The Brian McCarthy Memorial Moosehead Award is a grant issued to Australian comedians wishing to premiere new works as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It is named after Brian McCarthy, a young comedian and comedy producer killed in a car accident in 1987. [1]
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might take many forms including jokes, satirical observations, amusing situations, acting foolish or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian. Other practises include the sitcom, sketch comedy and improv genres.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starting in March and running through to April. The Melbourne Town Hall has served as the festival hub since the early 1990s, but performances are held in venues throughout the city.
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Each year benefit performances are held in Melbourne (as part of the Comedy Festival [2] ) and Sydney, and the money raised is used to produce new shows by successful applicants, who are thus free to try out a new and exciting idea without worrying whether it will be "commercially viable". The Award is substantial, but rather than providing funds directly, the Moosehead association produces the show, organising everything from Festival registration to venue and equipment hire and marketing. It also provides access to professional photographers, publicists, directors and other resources typically too expensive for comedians.
The award is known as the "Moosehead" award as Moosehead beer was Brian McCarthy's favorite. His favorite song, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, is traditionally performed by the closing act of every Moosehead Award benefit show.
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a single in September 1967; it went to number two in the Billboard chart.
In recent years the Award has also received sponsorship from The Comedy Channel. [1]
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television.
