THREE Bendigo stand-up comics will make their debuts at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival next week.
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Shaun Rosaia, Cody Jones and Ashley Greblo will share the stage at the Tickle Pit in Little Bourke Street when they present Three’s A Crowd Not An Audience from April 10 to 16.
The trio met through a love of stand-up comedy and, with local comic Zach Storer, start the Goldmines Comedy Cellar.
Their 55-minute show includes some crowd work combined with three sets of comedy and each comedian bringing a different style to the show.
But their trip to Melbourne may be their big break with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival one the bucket list for each of the performers.
“No one thought the opportunity of the comedy festival would come around this quickly,” Greblo said.
“When I did my first stand-up gig, I thought I’d have one go and never go back but we persisted and now seeing tickets being sold we just can’t believe this is the real thing.
“It makes us feel like even though we are local Bendigo guys, we have made it a bit more.”
Rather than moving to the big city and grinding away at the same open mics the the trio have worked hard cultivate their own audience in home town where no local comedy scene existed.
The experience forced them to continually develop new material, embrace risk taking and be innovative.
When Greblo, Rosaia and Jones started their comedy nights only a few dozen attended but after more than a year working their stage, they have regular crowds in venues.
“We have always had some Melbourne headliners come down, which has been fantastic and helped build our connections,” Greblo said.
“There are also a lot of different acts we look up to like Nick Cappa, Daniel Connell and Nick Cody. They are Aussie guys from regional towns as well.”
The trio are the second Bendigo comedy act to perform at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival after sketch comedy group Facetious.
Greblo said it shows there is an interest in comedy in Bendigo.
“When we did our first open-mic night, we had about 12 comedians out of nowhere. So there’s a scene,” he said.
Three’s A Crowd Not An Audience features Bendigo’s Shaun Rosaia, Cody Jones and Ashley Greblo and is on from 6pm at The Tickle Pit at 377 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, from April 10 to 16.
Tickets are $18. Head to www.ticklepit.com/micf2017/threes-a- crowd-not- an-audience to book.