http://www.janellekoenig.com/ Janelle Koenig - Weblog en-au Copyright Janelle Koenig 2005 Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:44:38 GMT PHP webmaster@janellekoenig.com 1 The days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting colder, there's a frost on your windscreen, you're pulling your ugg boots out from the back of the wardrobe.  But it's not all doom and gloom!  It's Comedy Festival time!This year I'm really excited to be taking part in three different improvisational shows, all in different formats.  The first is Musical Odyssey, a one hour musical journey, made up on the spot based totally on the suggestions of the audince, the format (and the accompaniment) compliments of The Crew's resident musical genius, Dan Walmsley.   Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Laundry, Johnson St, Brunswick.The second show is Instant Order - Trial by Audience, the format the brain child of the wonderful Robert Lloyd. In a format based loosely on Law and Order, one victim, four suspects - and a verdict that must be decided by the audience. Awesome stuff! Fridays and Saturdays at Glitch, St Georges Road, North FitzroyThe third show is the trusty, long-running Impro Sundae - classic short form good times.  Every Sunday at The Comics Lounge.The Comedy Festival runs from April 4 - April 29.  If you're in Melbourne - get out there and see something.  My picks for the festival include -Harley Breen in The Kingswood and IGeradine Hickey in Trucker's Daughter Vanessa Bennett in BodysnatcherCameron Knight - And Then There's Love? The Hound of the Baskervilles CJ Fortuna - Under CeejOliver Clark - By Request OnlyJeff Green - PersonalIf you can't go out to the Comedy Festival every night (and you can't, believe me - I've tried and failed), don't forget that the Comedy Channel is still showcasing Australia's funniest people every week night on Stand Up Australia.  And don't we love them for it?Get ready, get out, get laughing.jk Monday 26 March, 2007 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=14 Hi All, Somehow, somewhere between Christmas and a few chilly nights - we suddenly find ourselves in Spring (I'm excited - I finally went a night without turning on the heater...I'm dreading the electricity bill, but still - I'd rather be poor than cold).Melbourne Fringe is on again, and as usual there are some great shows to catch, not in the least my fellow Call Girl, Vanessa Bennett's brand new solo (improvised!) show, Bodysnatcher, and Justin Kennedy's Director's Cut of his award-winning Comedy Festival Show, 'Beelzebuzz'. There's plenty on that's weird and whacky and bound to tickle your assorted humeri (plural of humerus)*. As for me, I'm thrilled to be taking part in the 'Best Of Green Faces' show in Canberra, plus Impro Sundae with The Crew is going from strength to strength, as are my Wednesday workshops down at the Comic's Lounge (email me for more information).  There are some great new rooms in Melbourne that are tearing the roof off the comedy world, and the wonderful Bev Killick and I are looking forward to taking Life After Dick on the less-travelled road again soon, as well as our Christmas season at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow.So I'm busy, but happy, so no complaints here. Do make sure you get out there and support the Melbourne Fringe Festival - those people slaving their guts out to small but appreciative audiences on rickety stages with bad lighting are Australia's comedy stars of tomorrow.  Give them some love.LYLT,JanelleP.S. If you have Foxtel, keep both your eyes on Stand Up Australia - an Australian show finally giving local comics TV time. Hooray for that! * Ok, I looked it up.     Tuesday 12 September, 2006 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=13 Dear All,Thanks for visiting.Well, the Comedy Festival is over for another year and I've just gotten back from a fantastic tour of W.A. which means about 2 minutes of relief before planning goes into this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival.This year I'm involved in a fantastic new multi-media improvised show called 'And No-one Lived Happily Ever' at the North Melbourne Town Hall.  This brand new show promises to be very exciting, with talented improvisors and audience participation to boot! Keep watching this space for updates.Apart from that, there's plenty of stand-up happening around Melbourne, with lots of new rooms opening up to keep your funny bones supple over these chilly winter months.  Keep both your eyes on Prohibition Comedy, Gunn Island Comedy and Urban Central Comedy especially - all are producing fantastic comedy nights, with top class comics with free entry. Think of the money you'll save on the heating bill!Hope to see you around the dirty old traps soon.LYLTJanelle  Friday 23 June, 2006 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=12 Hello My Pretties,I'm liking 2006.  So far lots of stand-up, including a fantastic 'Show Us Your Roots' gig in Canberra, performing with class acts Carl Barron, Dave Callan and Rachel Berger to name a few,  plus performing with The Crew as part of the Adelaide Fringe in 'Short Order Impro' (see Scrapbook page for review).Now I've just about got time to catch my breath before it's Comedy Festival time again.  It's going to be an extremely busy festival for me, I will performing in my comic play, 'Call Girls' with Vanessa Bennett at the Melbourne Town Hall Lunch Room, revising 'Life After Dick' at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow, participating in 'Dan's Musical Odyssey' (an improvised musical show) at Glitch and competing in the new live game show 'Hoodwinked'.  I think I'd better stock up on the multi-vitamins now.After the Festival, the Life After Dick girls are heading over for a regional tour of Western Australia and then who knows? Oooh the possibilities are endless, but unfortunately my imagination is lazy, so I'll just wait and see. Like I said to myself before my last date, if I have no expectations, I'll never be disappointed.  God, I got that right. Doesn't mean I can't bitch about it afterwards, though.Hope to see you around the dirty old traps.Play nice, now.Janelle       Tuesday 7 March, 2006 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=11 Hi there, Well, the year is rapidly drawing to a close, and bringing with it shopping panic, present envy, kris kringle anguish, my car registration (damn it - Dad told me that car was a money pit!) and hopefully a little bit of cheer and some good spirits (make mine a cocunut vodka).2006 is already shaping up to be a great year - starting with my second trip to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the 2nd largest on the planet (after Chrissie Amplett's - sorry, couldn't help myself) with The Crew and our brand new show 'Short Order Impro' - I can't wait - I love Adelaide.  No, I really do!After that I'm thrilled to be taking part in one of Australia's most succesful shows 'Show Us Your Roots' in Canberra in February, this year featuring among others, true Australian Comedy Legends Carl Barron and Rachel Berger which is pretty flipping humbling, I can assure you.  I'll certainly be spreading it (comedy) around a bit in 2006 because after that there's a whisper of some gigs at Sydney's Big Laugh Festival, followed of course by the Melbourne Comedy Festival where I hope to be recreating my 2005 Fringe Festival show 'Call Girls'.Yup - she's going to be a busy year alright - and we're only up to April!A safe, happy and healthy festive season to you all, and thanks for all of your support over the year - it means more than fingers can type.Love (you long time)Janelle  Monday 28 November, 2005 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=10 Well, Fringe time is upon us again and this year, as you may already have seen from the home page, I've written and am performing a brand new comedic play entitled 'Call Girls' with the delightful Vanessa Bennett, and there's not a guitar or a parody in sight or earshot (maybe a few slightly naughty words - never fear the leopard's not completely changing her spots!).  Reactions have been excellent so far...but don't just take my word for it - check out what the Groggy Squirrel (electronic guide to live comedy in Melbourne) had to say at www.vicnet.net.au/~squirrel. We also reportedly received a glowing review from Buzzcuts on RRR - although neither Vanessa nor I actually heard it, so that could be rubbish.  Hope not, though!To all of the particpants, performers and punters (both on stage and off), best of luck with your shows.  See you at the Fringe Bar (drinking diet coke, of course!).Janelle   Monday 3 October, 2005 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=9  Hello All,Well, the Comedy Festival is over for another year, and what a festival it was!  Oh, the laughs, the lights, the lustre....the late night dim sims (I know - so glamourous).   I had such a great time working on the festival season of Life After Dick with Warwick, Christine and Bev, and am so looking forward to touring the show interstate later this year.  Speaking of being interstate - I'll also be taking part in the Pilbarra Comedy Muster in Western Australia in August this year, touring with an array of very talented comedians, and I can't wait for that.  I've never been to W.A. before.  I've been to paradise, to quote the song, but I've never been to W.A. (I say paradise, I mean Altona beach). The gang from the Crew are going strong as ever, and we recently earnt the title of Australia's longest running impro troupe.  And boy are our legs tir...(oh, shut up, Janelle). We're still on every Sunday at the Comic's Lounge, and the shows (or is that the audiences?) get wilder every week!The Cubbyhouse Comedy Radio Show is powering along as always, although the actual talk time seems to have dimished a bit now that I've decided to stop superfluous swearing.  I'm making the boys rely on their vocabularies.  Tee hee.  I'm so mean.And, as always, there's always good old-fashioned stand-up in my favourite local rooms. And, by the way, I mean old-fashioned! I distinctly saw acid wash a few nights ago.  There's no excuse for that.So, thanks for visiting, keep warm and stand up for old people on public transport.  It's the nice thing to do.Love,Janelle Thursday 5 May, 2005 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=8 Well, 2005 is upon us and it's hard to believe. I distinctly remember wondering as a teenager where I'd be in the year 2005, anticipating rings on my fingers, a husband and a few kids running around the place like mad things. As fate would have it, the current predicament finds me with ciggies on my fingers, a gay flatmate and I'm the mad thing running around the place. Not that I'm complaining, mind you! 2004 was terrific fun and things are only going to get better. Last year saw my very first two-handed Comedy Festival Show, my first Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe Festivals, the second season of The Crew's Instant T.V. being filmed and aired, and me coming second in the Victorian 'You've Got To Be Joking' competition, and the national 'Green Faces' competition.* So this year is going to be as busy as ever, starting with me setting out to murder the winners of the 'You've Got To Be Joking' and 'Green Faces' competitions (hey - I'm a sore loser, I'll admit it. I blame my mother for taking me guitar lessons instead of netball). After the bodies are disposed of, I'm thrilled to be taking part in 'Life After Dick' with Australian comedy legends Christine Basil and Bev Killick at the Crown Showroom as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. There'll be plenty of touring this year too, including Sydney, and later in year, supporting Stevie Starr in rural NSW. Until then, it's gigsness as usual all over my favourite Melbourne rooms, the Crew are about to make their 2005 comeback after a well-deserved Christmas break, and the Cubbyhouse radio show is going stronger (and wronger!) than ever. Lucky I didn't get that husband, after all. I'd never see him. Be good! Janelle *Any individuals who make bridesmaids jokes will be looked upon most unfavourably. Tuesday 1 February, 2005 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=7 Spring has sprung! Or for our New Zealand cousins, Sprung Has Sprong! But regardless, it's getting warmer in sunny Melbourne and I thunk theet's fentastuk. Lots and lots going on in my little comedy corner - most excitingly, I recently went up to Canberra to participate in the Green Faces comedy competition, and actually won my heat, which was awesome - so now I'm through to the the Grand Final on the 6th, competing against 10 other acts from around the country. I can't wait. Our heat was so much fun - the legendary Steady Eddie was the M.C., and I think he must have been a little shocked by my set - after it he came on stage laughing and told the audience 'Well! At least I'm only f%#king bent on the outside!'. Funny times. Yippee!It's action stations with the Melbourne Fringe Festival show coming up in September. I co-wrote and will be performing in 'The Brothers McKenzie'. It's a good old-fashioned scarytale, with the very talented Adam and Richard McKenzie. We're performing at the North Melbourne Library, and it's shaping up to be a ripper of a show. More details to come.The Cubby House radio show is going great guns every Wednesday on 97.1 3MDR. For your aural pleasure, listen in for our regular segments News Bashers, Mick's Ridiculous Words, Radio Impro, Dazmo's Top 10 and Janelle's Juicy Bits. Lots of fun for the whole family (well, maybe just Mum and Dad and over 18's actually).Don't forget that Melbourne's longest-running impro group The Crew are still going great guns every Sunday at The Comic's Lounge - just email me if you'd like to score some free tickets to the show (and don't say I never do anything for you!).So that's about it for now - thanks for reading, and hope to see you around the dirty old traps soon. And keep your fingers (and everything else, for the matter - it gets cold in Canberra) crossed for me for the Green Faces final!Janelle x ?? Tuesday 31 August, 2004 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=6 Dear All, Suddenly April is upon us, and therefore, so is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival - the 18th, to be precise!Every year the promoters of the festival claim that this one is the biggest and best yet. Well, for me personally, it's also going to be the scariest yet, because I'm doing my very own show, 'Not Drowning, Dating' with the hilarious Jon Levene. We'll be telling embarassing dating stories, performing stand up, songs and sketch, and generally trying to convince you that no matter how bad your love life might seem to be, it couldn't possibly be worse than ours. We are also delighted to be having very, very special guests coming down each night, including Dave Williams, Justin Jamieson, Madeleine West, Kim Hope, Wayne Deakin and Justin Kennedy.Where? - Nylon, 36 Little La Trobe Street When? - Thursday, Friday & Saturday 7:30 How much? - $15 Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, (or at the door with special secret website password 'Valentine' for $12).I am also performing Impro at The Comic's Lounge, recording the second season of our Channel 31 show 'Instant T.V.' Please refer to www.thecrew.com.au for details and player line-ups. So much fun - come down and be part of the filming!I am ALSO performing at Naughty which is late and live at the famous Young and Jackson's pub, Wednesday - Saturday, and features Melbourne favourites Wayne Deakin and Matt King.Have a great festival everyone, and thanks for your ongoing support of Melbourne comedy and Melbourne comedians. See you on the dance floor of the Hi-Fi (or on a seat surrounding the dance floor of the Hi-Fi because I'm knackered but refuse to go home because I think I'll miss something).Janelle X Thursday 1 April, 2004 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=5 2004 is here, and brings with it new comedy rooms, new material, new songs and my impending 30th birthday (no doom, though - I can't wait). Lots of exciting developments in 2004. I will be focusing on honing my MC skills (particularly at The Comic's Lounge Open Mike nights), continuing the all-female comedy night 'Nylon Stockings' (I'm proud to say the first was a sell-out last year), having a ball performing with The Crew (including a trip to the Adelaide Fringe Festival) and performing stand-up as often as I can.One of the biggest and most exciting things for me this year will be my very own Melbourne Comedy Festival show, 'Not Drowning, Dating', which I am creating with the HILARIOUS and quite spunky Jon Levene (Vicous Ha-Sa). We are so excited about this show - but much more later. Check http://www.janellekoenig.com/ndd/ for more details.Thanks for visiting the site, and for your support in 2003. I had a great year, and look forward to sinking my teeth into this one.Be good.JanelleP.S. 2003 saw the development and production of The Crew's (including me!) new television series 'Instant T.V.' on Channel 31. For those of you who missed it, never fear - it's going to be repeated early this year. Keep both eyes out for it.x. Friday 9 January, 2004 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=4 When she's not dancing under burst water hydrants in her white bikini, chances are you'll find Janelle Koenig on a comedy stage somewhere. Janelle is one of Melbourne's fastest-rising comedians. She was discovered at the Jeez Louise Funny Women's Forum of October 2002, and hasn't looked back - mainly because she hasn't had time (and a short spell in a neck brace). Since then, Janelle has performed in venues across Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, was voted King (although she insists it's Queen) of the Ring at the Comic's Lounge in May, became a State Finalist in the 2003 Raw Comedy Competition and performs regularly with Melbourne improvisational comedy group, The Crew. Janelle was also selected to support Richard Stubbs throughout his 2003 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show. Not bad for a new girl! Janelle was also stack-hat monitor in high school - not all that funny, but impressive at the time (there was a badge and all, you know). She has a lot of handbags.Janelle's unique blend of honest stand-up, cheeky songs and sometimes far too personal tales about all aspects of her own life have made her a favourite amongst Melbourne audiences. She might look innocent - and that's exactly how she gets away with it. Once, she made a man spurt a whole bourbon and coke out of his nose with laughter. Janelle liked that - it looked like it hurt....in a good way, you understand! Monday 29 September, 2003 http://www.janellekoenig.com/archive.html?id=2