Five Weird Things That Have Happened In Country Town Gigs”
Recent years have seen Darwin’s Amy Hetherington become one of the most beloved faces on the Australian comedy circuit. Bringing together natural charisma with an unashamedly optimistic sense of humor that isn’t afraid to look in on itself, Hetherington’s brand of funnies has won her acclaim across the country, as well as a loyal following nationwide.
Part of Hetherington’s appeal is in her relentless pursuit of making a crowd smile – she knows how to read a room and focus the energy as much on her audiences, as she does on herself. Her material, whether it be centered on navigating life in the Northern Territory, as a young mother (or both), is relatable and open.
Finding fulfillment in the madness, Hetherington leaves it all on stage; a place she thrives, and this summer, she’s gearing up to do it all again.
Announcing the fittingly titled Big Summer Comedy Tour, Hetherington will be bringing a new set of material to venues through Western Australia and South Australia from January through into March 2024. Over to Amy…
Hello friends! Darwin comedian Amy Hetherington here. I’m currently driving around regional West Australia and South Australia doing gigs as part of a Big Summer Comedy Tour. I’ve eaten heaps of sausage rolls and been stuck behind a billion caravans. I love this sort of touring because strange things tend to happen out of big cities… so Hi Fi Way asked me to share five weird things that have happened at country town gigs.
Did a gig in a servo
Yep! Don’t let the glamour of being a touring comedian fool you. Some gigs are weird. I once did a gig in a servo. They set the stage up in front of the counter and served the sausage rolls over my shoulder. Not often you get sauce with your stand up.
Called out the Mayor
Once made the mistake of doing a bunch of jokes about the mayor of a small town, and couldn’t work out why everyone was laughing so hard. The jokes were ok but I didn’t think I was getting a Netflix special out of it. Turned out the mayor was in the crowd!
Got someone laid
When you’re doing crowd work in a small town a lot of the audience know each other. I once chatted to a girl in the front row who let slip she was recently single, later in the show I shut down a cheeky heckler with some silly commentary to the single girl ‘no wonder it’s hard to meet good fellas here’. End of the night the two of them had hooked up… probably just to spite me.
One weird bloke I’ll never forget
Once, during a gig in a small town, a man spent the entire show pulling belly button lint out of his bellybutton… he also drank an entire 1L bottle of milk… some people are living their true authentic lives, and I can’t fault him for that but it was really odd.
There was a doggo!
Alice Springs three years ago. Mid way through the show a dog came into the pub and onto the stage with me. I was so confused and excited. It was better than all of my jokes.
Catch Amy Hetherington at the Adelaide Fringe. Tickets from FringeTix…
