The TREV (Tertiary Recreation Entertainment Victoria) Campus Comedy competition is an annual event, held to find the funniest uni student in Victoria. I was slightly disappointed with the number of entrants in this years’ final, with only four stand-up acts vying for the prize on he night, and the prize for best sketch comedy group was taken out by the only entrant in that category.
The competition has uncovered budding talent year after year, with previous winners going on to find success in the comedy industry. 2007 was no exception with a few standout acts providing solid laughs worthy of a spot in any comedy room.
Although their win was no surprise, sketch comedy group ‘Two Wise Men’ did put on a winning performance nonetheless. Adam, Daniel and Liam (that’s right, there are three of them) played out a detective scene, but would pause intermittently for a personal commentary by each character. Their style was reminiscent of The 4 Noels, with clever miming rather than the use of props, and the suave yet incompetent characters they play. They finished off their set with a love song constructed from movie titles to show their repertoire.
Tim Cove was the winner of the stand up section for 2007, and received a satellite navigation device for his efforts, although he certainly had no trouble finding his way around a stage. With original material, spot-on timing and tone in his delivery, an air of confidence along with a presence and pace on stage that holds your attention, Tim was a worthy winner. Tim made great use of the limited time available to him with stand up material including some simple, naïve observations, explaining some of the things that make him angry and confused and the effect his girlfriend has had on his life. He finished off with a song about all of the things he’d like to do to John Howard, which probably provided some of the biggest laughs of the night.
Tom Little was the runner up with stand up about how he used to mess with his teachers’ mind in high school, as well as cow tipping – including what strange situations one can find themselves in if you confuse facts from documentaries about other animals when doing so. Rory Jones also entertained us with a glimpse into what life would be like if we all started talking the same as we typed on MSN, and a short but informative song about men’s health.
By far the most original contestant on the night was Joey Kurtschenko, aka ‘Reverend C.’ The eloquent reverend appeared to have an equal love for our Lord and Saviour as he did for sci-fi and action movies, as he led us through a prayer in response following all of His greatest miracles… like when he blew up the Death Star. Joey’s act took a more bizarre turn than the plot of ‘From Dusk til Dawn’ as the good reverend stripped off his shirt (and his English accent) and went on to what I assume was meant to be a motivational rant about samurais. Joey created fun audience involvement and his originality was impressive.
With the winners being decided based on a points system covering different aspects of their performance- such as how they used the stage, this really is a great opportunity for new comedians to learn that there is more to being a good live comedian than just having funny things to say. Everything from organising your guitar cords before the show, to knowing where to look out into the audience, all adds to a seamless performance. For me, facial expression is one of the most important aspects of live comedy. It helps you to engage with your audience and adds another layer to your material. This is one thing I found missing from a couple of the acts on the night, however, it is something that no doubt comes with experience and confidence.