THIS year's instalment of the Newcastle Comedy Festival gala was so well received it's been clapped back for an encore.
Following record ticket sales at May's event at the Civic Theatre, Big Dog Comedy promoter Andrew Milos has another line-up that he believes might be his best.
"This year was all about getting back on track and returning comedy to the forefront of the arts industry in Newcastle," Milos says. "
"It was the biggest, attendance-wise, of any festival I've ever put on. Nearly 90 per cent of the shows sold out pre-sale."
Saturday's "encore" gala at Newcastle City Hall is also an opportunity for favourite comedians to return to Newcastle after missing May's festival.
"The goal [of the encore] was to put on additional shows to serve [May's] interest, but also some of the acts like Tom Cashman, Brett Blake and Nick Capper, had been restricted to Victoria and I couldn't get them to Newcastle because of COVID-related issues over the last couple of years."
The line-up features Alex Jae, Tommy Dassalo, Cameron James, Elouise Eftos, Concetta Caristo, Cameron Duggan, Tom Cashman, Sam Taunton, Tim Hewitt, Brett Blake, Nick Capper and rising local Elliott Stewart.
"I assembled a line-up of people that I knew were red-hot at the moment, getting good reviews and performing regularly," Milos says. "It's called 'the encore' because it's the culmination of a successful year."
When Milos started Big Dog Comedy in 2016, there was not a promoter in Newcastle booking regular stand-up.
His regular showcases organically grew into the inaugural Newcastle Comedy Festival in 2019.
Milos confirms that the event will return next year from May 25 to June 25, with plans for big galas at the Civic Theatre, plus Indigenous, all-female and queer showcases.
"It was batshit that we didn't have a comedy festival here," Milos says. "I knew that if I didn't start one we would've had some money-hungry corporate pig come in and start one that would not have been grassroots.
"I love Newcastle so much, and I just want to put on sick shows with amazing line-ups and have the opportunity for locals to perform in big spaces they might never have had the chance to play because they don't have management."
It's true that many comedians have cut their teeth at Big Dog Comedy shows.
Newcastle's Cameron James had his first theatre audience at the Civic for one of Milos' galas.
Cashman, who will co-host an Aussie adaptation of the TV series Taskmaster alongside Tom Gleeson, first visited Newcastle as a five-minute opener at The Edwards.
Milos says comedians love coming to Newcastle, often contacting the promoter to book them a show because they want an excuse to hang out in the Steel City.
Two of Saturday's comedians, Blake and Capper, have become crowd favourites since Milos booked them both to perform at the Lass O'Gowrie about five years ago.
"Brett Blake and Nick Capper are unsung sons of Newcastle," Milos says. "They played to about 18 people at 2pm at the Lass. At the end they played Sega Rally. They love coming here. They're working-class boys, they're from the country and they get who [Novocastrians] are."
Capper's rise has been meteoric, with the comedian recently becoming the inaugural inductee into the Australian Comedy Hall of Fame, beating the likes of Carl Barron, Dame Edna Everage and Dickie Knee.
But the beloved tuxedo-wearing comic, who grew up on a cotton farm near Boomi, has mixed feelings about the honour.
"It was actually an insult to be in a competition where I should've been the judge," Capper told the Newcastle Herald.
"I tutored most of these comedy greats so it was torturous to be compared to my students. I was the first Australian comedian. I actually arrived here on the First Fleet.
"I hosted a gala night featuring Sir Joseph Banks and Captain Cook. They were both horrible. I told them they should stick to their day jobs - botany and alcoholism."
The Newcastle Comedy Festival Encore Gala starts Saturday at Newcastle City Hall from 7pm. Nick Capper and Brett Blake host Brew Dudes 2: Jug-ment Day, a comedy and beer-tasting experience, at Newcastle Comedy Club from 5pm.
