Trades Hall

Nick White is not in the building. Well, he clearly is, but he’s currently pretending to be his alter ego, Carli Furplam, aka the dullest co-worker. She’s warming up for him and is super-keen, only she has put exactly one hour on the meter, is parked half an hour away because driving in the city is too stressful, and so she’s on a tight deadline to get the show going and get gone.  Her nervous stream of hair-tugging consciousness, replete with robotic “What’s your name and occupation?” crowd work, makes for a gently gigglish entry to this sophomore show from the architect-turned-TikTok star who racks up hundreds of thousands of views on each of his posts. She’ll be back, later on, in an aside that may or may not be a bit, because the relaxed and reliably likeable, handsomely moustachioed White makes a virtue of appearing as if everything is off the cuff. And that’s not easy to do, especially if you’re prone to social anxiety, a situation that White has harnessed to great effect in his delightfully silly show.  Rolling along amiably, much of his deftly delivered asides are aided by a well-judged eyebrow raise or a spot of imagined banter with the family pup. Teenage Dreams is a fun insight into his foundational years and the bridge into so-called adulthood, having recently settled in Melbourne.  There’s a fun bit about the cutest form of (accidental) self-harm imaginable, via a Malcolm in the Middle dream gone wrong that only gets more hilarious when his mum suggests an inexpl

Having first kicked off at the dawn of the millennium, Comedy Zone – the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's flagship development program – will this year celebrate 24 years of spotlighting the future stars of comedy. In 2024, the five hand-picked comics from across Australia include: Frankie Rowsthorn (WA), Henry Yan (VIC), Meg Jäger (QLD), Rapha Manajem (VIC) and William Wang (VIC). Frankie Rowsthorn has been honing her stand-up craft since the age of 16 and her material has matured with her, now delving into the complexities of navigating her early twenties. She recently appeared on The Amazing Race Australia and is also part of the Triple J weekend presenting crew. Henry Yan spent 2023 winning the Raw Comedy National Grand Final and demonstrating his talents at the Edinburgh Fringe’s So You Think You Are Funny? Competition. He has a proclivity for silliness and his comedy speaks to the absurdities of everyday life. Meg Jäger is a high school history teacher who becomes a self-described belligerent bitch by 3pm. She was the Raw Comedy runner-up last year and she’s ready to share her blunt and bittersweet commentary, along with her niche knowledge of World War One. Rapha Manajem has a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and runner-up status at Raw Comedy 2023 under his belt. He’s dying to tell you about why fidget spinners are due for an imminent comeback and often riffs on his complex family tree. William Wang discovered his comedic calling when he immigrated