By Lisa Clark
Tonight the 2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Awards were presented at the Festival Club Hifi Bar at about 1am as usual. The top award The Barry was awarded to an emotional, teary Denise Scott who thanked everyone and spoke glowingly of an industry who supported her during her thirty years performing comedy. She also remembered her late friend Lynda Gibson, saying Gibbo would’ve loved Golden Gibbo winners Fancy Boy Variety Hour.
The Fancy Boys (Stuart Daulman, John Campbell, Greg Larsen, Henry Stone and Jonathan Schuster) collected their award as a group and were an absolute credit to Gibbo and to comedy. Ronny Chieng, winner of the Directors Award spoke of the kindness and support in the comedy industry and of the magic of laughter in all the rooms around Melbourne for a month, like happy light shining into the world. Wil Anderson also made a lovely speech and said he would award the money part of his prize to the Moosehead Award recipients encouraging young things to grow.
Stella Young was another crowd pleasing emotional winner of Best Newcomer and thanked her director and friend Nelly Thomas. Sarah Kendall was awarded the Piece of Wood Award (Peer Awarded Comedian’s Friend Thingy) by Andy McClelland (as Greg Fleet was indisposed) and bit into the Piece of Wood with vigour and said she will be taking the Slice of Pine to the UK for a bit.
We at Squirrel Comedy would like to congratulate all the wonderful winners and also to everyone who took part in the Festival this year. We’d also like to thank the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Team for putting in all the work to give us a fabulous Festival every year. We’ve had a ball and it’s not even quite finished yet! Remember as we always say, a puppy isn’t just for Christmas and comedy isn’t just for a festival. Get out and see some comedy throughout the rest of the year. Laughing is good for you!
BARRY AWARD
Winner – Denise Scott – Mother Bare
Nominees
Celia Pacquola – Let Me Know How it All Works Out.
John Kearns – Sight Gags For Perverts
Kyle Kinane
The Boy With Tape On His Face – More Tape
Tim Key – Single White Slut
Trygve Wakenshaw – Kraken
GOLDEN GIBBO AWARD
Winner – Fancy Boy –Variety Show
Nominees
Andy Matthews – String Theory
Pajama Party
Rama Nicholas – After Ever After
Stella Young – Tales from the Crip
Trygve Wakenshaw – Kraken
BEST NEWCOMER AWARD
Winner – Stella Young
Nominees
Amos Gill – You’ve Changed
Tien Tran – If you Don’t Know, Now You Know.
DIRECTORS’ CHOICE AWARD
Winner – Ronny Chieng – Chieng Reaction
Special Commendation – The On-gals Babbling Comedy
AIRBNB PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
– Wil Anderson – Wiluminati
Runner Up – Denise Scott
3rd Place – Em Rusciano
PIECE OF WOOD AWARD
Sarah Kendall
FUNNY TONNE
Chris Menezies – 158 shows
ALSO – Previously Awarded
DEADLY FUNNY AWARD
Stephanie Tisdell from Queensland
RAW COMEDY Grand Final Winner
Matt Stewart from Melbourne, Victoria
Runner Up – Katie Burch from Cronulla, New South Wales
CLASS CLOWNS National Grand Final Winner
Gregor Tarrant from Wodonga Middle Years’ College in Victoria