If you’re in Daylesford and like laughing a lot whilst simultaneously raising money for Australia’s only primary school centred around Buddhist principles (the good ones, not the dodgy ones), come along to this!
Author Archives: Tom
Walk Together 2016
This massive celebration of welcoming goodness is on again in 2016!
I’ll be MCing the Melbourne event and will be bursting with pride to do so, particularly in this time when it seems many Australians want to further harden their hearts and foster hatred and fear rather than love and inclusiveness.
You know – all that good hippy shit.
The walk is happening on Saturday October 22nd all around on the country. Find out where it’s happening near you.
Guardian Australia Recommends “Boundless Plains”
Sydney-based Belvoir has a strong season, but this critic’s pick is Boundless Plains to Share, in which comedian Tom Ballard presents something like stand-up comedy crossed with a slide night as he desperately tries to understand, explain and activate an audience against Australia’s punitive refugee policy.
Politicised on the issue since the age of 14, Ballard’s involvement with the Welcome to Australia movement brought him into contact with refugees in and out of detention. He encountered stories he found both uplifting and heartbreaking, and these stories permeate a show that is laugh-out-loud funny and enraging at the same time.
Ballard developed Boundless Plains to Share under the guidance and direction of Scott Edgar – more commonly known as Scod from Tripod – who had been helping the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for many years. It’s a good theatrical match, avoiding both mawkishness and over-earnestness in its presentation of the kinds of stories often emotively retold by the well meaning – and sometimes compromised as a result.
Ballard’s show was made possible by a Moosehead award – it allowed him to pursue something close to his heart without anxiety about commercial returns. Belvoir’s selection of Boundless Plains to Share vindicates the professional support Ballard received to make it.
You can read the whole article here and you can book tickets to the Belvoir run here.
74 – Josie Long
Comedian Josie Long makes me feel better about the world. She is a ball of delightful, charming and passionate energy whose comedy is hilarious and socially conscious and life-affirming.
In this chat, recorded backstage at the lovely Soho Theatre, Josie and I chat about how she became more politically active, the trickiness of “helping” in the right way, the UK Labour leadership, austerity, art, privilege and voting for what you believe in.
Plus a few Kurt Vonnegut quotes for good measure.
Boundless Plains To Share at the Belvoir Theatre, January 2017
The Little Dum Dum Club LIVE in Adelaide
Hope In The Dark by Rebecca Solnit
Cause of the Week: Arts Emergency (arts-emergency.org)
73 – Johann Hari
Backstage at the Soho Theatre I got to sit down with journalist Johann Hari to discuss how the media corrupts our public debate, Australian television and his powerful book, Chasing the Scream: The First & Last Days of the Drug War.
What is addiction? Why is the drug war still continuing? What is it costing us? Is there a better way?
Article: Half of all Australians want to ban Muslim immigration, says poll
Boundless Plains To Share at the Belvoir Theatre, January 2017
Andrew Denton’s podcast series for the Wheeler Centre, Better Off Dead
Johann’s TED Talk: Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong
A Small Book About Drugs by Lisa Pryor
Cause of the Week: Unharm (unharm.org)
72 – Nish Kumar
Finally! An actual new ep!
And what an ep it is. Comedian, writer and broadcaster Nish Kumar hosts topical comedy show Newsjack on the BBC and has been twice nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. He writes very smart, politically charged comedy and his laugh is glorious to behold.
Here Nish and I discuss the current “spicy meatball” of a political period the UK is experiencing. From the concept of “right-wing comedy” to post-Brexit xenophobia to Jeremy Corbyn to Jo Cox to Trump to Hanson, this has got everything you’ve been craving.
The World Keeps Happening at the Soho Theatre
Campaign for Australian Aid’s Comedy Gala Who The Bloody Hell Are We?
Boundless Plains To Share at the Belvoir Theatre, January 2017
Article: Brexit: a disaster decades in the making by Gary Younge
Fences: A Brexit Diary by Zadie Smith
Article: No one told me to go home for 16 years then we voted for Brexit by Nish Kumar
Video: What can a satirist do with our post-truth politics? by Nish Kumar
Cause of the Week: We Love Immigration: A Comedy Night for Migrant Rights Network, Help Refugees UK (helprefugees.org.uk)
Campaign For Australian Aid Comedy Gala
The World Keeps Happening @ Soho Theatre
I’m coming back to this delightful venue for 6 shows in September and would love you to come please yes yes.
71 – This Podcast Still Exists
Just a small message to say that this podcast is still happening and everything, I just got distracted and tired and drunk at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Sorry lol.
New episodes coming soon!
The World Keeps Happening is at London’s Soho Theatre from September 12th
Campaign for Australian Aid’s Comedy Gala Who The Bloody Hell Are We?
Thank youse.
Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2016
You guys my show The World Keeps Happening got nominated for the 2016 lastminute.com Edinburgh Comedy Awards. How bloody ridiculous.
It was a true honour to be up there alongside the likes of Nish Kumar, Al Porter, Kieran Hodgson, Richard Gadd, James Acaster and my fellow Australians Zoe Coombs-Marr and Randy. A huge congrats to Richard for taking out the big prize, rendering the rest of us worthless losers.
Sincerest thank yous to Assembly Festival, Token Artists, the Pinder family, my flyerers, my techs Nikolai and Jamie, my family and of course all of you out there who actually came and watched the thing. I’m a lucky laddy indeed.