hing, Kirsty Webeck, Broden Kelly, Danielle Walker, Dane Simpson and more. So you know it's going to be a fun time!

Do Go On first launched as a podcast in 2015 and since then they've researched over 440 topics from The Mona Lisa to The Hindenburg, Ned Kelly to Cher, The Silk Road to Tetris, and almost everything in between. They've been downloaded millions of times and toured Australia, The UK and Ireland. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the Do Go On Quiz Show web series on Stupid Old Channel.

Tuesday 9 July, 6:00pm

Winner: Golden Gibbo Award, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024.

Dear Student, this is to advise of your misconduct in class. In an effort to emphasise the importance of good conduct, you will be required to attend lunchtime detention on Tuesday 9th of July.

Please be aware this is mandatory and absence from lunchtime detention without a valid reason will result in further punishment.

Regards,
Vice Principal Baldwin

DETENTION is the latest interactive character comedy show brought to you by Dougie Baldwin. The entire show will be set in an hour long detention while the audience will be cast as "the students."

Tuesday 9 July, 7:30pm

I grew up in Indonesia and have made it my whole personality.

This is a show about that.

10 - 13 July, 5:45pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT THEORY BAR SCREENING ROOM - Ground Floor 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Nominee: Best Newcomer, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024

Directed by comedy veteran Claire Hooper, The Prodigay Son is about growing up gay in rural Australia and escaping to the city as a gay refugee. However, the Prodigay Son is more than a comedy show. It's a celebration of family, resilience, and the healing power of laughter.

Laurence's charm and wit make him one of the most captivating new voices on the Melbourne comedy scene, and this show promises to be full of smarts and heart. Prepare to be moved, uplifted as Laurence Driscoll takes the stage with The Prodigay Son.

Laurence is a new voice on the Australian comedy scene. After debuting his much anticipated first solo show The Prodigay Son at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year, he was nominated for Best Newcomer.

Wednesday 10 July, 6:00pm & 7:30pm

In the span of a year, Jenny Tian went from gigging to no audience to becoming TikTok famous.

This is a show about hope, the internet, and clout chasing. Jenny Tian will be dishing out ALL the secrets about life as a content creator. BIG serious secrets!!

Join Jenny Tian at her return sold out Melbourne Comedy Festival show Chinese Australian: A Tale Of Internet Fame. You may of heard / seen her on Celebrity Letters and Numbers, triple j, or her TikTok series Coach Dayum! Jenny also co-hosts The Parasocial Social Club podcast with fellow comedian Kevin Jin.

Nominee - Best Comedy Sydney Fringe 2022

“Jenny's comedic timing is impeccable and her delivery is spot-on.” ★★★★1/2 Theatre Matters, 2023  

“Witty, grasping and clever.” Theatre Travels  

10 - 13 July, 7:00pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT THEORY BAR SCREENING ROOM - Ground Floor 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Meditation retreats. Corporate 'families'. F45. Competitive debating. Improv... CULT SH!T is everywhere these days.

Grace loves it!! Loves a cult. In fact she's fanging to join one. If only they'd have her!!!

CULT SH!T, the sell-out cult fav debut stand-up show from Grace Zhang, tells the story of how spirituality, quitting her corporate job, the Michael Jordan documentary and smoking lots of w33d helped her wake up from the hyperrational technocapitalist nightmare cult we call ‘the world’.

Over the course of this hour Grace weaves a psychedelic tapestry of unhinged takes on feminism, 'genius' 3am stoner revelations and miscellaneous post-therapy reflections on her Asian-immigrant achievement complex. In a fun way!!!

CULT SH!T is directed by Claire Hooper, Australian comedy and TV icon, and (in Grace’s words) "the slayest elder millennial in the game".

“Heartwarming, funny, earnest… sardonic” The Age  

“Eccentric, feisty, unfiltered… a new queen on the comedy scene” ★★★★1/2 Lilitha Reviews  

Wednesday 10 & Saturday 13 July, 8:15pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT THEORY BAR SCREENING ROOM - Ground Floor 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Comedian and self-proclaimed main character, Lauren Edwards, is throwing it back(brace)!

Directed by comedy icon, Claire Hooper, Brace Yourself hilariously chronicles Edwards' journey from plucky Brisbane back brace girl to Crazy Candle Lady and all the fleshy stuff in between.

In this new hour, Edwards dives deep into her personal archives of living with severe scoliosis and her titular back brace, all on the cusp of her 40th birthday.

From entering her orca era to reversing self-awareness, Brace Yourself is an ode to all the people-pleasing basic bitches who might have peaked in high school.

“Brace Yourself is what's been missing in Australian comedy...will make you cry laugh from start to finish.” ★★★★★ Lilitha Reviews  

“Lauren Edwards is a triple threat - vibrant, endearing and hilarious..” Weekend Notes  

Thursday 11 & Friday 12 July, 6:00pm

Zoë Coombs Marr is back with her tell all, all warts, personal storytelling comedy show Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life.

Nothing fancy, no big concepts, it’s just going to cover every single thing in my whole entire life.

In 2023 Zoe was the creator and host of ABC’s Queerstralia. You might have seen her on The Weekly, Spicks & Specks, Question Everything, The Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala, JFL Australia, JFL Montreal, her Amazon special Bossy Bottom, or hosting Mardi Gras, among other things. She’s also been nominated for heaps of awards, which she occasionally wins. Good on her.

“Gloriously off-the-wall.” ★★★★★ The Age, 2024  

“That perfect comedic virtuous circle of infectious delight.” ★★★★ Chortle, 2024  

“Comedy gold.” ★★★★ Theatre Matters, 2024  

Thursday 11 July, 7:30pm
Saturday 13 July, 6:00pm

Join Greg for an encore performance of his Melbourne Comedy Festival show ‘Revolting'.

Greg is a multi-award winning actor, writer and director and can be seen on Stan’s The Tourist and sketch comedy series We Interrupt This Broadcast.

Nominee – Most Outstanding Show, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022
Winner – Piece of Wood Award, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2021
Winner – Golden Gibbo, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2014

“A powerhouse performer.” ★★★★1/2 Chortle, 2024  

“Hilariously funny.” Stage Whispers  

“Powerfully funny.” ★★★★ Chortle  

Thursday 11 & Friday 12 July, 8:15pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT THEORY BAR SCREENING ROOM - Ground Floor 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Getting older is so weird – wrinkles, grey hairs, the people you love most dying one by one, back pain, creaky knees, the horrors…

This new hour of stand-up and yucky stories is for anyone who's ever found themselves coming down at an open home inspection, or grappled with their own mortality in the middle aisle of an Aldi. BYO existential dread.

“Rose is a joyful master of getting into the darkest of jokes with gleeful innocence.” Scenestr  

“Well-structured storytelling and confident delivery makes for an impressive debut.” The Age  

11 & 12 July, 9:30pm
14 July, 7:00pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT IMPROV CONSPIRACY - Level 1/19 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

These guys AGAIN??? Hot off their sold out, Best Newcomer nominated run at MICF 2024, Dylan and Molly return from the dead for 3 NIGHTS ONLY!

Dylan and Molly are your classic bestie duo: one’s the hot one, the other one’s the other hot one. When you’re as cute as they are, you never have a bad day… unless you freakin’ die!

Dylan Murphy & Molly Daniels Are Dead is a hilarious musical comedy romp, and the much awaited live debut of comedy duo Molly Daniels (ABC’s Ronny Chieng: International Student, You’re Skitting Me) and Dylan Murphy (Netflix’s The Inbestigators, director of Lolly Bag - Most Outstanding Show Nominee, MICF 2023).Together they created and star in popular Instagram series Party of the Century and Funeral of the Century, plus they’re best friends of 12 years who have never fought over a boy!

Friday 12 July, 7:30pm
Saturday 13 July, 4:30pm

Winner: Directors' Choice, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024

As seen on Thank God You're Here, Aunty Donna's House Of Fun (Netflix) and The Let Down.

After years of struggling with addiction Ben uses his new found sobriety as a jump off point to explore his past, his clear-headed present and ask “what’s next?”

Ben performs his first hour of stripped-back and revealing stand-up. A hilarious, raw and honest account of how Ben navigated the most transformative year of his life.

Winner: Moosehead Award 2022
Nominee: Golden Gibbo Award 2015
Nominee: Perth Fringe World Best Comedy 2017

“Rarely is the serious and the silly blended so effortlessly as his telling of this story.” ★★★★ Chortle (UK)  

“Thrillingly witty, filled with laser-sharp one-liners… it's also endearingly hopeful” ★★★★★ Funny Tonne  

“Unlike anything even the most seasoned festival-goer will have seen before.” ★★★★ The Age

Co-written and directed by Maggie Looke.

Saturday 13 July, 7:30pm

Winner: Best Newcomer, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022

Ring Ring! Who’s that? Hollywood? Tell them I’m busy! Ha!

Liza Minelli fears her. Barbara Streisand wants to be her. Judy Garland circa 1950 lusts for her. Get ready for Tabitha Booth!

After a mystery hiatus, a lot of credit card debt, and in an act of pure desperation, Tabitha Booth returns to the stage for the comeback no one was expecting…or asked for.

Witness as this Forrest Gump of Old Hollywood uses her last threads of sanity to share her life’s work; from her breakout role as “Long Fork Lady”, to being kneecapped by Marylin Monroe for trying to harmonize “happy birthday”, it’s a night of all the classic stories and off-off-off Broadway hits you’ve never heard and love.

Join heavily medicated lounge singer Tabitha Booth for an intimate evening of unhinged comedy like no other.

Tuesday 16 July, 7:30pm

Lathered is a new character comedy show from award-winning comedian and one-third of RRR's Breakfasters team Nat Harris.

Nat is no stranger to drama. She is one of four sisters and watched The Bold and the Beautiful religiously from when she was in primary school. So she knows what it takes to stand out – big hair and extramarital affairs.

Come enjoy a rich soapy lather of comedy, leaving you feeling refreshed and supple.

“Deadpan, perfectly paced delivery and dry, ballsy demeanour that is a joy.” Chortle (UK)  

“Lathered is character comedy at its finest. So silly and joyful.” Geraldine Hickey  

“That Nat Harris isn’t yet the same household name as Judith Lucy, Jane Turner, or Kitty Flanagan is a little mystifying. I’m sure this mistake will be rectified soon enough.” Theatre Travels  

Wednesday 17 July, 6:00pm

Urvi Majumdar has had to grow up. Sometimes when the hottest thing about your life is your hot water bottle, you have to learn to be your own superhero.

This show is about getting to know who you really are when life gives you a sick burn.

Urvi is a 2024 Moosehead recipient and has just finished touring this show around the country. There’s something in it for everyone- whether you’re into stories, star signs or just need a laugh.

Creator and star of ABC & Screen Australia's Freshblood series: Urvi Went to an All Girls School. Seen on ABC TV's Fisk and Channel 9’s Metrosexual.

“The stories were conveyed as if she was holding court at a dinner party with close friends” ★★★★ Glam Adelaide  

“Majumdar recounts like a Tina Fey Fever dream” The Age  

“The future of stand-up is in good hands” The Plus Ones  

Directd by Gillian Cosgriff

This performance will be filmed as a special to be released on the Comedy Republic YouTube channel later this year.

17 - 20 July, 7:00pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT THEORY BAR SCREENING ROOM - Ground Floor 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

With a brain that won’t stop and body that slows her down, award-nominated writer/comedian Ashley Apap obliterates her comfort zone in her first hour of stand-up.

Being unsettled is a default for Apap - finding calm in the ridiculousness of existence, she is most at ease when embracing chaos.

In RESTLESS, Ashley reaches for comfort and connection to get out of her head, and into your heart. Through her offbeat performance style, clever misdirection and cheeky crowd work, Apap demonstrates the tension that propels her very being.

RESTLESS is one Silly Duffer’s absurdist attempt at laughing in the face of her endless overwhelm. With the help of cautious optimism, an enduring curiosity for truth and a fondness for friendship, Ashley is not taking standing up, lying down.

“Should absolutely be at the top of anyone’s list of great Australian comedians.” ★★★★ Theatre Matters  

“Great comic potential... a voice not often heard.” The Age  

Wednesday 17 July, 7:30pm

Winner: Pinder Prize, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024

Join Bronwyn for an encore performance of her award-winning Melbourne Comedy Festival show ‘Pillows xxxx’.

Bronwyn has opened for Mel Buttle and performed at the 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala.

“A magnetic performer.” ★★★★1/2 Theatre Matters  

“Kuss captivates with wry anecdotes.” ★★★★ Time Out  

“A hard hour to fault.” ★★★★ The Age  

Directed by Maggie Looke

This performance will be filmed as a special to be released on the Comedy Republic YouTube channel later this year.

Thursday 18 July, 6:00pm

Join Ben for an encore performance of his Melbourne Comedy Festival show Winning Smile.

Ben’s been keeping his eyes open lately and his nose well and truly to the grindstone. He’s tried to stop looking at his phone as much. He walks down the street, no phone. Sits in a waiting room, no phone. Gets an uber, zero phone.

The show is not about Ben trying to use his phone less, he’s just telling you this because the decrease in phone usage means the observation uptake has been through the roof! He’s noticed stuff about moths, about how sometimes cows get stuck in tornadoes and definitely other stuff as well.

Ben’s mind is open and yours probably has a little sign on it that says, “back in ten minutes.” No offence.

Ben has opened for Wil Anderson, Tom Gleeson and Dave Hughes.

“Kochan is a silly guy.” Beat  

This performance will be filmed as a special to be released on the Comedy Republic YouTube channel later this year.

Thursday 18 July, 7:30pm

Lloyd Langford has turned 40 and has simply run out of fucks to give.

He's now far more comfortable in his own skin and a bit more critical about everyone else's. Come along to Lloyd’s encore performance of Blunt and witness him turn his laser sharp brain, and admittedly slow speech, on all and sundry. And put your chubby little hands together and pray you don't get caught in the crossfire.

Seen on Have You Been Paying Attention?, Thank God You're Here, Spicks & Specks and Would I Lie To You?

“Because he has such a good way with words, conjuring up hilarious images, the punchlines hit all the harder.” Chortle  

This performance will be filmed as a special to be released on the Comedy Republic YouTube channel later this year.

18 & 19 July, 9:30pm
21 July, 7:00pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT IMPROV CONSPIRACY - Level 1/19 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Welcome to Games Night in Andy Balloch’s lounge-room – where nothing is what it seems and time is running out!

Join Andy on a night of mad-capped mayhem, featuring: A safety conscious James Bond! Air safety demonstrations gone wrong! And a book about fire that has too much fire in it!

A show about the time we have, the people we’ve lost, and finding your voice before you lose it.

Winner: Weekly Award 2024 Adelaide Fringe
Winner: QLD Tour Ready Award 2023 Melbourne Fringe
Nominee: Golden Gibbo 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

“Phenomenally clever and funny as hell.” ★★★★★ Lilithia Reviews  

“Captivating… and entirely empowering.” ★★★★ Hugging Comedians  

“He simply knows how to give you a good time.” ★★★★ GlamAdelaide  

“A brilliant queer comedic mind.” The Age  

Friday 19 & Saturday 20 July, 5:45pm

THIS PERFORMANCE IS AT THEORY BAR SCREENING ROOM - Ground Floor 19-23 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Nominee: Best Newcomer, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024

GIRL GIRL GIRL is the critically acclaimed, Best Newcomer nominated show from me, Bridget Hassed, A RAW Comedy State Finalist and all round cool guy!

“Women are sooo good at multitasking!” they regurgitate in cross-eyed masses, referring to the many plates we keep spinning at any given time (you’re welcome, btw!) Realistically, the true versatility of women is how quickly we go from being feral, angry, sexy, tired, and somehow feeling the skinniest and fattest you’ve ever felt in the space of 3 hours. We really can have it all!

I BRAVELY reveal how I’m not where I thought I was going to be, share some crazy stuff I found on the internet, all while tearing down every single concept that annoys me for more than 2.5 seconds.

Friday 19 July, 6:00pm

I'm trying to go on my phone less, so have decided to make a show about the five smells that shaped my life.

Yes, I have made scratch and sniff cards for every audience member so you can smell along with the show.

Parts of it are also about asexuality, my bladder, and comedian/television personality Michael Hing. Laugh at my jokes, hear my stories and please, smell my smells.

As seen and heard on triple j, the BBC, Channel 9 & Channel 10.

“Personally revealing show... frank and hilarious. Affable and charming.” ★★★★ The Age  

“A comedic mastermind... lovable and relatable. A true original.” ★★★★★ Funny Tonne

This performance will be filmed as a special to be released on the Comedy Republic YouTube channel later this year.

Saturday 20 July, 6:00pm

So many moments to be proud.

From the big performances – weddings, award ceremonies, falling over in public. To the small performances – missing the train, eating sh*t at ten pin bowling, nearly falling over in public but turning it into an adorable stumble instead. So proud.

Plus, Claire recently went to a three hour primary school concert with no bar, so we probably need to talk about that. Join Claire for her encore performance of So Proud at Comedy Republic’s Replay Festival.

Seen on Question Everything and host of podcast I’m The Worst with Claire Hooper.

Winner - Weekly Award, Perth Fringe World 2020

This performance will be filmed as a special to be released on the Comedy Republic YouTube channel later this year.

Saturday 20 July, 7:30pm

Nominee – Most Outstanding Show, Melbourne Comedy Festival 2024

Coleman comes onstage and gets straight into it. He’s on fire tonight. Something has obviously gone terribly wrong. People from the audience shout at him to stop, drop and roll. But he’s acting like this happens every night. The man’s a professional and he’s got jokes to tell.

It’s beautiful in a way, but then the room begins to stink up with smoke and the fire alarm goes off. Everyone is asked to evacuate. Coleman carries on doing the show to an empty room.

The exquisitely crafted stand-up show from one of the most creative comedians in the country is back at Replay Festival.

You might have heard Oliver on 3RRR.

“With sweeping scope, Coleman’s hilarious observations, eccentric sketches and appealing performance combine in a rich comic feast.” ★★★★ Chortle, 2024  

This performance will be filmed as a special to be released on the Comedy Republic YouTube channel later this year.

Tuesday 23 July, 6:00pm

A show about self-discovery, self-love, and a little bit of self-importance.

In the depths of 2020’s repeated lockdowns, Daisy Webb came to the realisation that she is a trans woman, and has since been on a non-stop ride of hormones, career changes, second puberty, a surprising amount of admin, and writing some very funny jokes about it all.

Being trans is great, actually, and Daisy is finally ready to share just how silly, awkward, and joyful it is in her debut solo hour.

“Brave, enlightening and may make you want to hug her” Australian Stage  

“Daisy Webb’s factory setting is ‘silly’” Chortle  

Tuesday 23 July, 7:30pm

Winner: Best Newcomer, Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024

“Success In Everything” is the debut hour from one of Melbourne’s most promising young comedians, Noah Szto. Originally performed across 16 nights in a literal karaoke room, he’s so thrilled to be bringing it back for one night only(!) in a venue that is actually equipped to be hosting this kind of thing

A recovering overachiever, Noah originally conceived this show as a way to overcome his perfectionism and teach himself how to do things just for fun. Unfortunately, it’s since won a couple of awards, and as a result he finds himself largely unchanged and just as stiflingly Type-A as ever. Come join him for this hour of stand-up and stories as he tries to out-achieve his low self-esteem!

Winner: Comedy New Work, Melbourne Fringe 2023

Wednesday 24 July, 7:30pm

Melbourne’s nastiest nans Edith Vale, Maureen McGillicuddy & Caroline Springs have been doing their own research.

These girls have been around for a long time but recently they’ve started to feel out of touch. Is the world going mad or are they? The grannies are setting out to learn about everything the modern world has to offer – from equality for all to anti-vaxers, climate change to flat-earthers. They’re trying their best to get it right, and they do... most of the time.

The grannies have been performing as a group for nine years, famously holding a monthly cult comedy bingo night Granny Bingo. They won the 2017 Golden Gibbo award for their debut Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, A Visit With Nan In A Caravan at Trades Hall and have had successful seasons at Arts Centre Melbourne, The Malthouse, Adelaide Fringe and Mardi Gras to name a few. The ladies are looking forward to returning to Trades Hall for the 2024 season.

Edith, Maureen & Caroline are the brainchildren of comedians Thomas Jaspers ("A National Treasure", Herald Sun), Kyle Minall ("A flawless performer", Australian Arts Review) and Scott Brennan ("A crackerjack to watch", Theatre Press).

Thursday 25 July, 6:00pm

It’s London 2012 and isolated in a basement kitchen in an otherwise abandoned office building, Nicolette works as a temp.

The job? To put assorted creams on plates then wait by the phone for an invitation to deliver them to the boardroom. In her time at this job, she’ll never see another living person. Cool cool, doesn’t sound sinister AT ALL.

As seen on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, Kinne Tonight and Sammy J’s Playground Politics.

“Boredroom showcases Minster’s prowess as a performer: she wrings every comic nuance out of her script with timing and precision.” The Saturday Paper  

★★★★ Hugging Comedians  

★★★★ Offstage.au  

Directed by Claire Hooper
Dramaturgy by Jane Bodie
Sound Design by Talia Raso

Friday 26 & Saturday 27 July, 6:00pm

Creative expression is something Nick White has always yearned for, even if it wasn’t always easy.

Join Nick for an encore performance of his sold out Melbourne Comedy Festival show ‘Teenage Dream, as he looks back on the things that have shaped him from his youth to now; the good, the bad and the seriously random XD

This is Nick’s second solo show after his debut, Grow Up, had a sold out run along Australia’s east coast and the UK. Nick has also amassed a following on TikTok through his sketch and character comedy, with over thirty-five million likes. His work has been featured on sites HuffPost, The Independent, Junkee & Triple J.

“Nick is hilarious and lightning quick” Theatre Travels  

“Soul-hugging… revelatory” Time Out, 2024  

Friday 26 July, 7:30pm

Ever found yourself in a situation you have no idea how to handle, but it would be too embarrassing to admit it so you pretend you obviously know what you’re doing? Hello tax time, foreign toilets and parenthood!

Award winning comedian and ‘Have You Been Paying Attention?’ regular, Bron Lewis is one of Australia's most promising new talents, and her 2024 show 'Obviously' set to be a huge success. Lewis is a natural storyteller, and ‘Obviously’ is packed to the brim with Bron’s hilarious anecdotes of times when she has found herself stumbling through moments of complete confusion with her fingers crossed and a smile on her face.

From joining a mother’s group and sitting next to the patchouli mum to being held hostage in Africa by a man with a plastic police badge, Bron is no stranger to pretending everything is under control. Because obviously it is. Join Lewis for an hour of laughs, because this is a show you don’t want to miss. Obviously.

Saturday 27 July & 3 August, 4:30pm

Did Frida Kahlo & Marco Polo really meet at Coachella? Who dominated the music round in Andre the Giant & Neil Armstrong's pub trivia team? Who played Wing Defence in William Shakespeare & Marie Curie’s mixed netball team? Damian Callinan hosts an improvised chat show with a rotating duo of comedians and improvisors taking on historical roles as they reinvent the past, revealing how they became Unlikely Friends

The three-time nominee for Most Outstanding Show at MICF, returns to his improv roots in this new format that will be later released as a podcast. The 2024 MICF season featured, amongst others, Ned Kelly (Wil Anderson) & Estee Lauder (Gillian Cosgriff) reminiscing about the Kelly Gang hiding out at her luxury beachside estate in the Hamptons. Noah (Tom Gleeson) & Steve Irwin (Dane Simpson) riffed on their first meeting at Jesus’s Buck Weekend in Byron Bay. Who will launch themselves into the historical mosh pit this time? As Napoleon Bonaparte once said on the Graeme Norton Show, ‘History is a set of lies agreed upon’

Saturday 27 July, 7:30pm

Tom Walker is back with his 2024 Melbourne Comedy Festival show and ready to show you his beautiful treasures!

His many beautiful treasures! All his shining things! This is a show about obsession, the internet and pathetic men. A collection of beautiful moments from across time and space, all condensed down into an hour of comedy by one of Australia's tallest strongest comedians (not pound-for-pound, assertion made without data, if incorrect treat as joke).

Tom Walker was selected for the New Faces International line-up at the 2023 Just For Laughs Montreal. He has also appeared on Drunk History Australia and his comedy special Very Very features on Amazon Prime.

“A gloriously, relentlessly, irrepressibly unhinged blast of off-the-wall insanity.” ★★★★1/2 Chortle  

“Not for the faint of heart. Real weird. Real good.” ★★★★ Herald Sun  

“As delightfully odd and expressive as ever.” ★★★★ The Age  

Saturday 3 August, 3:00pm

‘Who Knew It with Matt Stewart’ is the comedy quiz podcast where the guests write the wrong answers! To celebrate the 100th episode, we’re doing a massive live show!

Previous episodes have featured top comedians and podcasters including Wil Anderson, Claire Hooper, Dave O’Neil, He Huang, Ivan Aristeguieta, Kirsty Webeck, Jess Perkins, Dave Warneke and Luke Heggie!

First Monday Of Every Month, 7:30pm

Monthly drag bingo with your favourite nans.

Edith Vale, Maureen McGillicuddy and Caroline Springs have been hosting their sold out Granny Bingo night for 5 years. The pandemic almost took them out, but never fear; Caroline doesn't think it's real, so we're back live in the Comedy Republic bar!

And yes, you will actually play bingo! Nanna kisses xx

More events: Granny Bingo is on the first Monday of every month.