MICF Wanted To Come Back Stronger Than Ever In 2022, But Comedians Say That’s Not The Reality

Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back this year for the first attempt at a normal festival since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but things are far from normal for artists.

After two years of the arts — particularly in Melbourne — being decimated by COVID, the 2022 festival was heralded as a return to normal (or, COVID-normal) for the first time since 2019. But comedians tell Junkee that COVID that a lack of support has left them high and dry.

“It’s funny cause I’m a self-employed tour guide who’d been struggling with international borders closed, so decided to try something new, tweaked my tour for a local audience and registered with MICF, only to catch COVID and have to cancel and refund tickets,” Blonde Matthew, who has one show left, told Junkee.

Restrictions Are Gone, But Ticket Sales Are Still Down

While COVID restrictions have largely eased across the city, which means venue capacities have increased and — in theory — more people can attend the festival, the overarching feeling from comedians is that attendance is down.

“This year though numbers are hugely down. Hugely. For everyone. I normally get 80 a night, [now I’m] averaging 25 a night. That’s everyone. And so Token and Live Nation are giving more free tickets than normal,” one comedian, who wished to remain anonymous out of a fear of backlash, told Junkee. “Which makes it worse because that means why would someone pay to watch me or Alice Fraser or Rose Callaghan or Harley Breen, or whoever when they can watch Dave [Hughes] or Nazeem [Hussain] or other big names for free.

“It’s the nature of the beast and everyone knows it’s normal, but it’s more painful during COVID cancellations.”

Junkee does not assert that Dave Hughes or Nazeem Hussain gave free tickets to their shows.

Nazeem Hussain has since confirmed to Junkee that he did not give out free tickets to his MICF performances.

COVID Is Still Causing Show Cancellations

Melbourne International Comedy Festival told Junkee that 307 individual sessions (out of a total of 5,955) have been cancelled due to COVID this year, impacting 89 different shows.

“We liaise with every show that has to cancel sessions, assisting where required with ticketing logistics, cancelling the session, organising refunds if ticketed through the Festival system, ensuring our website is updated with current information and of course, rescheduling or adding sessions when possible,” festival director Susan Provan told Junkee.

But despite MICF’s claims, some comedians tell Junkee that the festival has not been helpful for those who have contracted COVID.

“MICF haven’t even been in touch with me. My venue (The Butterfly Club) has been incredibly supportive,” Garry Starr, who had to cancel shows due to COVID and was ultimately unable to be judged, told Junkee.

In a statement provided to Junkee, MICF noted that it has directly liaised with venues to ensure artists aren’t getting charged for cancelled shows.

Comedians Who Haven’t Had To Cancel Are Fearful

Comedian Gabbi Bolt — who made a name for herself on TikTok during the pandemic and is now making her MICF debut — noted that the entire vibe of the festival has shifted and, due — in part — to a lack of COVID safety protocols, feels less enjoyable than last year’s event.

“Being here in Melbourne it’s a weird vibe, because the state government scrapped masks and check-ins etc,” she said, noting that venues have done everything they can to make the environment safe and low-risk, but it’s a different ball game with no law to actually enforce it.

“Melbourne is supposed to be such a magical place around festival time. I came to visit last year and I just darted from show to show and ate incredible food and met incredible people and went to the artist bar, all while masking and sanitising and this year it feels like I just can’t do that. Or rather, that I’m robbing it from myself because if I have to cancel my run of shows here because of getting COVID, my venue my crew and I lose thousands of dollars.”

Bolt added that many comedians are taking extreme safety protocols of their own, including not leaving their accommodation apart from their performances to minimise the risk of having to cancel shows, which can have devastating financial and long-term career impacts for up and coming comedians.

“No financial help or reimbursement. If your show got cancelled for seven days mid-run, the momentum you were building (buzz to come and see it) dies down,” she told Junkee. “Reviews are coming out after the shows have closed because reviewers themselves are getting COVID. Venue staff are getting it, producers are getting it, techs are getting it. Imagine the stress of teaching a brand new tech your entire show like an hour before you do it after your last tech had rehearsed many times with you already.”

“I just wish the government considered arts as the huge financial contributor that it is to this country, and worked with festivals and events to provide financial security to everyone in the arts sector who is affected by this.”

It’s Not Just Comedians Who Are Worried About Getting COVID

This stress was a reality for comedian Scout Boxall, whose tech contracted COVID after working long weeks across multiple different shows.

“I have managed to dodge COVID so far but my tech (who has been so stringent on mask-wearing) has been working six-day weeks on six shows and tested positive yesterday. I’m laid up at home feeling sick, terrified I have it. It feels inevitable. It’s kinda fucked the whole festival over. Every show I ask audience members to wear masks. I know a lot of comics hate it but I think it’s what’s saved me from getting sick and I’m very, very grateful when audiences wear masks, or don’t come to shows when sick,” Scout Boxall told Junkee.

After our initial interview, Boxall also contracted COVID and was forced to cancel their remaining shows.

“I’m pretty heartbroken to be missing an extra show but most of me feels incredibly lucky to have escaped this far unscathed.”

“I’m pretty heartbroken to be missing an extra show but most of me feels incredibly lucky to have escaped this far unscathed,” Boxall told Junkee. “COVID has absolutely ravaged this festival, stripping artists of up to 70 percent of their potential earnings after three very lean years. I’m really thinking of the techs, front of house and back of house workers as well, who have also been exposed to thousands of unmasked punters.”

Boxall noted that Comedy Republic’s stringent self-imposed COVID protocols were likely the reason they were able to avoid COVID thus far. “My venue, Comedy Republic, offered artists and staff free RATs to screen for symptoms at the venue and told audience members to wear masks into my show. This should be bare minimum practice. I’m so grateful to them, I think that’s what kept me well for so long.”

Like other comedians who spoke to Junkee about their experiences, Bolt noted a huge decrease in ticket sales, which she puts down to the fear of shows being cancelled or the fear of getting COVID.

“Ticket holders are getting it and therefore not attending shows. Ticket sales have been bad for so many people because people are scared the show is going to get cancelled anyway. If you’re interstate and you get it you may have to rebook later flights or extend accommodation dates. All of this costs money,” she said.

There Is A Lack Of Support

But despite the arts being the industry that continually pulls up its bootstraps to help the broader community whenever tragedy hits, there is a resounding sense of a lack of support from both MICF and Melbourne in general, when it comes to the huge financial losses comedians are facing this year.

“There are acts (inclusive of crew etc) who have lost THOUSANDS of dollars and are also sick, and it just seems like the response from some people is just a simple “well, YOU CHOSE to do the show…” as if it’s their fault for wanting to perform at one of the biggest events financially a comedian can perform at. Not to mention how (normally) it can be the thing that catapults your career into job security,” Bolt told Junkee.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival confirmed to Junkee that artists performing in festival-managed venues do not have to pay a cancellation fee if they have to cancel due to COVID. However, this may not be the case for venues that are not managed by the festival.

“I’m laid up at home feeling sick, terrified I have it. It feels inevitable. It’s kinda fucked the whole festival over.”

“Artists in our Festival Managed Venues do not pay a cancellation fee when they cancel due to COVID and their venue rental remains directly related to the level of their box office income. We are encouraging external venues to do the same,” Provan told Junkee.

MICF provided the following statement to Junkee regarding the cancellations and artist support.

“We are certainly keen to help artists as much as possible during these uncertain times, and we’re very sorry to hear that some people don’t feel they’ve received the support,” said Provan. “The Festival is open access, so shows can be run very differently. If shows aren’t at our managed venues – and if they aren’t ticketed though our festival ticketing system, then artists might not have as much need to interact with the festival when cancelling sessions.

“Behind the scenes, we’ve worked very closely with external venues such as the Butterfly Club [Junkee has independently verified that The Butterfly Club does not charge cancellation fees to MICF artists] to ensure that artists aren’t getting charged venue fees for cancelled sessions. We also have a dedicated Participant Services Manager who is there to help all artists should they need support with the logistics of cancelling — or adding — sessions.

“All our staff are working extremely hard to respond to the very unusual environment we are in this year.”

Melbourne International Comedy Festival wraps up on Sunday April 24, so you’ve still got a few fleeting days left to catch a show and support your favourite comedians.

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Lavender Baj is Junkee’s senior reporter. Follow her on Twitter.