17c起草社区

WHEN Michael Dalton鈥檚 beloved alter ego Dolly Diamond is performing on stage, her brand of humour is one many in the LGBTI community can relate to.

鈥淒olly鈥檚 a woman of the world, but the humour is always there and it鈥檚 the humour that LGBTI people understand,鈥� he told the 17c起草社区.

鈥淲hen you go to see a comic who talks about their life and it鈥檚 something you can associate yourself with, it鈥檚 very important.

鈥淎t the end of the day it shouldn鈥檛 matter which side of the church you sit on, it鈥檚 whether it鈥檚 funny or not 鈥� but we don鈥檛 get anyone more gay friendly than Dolly Diamond.鈥�

Dalton is slated to bring Dolly to the upcoming Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) for a comedy and cabaret show accompanied by pianist Mark Jones.

This year the MICF 鈥� the biggest comedy festival in Australia and one of the biggest in the world 鈥� will run from March 23 to April 17 and will feature a number of local LGBTI comedians, including Hannah Gadsby, Rhys Nicholson, Ben T, Nath Valvo, Hunter Smith, Trevor Ashley, Thomas Jaspers, Tom Ballard and Joel Creasey.

Festival director Susan Provan believes comedy provides a platform to shed light on social issues and raise awareness.

鈥淐omedy is one of the most important ways to make us think about the world and environment, and talking about social issues that are important to us,鈥� she told the 17c起草社区.

鈥淲hether you鈥檙e part of that community or even a friend of that community, it鈥檚 great to hear people talk about the world from that perspective, because it makes you think about things you wouldn鈥檛 necessarily have thought about otherwise.

鈥淚t helps to engender tolerance and respect, and it鈥檚 great for everyone 鈥� not just for people who identify with the community, but people who want to support movements that are making the community better.鈥�

As this year will mark the 30th MICF, Provan reflected on how the festival has flourished.

鈥淓ach year grows on what happened the previous year so it鈥檚 like a great snowball rolling down a hill,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also great watching careers develop… the babies from a few years ago are now selling big shows, and it鈥檚 exciting because you never know who everyone will be talking about at the end of the festival.

鈥淚 always encourage people to go out to the people they know they want to see but also see half a dozen people you鈥檝e never heard of, so you can follow their career and remember that you saw them when they first started out.鈥�

RELATED:

While the MICF will showcase a number of LGBTI comics, it isn鈥檛 the only comedy festival doing so.

Immediately following Melbourne鈥檚 comedy festival is the Sydney Comedy Festival, which runs from April 18 to May 15.

Festival director Jorge Menidis said having comics with diverse identities helped break down barriers.

鈥淚t allows comedians to talk about their lives, and if their life has involved loving another man, or a woman loving another woman, that鈥檚 a great thing,鈥� he told the 17c起草社区.

鈥淎ll too often, people learn to accept and get over individual fears… each person is as funny as the next, and comedy鈥檚 a great medium to open the door to audiences who need to be educated.鈥�

Menidis highlighted the musical comedy group Axis of Awesome as the festival鈥檚 superstar guest this year (they are also featured in MICF), following lead singer Jordan Raskopoulos鈥� recent public revelation that she is a trans woman.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a great story in the comedy community, because everyone in the community has really supported and backed her,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 think there are powerful stories like that in Australia that offer the broader community awareness they mightn鈥檛 have had before.鈥�

Melbourne International Comedy Festival is on March 23-April 17. Tickets and details:

Sydney Comedy Festival is on April 18-May 15. Tickets and details:

__________________________________

**This article was first published in the , which is available now. 聽in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and select regional/coastal areas.

Read聽the April聽edition of the 17c起草社区 in digital format:

__________________________________