Arj Barker will kick off a fresh leg of his new tour at Ulumbarra Theatre this Friday.
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The American comedian has been a regular on the Australian comedy circuit since the early 2000s and regularly performs in all parts of Australia.
“When I have a new show I want to go to as many places as possible,” he said.
“I have been to a lot of places in Australia. Last time I was in Bendigo was 2015. It goes by so quick, so it’s hard to say for sure,” Barker said.
“I always try to get to Bendigo because it is one of my better tour stops.
“The new theatre is lovely and the audiences seem pretty sharp and up for it, which is two of my favourite qualities in a crowd.”
Barker’s new show – Organic – has been two years in the making.
“I have been working on it a year and a half and started writing it two years ago,” he said. “Slowly I refined it and it got better and better and I took it to the Melbourne (International Comedy Festival) and the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
“You can expect to see a solid stand-up show from a veteran comic, that's what it is. I’m very happy with it. It flows very well from beginning to end.”
Barker first started touring Australia in the late ‘90s and quickly found his style of humour was popular.
“It’s probably different for everyone but I definitely found (Australia) to be a great fit for me,” he said.
“I’ve spent a lot of time out here. I’m not sure why Australian audiences respond to me and I often get asked that but I don't really know.”
Bendigo has been slowly building itself as a comedy scene with six local comics performing at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Barker said if there is an interest in live performance in the city then growing a comedy scene is very possible.
“If the interest is there, it shouldn't be too hard. I started by just borrowing friends amp and a cheap microphone to perform in a local cafe but it was one of the great eras for me,” he said.
Arj Barker is at Ulumbarra on Friday, August 25. For tickets visit www.thecapital.com.au/Whats_On/Arj_Barker
Barker also has shows in Echuca (August 26), Horsham (September 1) and Kyneton (October 6).