Yawp Mag ISSUE 20: The Festival that Was

Photo: Jim Lee of character. He astutely observes the award should be called the Slice of Pine award before announcing this year’s winner is Sarah Kendall. As is tradition, Kendall chomps down on the wood in the vicinity of The Bugle’s Andy Zaltzman’s bite in 2007. A weaker applause is given to the sponsored award, the AirBNB People’s Choice award - in fact, one person on the mezzanine boos, perhaps subscribing to the notion that comedy requires credibility, that sponsors are too corporate... but, heathen, would this whole festival even happen without the crucial role of sponsors? Ronny Chieng. Taking advantage of the Koreans onstage, Chieng chants “Asians! Asians! Asians!” and even recommends Gami, a Melbourne haunt serving Korean cuisine. Chieng then winds it back by quoting his girlfriend that it’s amazing how Melbourne has laughter coming from all rooms for a whole month - and she is right, it is a moment of suspended disbelief when put that way. Wil Anderson wins, which leads me to think that he should just be crowned as ‘Man of the People’. Since the award’s inception in 2010, he has this year for Wiluminati. In charming fashion and even dismissing his win for “the embarrassing award”, Anderson donates his cash prize to the Moosehead awards. Festival Director Susan Provan is the next presenter, and announces the special commendation to Korean act The On-Gals Babbling Comedy, who had performed earlier with a very well-received bit of prop comedy during the Festival Club. Photo: Jim Lee Visiting guest Steve Lock, a Soho Theatre Producer in the UK, presents the Best Newcomer Award to winner Stella Young, in one of the most refreshing moments of the award ceremony. Wheelchair-mobile, her win best highlights that comedy has multiple formats and personalities, and that the scene is inclusive of intelligent peoProvan then awards the Director’s Choice to ple, whether they’re straight-up comedians or

Yawp Mag ISSUE 20: The Festival that Was | Page 24