Pilot - New Young Comedy in Melbourne
I was lucky to attend Pilot on the night of Easter Sunday, where an all-female lineup took to the stage. Hailing from around Australia, Patti Fawcett, Stella Hall and Emma Armitage-Ho proved to the audience that the future of comedy is in safe hands, and that the male stereotype we often think of when we think of stand-up comedy is set to be torn down. Patti’s energy captivated the audience as she MC-ed the night, making sure we all understood that Tinder in Castlemaine is actually more like buy swap and sell, instead of a dating website. Patti was also a featured comedian in other performances of Pilot and performed in several other shows during the comedy fest!
The first act, Stella, was a breath of fresh Sydney air who reminded me a lot of myself. Her self-confidence was contagious. And for good reasons seeing as her family believes that someone will simply see her on the street one day and offer her a job. So far this doesn’t seem to be working for Stella, based on her hilarious tales of working at Bunnings, yet not knowing the answers to simple timber-related questions that “progressive men” are brave enough to ask her.
Nonetheless, it is her tales of her brother that stole the show, as he leads the life she was seemingly promised - Instead of her rising to fame through chance encounters on the streets, her brother was approached by sports brands to work with them as he pursues glory in the 100m sprint (an unhelpful sport to pursue in Stella’s eyes). Unfortunately for the brands, Stella assures us she is in fact smarter than her brother (as well as probably being hotter), as he, at 15 years old, thought you could only grow taller the night before your birthday and not progressively throughout the year.
Stella’s confidence and willingness to fly down from Sydney for the show reassures me that these young comedians will provide incredible value to the scene throughout their careers.
Emma followed Stella’s set, but the confident shopping addict had an interesting year 12 formal experience. With no date in sight, Emma’s sister took over, ensuring that Emma would take her to the formal and that she would outshine everyone there. Emma’s family’s torment clearly has not let up since her high school years as her father continuously heckled her throughout the show - all in good faith though as she was obviously used to this. It’s got to be said though, her parents seemed to have failed at teaching her to cook. One kilogram of pasta, however, is no issue for Emma, who would much rather take a huge helping of carbs or a set of care bears pyjamas over facing adult life or talking to European boys.
If this night of comedy is just the start of these young women’s careers then there is no doubt they are capable of pursuing it further. The showcase of talent at Pilot was fantastic, and it was inspiring to see young people seizing opportunities with both hands. Comedy showcased by young people helps others their age to see opportunities that may seem far away, especially if not in one’s home state. But these young people proved that your career can thrive or find its beginnings in a city other than your home.
I’d like to shout out the producer of Pilot, Dylan McBurney, for putting together the fantastic shows and continually raising up the voices of young artists.
