Australian comedy as an agent of change
Not all research takes place in a laboratory. Some of it appears on a stage.
Comedy, dance, music and theatre – and the cultural impact of the performing arts – are the subjects of current research work with multiple industry partners, as highlighted by these snapshots.
When the Chinese-born Australian stand-up comedian He Huang apologised for Covid on national television her comments went viral: she was accused of exploiting stereotypes about Chinese people and fended off a firestorm of protest. Many others welcomed her intelligent sarcasm.
The apology in the comedian’s short routine offered comic gold because it was potentially transformational. The relationship between the two countries was frozen. This comedian personally apologised for the virus, diffusing tension, although she was at pains to explain to the audience that she was stuck in Melbourne at the time. Audiences were forced to think about the relationship between the countries more carefully as she shattered a taboo topic and made them laugh.
An Australian Research Council Linkage project involving three universities (Adelaide, Monash and RMIT) and a dozen industry partners, is investigating the link between Australian comedy and its power to change ideas from the 1940s to the present, as well as the changes in the industry over the period.
The project examines many forms of comedy in performance, including the significant impact of Indigenous comedy. Hannah Gadsby’s one-woman show Nanette probed volatile issues surrounding gender relations and violence and pushed stand-up to its limits. Barry Humphries’ comedy upended the cultural cringe that had dogged the country for generations as he brought Australian humour to the world. Humphries even convinced Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to appear in one of his films, whereupon the regal-looking Whitlam conferred a damehood on Humphries’ alter-ego, Edna Everage.
In addition to exploring comedy and change, this four-year project will also offer stand-up workshops to high school and undergraduate students in order to allow them to learn how to make a stand-up routine and to experience the connection between comedy in performance and democratic expression.
The researchers will examine the way comedy festivals have evolved, the effect of the gig economy on the capacity for performers to make a living, and the sustainability of festivals and other government support for the creative industries over the long term. Researchers and their industry partners will produce films and podcasts, and curate exhibitions in Adelaide and Melbourne as well as digital exhibitions on a transmedia hub.
Written by Professor Anne Pender, Director, JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice. Photo of He Huang by Teniola Komolafe.