For decades, female comedians have been accused of not being as funny as their male counterparts. It’s as tiring as it is boring, yet we continually hear this. I cast my mind back to stories we’ve covered on Missing Perspectives in the past, where we’ve spoken to comedians – including women who are queer, people of colour and over 40 – about their own experiences.
Just think of the backlash Felicity Ward faced last year when she fronted the first female-led version of The Office.
“I’m not like, ‘Oh women have got it so hard’. But after this interview, literally go choose any comedian that’s a woman in the world. Go on YouTube, read the comments. It just happens,” Ward told us a few months ago.
“If you get pushed to the front and you’re a woman, or if you stand at the front and you’re a woman, there’s people that are very angry about us – just in general, just in life.”
Nina Oyama told us about the “internalised misogyny” she felt in her earlier years, due in part to the lack of women she saw doing stand-up comedy on stage.
“There are so [many] more women and people of colour doing comedy now. When I was growing up, I had so much internalised misogyny because I was the only woman in a lot of places and it was so toxic,” she told us in April 2024.
“It’s so nice to [now] have other women in comedy, I just didn’t have it when I was 17, and any other woman in comedy was like ‘my enemy’, and I had to be better than her.”
While there’s still work to be done – as is the case in most industries – it’s promising to see more diverse comedians garnering greater fanbases and sell-out shows at comedy festivals.
This year, Sydney Comedy Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary from April 21 to May 18, and we’ve rounded up a list of some of the talent to add to your list. Bring on the barrel of laughs!
Sofie Hagen
An author, fashion designer and podcaster, Danish comedian Sophie Hagen (she/they) often speaks about fat acceptance across her work, and is the author of the book Happy Fat. Sophie promises to bring their “devastatingly brilliant joke writing and storytelling” to Sydney Comedy Fest this year with a show called Banglord.
He Huang
He Huang (she/her) is set to perform her show White Man’s Burden on just one night (so best to book those tickets fast). The winner of Best Newcomer at the 2023 Sydney Comedy Festival went viral in 2022 after a set on Australia’s Got Talent that tackled various issues including taboo Chinese topics.
Iliza Shlesinger
An international name who has released six Netflix specials, Iliza is the only female and youngest comedian to hold the title of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She’s bringing her The Get Ready Tour to Sydney for just one night at the State Theatre.
Anisa Nandaula
With more than 200,000 social media followers, Anisa Nandaula has built a dedicated audience thanks to her candid videos that delve into her accounts on being a Black woman, relationships, travel and more. In her show titled You Can’t Say That, Anisa will explore “the hilariously complex world of being a Black girl in Australia”, reflecting on her journey from Uganda to Rockhampton and centring the narrative around important relationships with her boyfriend, her mother, and her classmate Rachel.
Jess Fuchs
With a show titled Sex Jokes For Women, we’re already sold. Jess Fuchs will be on stage at the Enmore Theatre for an hour of sex chat that’s bound to entertain and get you giggling. The Greek Australian entertainer returned to Sydney from New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, she’s been making waves in the local comedy scene.
Melody Rachel
Melody centres her comedy around issues that play a huge role in her life, including relationships, religion and sexuality. As she sums up perfectly on her Sydney Comedy Festival show (called I’m Gay But I Know Jesus) page: “I’m Melody—gay, Christian, and somehow still on speaking terms with Jesus. I came out at 15, and the church and other Christians totally freaked out. Then I slept with a woman, had a chat with God—turns out, He’s chill. This is a show about faith, identity, and divine chaos.”
Cassy Judy
Expect a combination of comedy and musical at Cassy Judy’s show, Live and Naughty that will be on for two nights at Marrickville’s Factory Theatre. Known for pushing the boundaries, Cassy (she/her) will be delving into an array of topics including her personal experiences as a trans woman to the decline of Australia’s textile industry.
Collective shows:
Wom*n’s Revue
While the exact lineup of talent hasn’t been revealed, this show features an overarching theme, “Suck It Up”. There will be a collection of comedic skits presented by people with shared experiences living and identifying as a woman, with concepts such as gender, sexuality and political and social status explored. It takes place across the first three days of May at the Seymour Theatre, so mark your calendars.
Brown Women Comedy
Brown Women Comedy returns to the festival after its successful debut last year. Daizy Maan, Kru Harale, Niv Prakasam & Ramya Ramapriya will tackle everything from relationships and sex, to racism, identity, careers and more – inspired by their lived experiences as South Asian women, but of course articulated in a hilariously entertaining way. The show will take place in two locations across Sydney to cater to more comedy-goers, so there’s no excuse for missing this one.
The Sydney Comedy Festival runs from Monday April 21 to Sunday May 18. The full program and ticket information can be found here.
