Comedy

Headline acts 

The Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House is the most famous performance space in the country and it has played host to some of the biggest names in comedy – Hannah Gadsby filmed her Netflix special Nanette here in 2017. Check the event listings for comedy shows featuring some of the best in the business. The House’s smaller stages, like the Playhouse and Drama Theatre, are also popular venues for comedy.  

The State Theatre is another historic stage, hosting big names like Iliza Shlesinger, Rob Brydon and Jimmy Carr multiple times. The Enmore Theatre is a favourite of international comedians looking for a more intimate venue. For local comedians, the theatre also runs the Enmore Comedy Club with gigs split between the Enmore Theatre and the indie Factory Theatre in nearby Marrickville. Operating in the backstage of the Sydney Lyric, Foundry Theatre is a newer and more intimate space that’s already hosted names like Tim Minchin, Akmal and The Umbilical Brothers.  

Inside the State Theatre - Credit: State Theatre

Every April and May, the Sydney Comedy Festival takes over the city with shows from more than 150 comedians from Australia and around the world. There’s everything from glamorous gala events at the Sydney Opera House to sketch comedy at your local pub and special events for kids. After its run in Sydney, the festival takes to the road with hundreds of shows across the state.  

Sydney Comedy Festival Gala, Sydney Opera House - Credit: Kabuku PR

Comedy clubs & comedy nights

Sydney has a small crop of dedicated comedy clubs. The acts change regularly, but you can expect three or four comedians to perform sets in each show, along with an amusing MC who pulls the whole night together. These cosy clubs will generally have lots of small tables set up for the audience (rather than theatre seating), with drinks flowing and a laid-back atmosphere. Since starting in 1981, The Comedy Store in Moore Park has become one the most recognised comedy clubs in the country. Check the schedule, which runs several events per week, for both one-off special performances and regular programming featuring multiple comedians. Happy Endings Comedy Club in Kings Cross is an award-winning venue with multiple shows a week and an American jazz saloon vibe.  

Happy Endings Comedy Club, Kings Cross - Credit: Mark David

Darlinghurst-based iD Comedy runs weekly events with nights at the Kinselas basement, Potts Point Hotel, Hotel Harry and other venues spread across Sydney’s inner east. In the West, Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre hosts Sydney Comedy Club once a month. On the last Thursday of the month, you can find Best Mates Comedy at Wayward Brewing. Then there’s weekly pub nights like Rat Klub Comedy on Mondays at Erskineville’s MoshPit.  

Comedian Darren Sanders at the Sydney Comedy Club at Riverside Theatre Parramatta - Credit: Sydney Comedy Club

Improv comedy

Improvised comedy is a kind of theatre where both the audience and the actors have no idea what’s going to happen. It generally consists of funny and often bizarre short plays, one-off takes or games that sometimes rely on audience involvement, which can be anything from a suggestion of where to set the scene to coming on stage and being a character.  

Improv Theatre Sydney is the only dedicated improv theatre space in the city, offering both workshops (including free introductory classes) and weekly improv comedy performed by actors, touring comedians, radio hosts and festival directors. Newtown’s Bank Hotel hosts Improv Comedy Cagefight, which has ticketed shows every Monday night, with free improv classes before each show. Impro Australia, an institution running since 2000, runs regular classes as well as a fortnightly show, Scared Scriptless, at the The Chippo Hotel in Chippendale.

Improv Comedy Cagefight, Newtown - Credit: Improv Comedy Cagefight

Stand-up comedy classes 

Before you step onstage at an open mic night, brush up on your technique and learn some tips from experienced comedians at one of Sydney’s stand-up comedy classes. Classes run regularly at Sydney Community College and Sydney Comedy School. When you’re ready, look for an open mic night near you. For a reliable spot, Erskineville’s MoshPit hosts open mic every Wednesday.

He Huang performing with Stand Up Comedians - Credit: Mark David