Four performers who trained at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and graduated from its Theatre/Media course have received rave reviews for their respective shows at the 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival (24 March to 18 April).

 

Dr Jerry Boland, senior lecturer and course coordinator at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst, said, “These performers - Kent Valentine, Kane Petersen, Adrian Calear, and Mark Pençak - embody a key learning objective of the Theatre/Media course for we aim to produce skilled communicators who know how to devise entertainment that speak to the interests of their fellow citizens, and create successful comedy shows that yank belly laughs from a live Australian audience.

 

“The Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media) has a 30-year history of graduating innovative scriptwriters, teachers, radio presenters, television producers, and live performance artists who do not wait around for someone to call them; they create original work and then, either individually or collaboratively (often with other Theatre/Media graduates), market their art products themselves because the course gives them the practical skills and experience to do this.”

 

Featured at the 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival are:

Mr Kent Valentine (graduated 2000) in his fifth solo show, Fablemonger, a collection of stories about chivalry, quests of urgency and the accidental shooting of civilians.

 

Mr Kane Petersen (graduated 1999) in Dos or Duo combines comedy and physical theatre in a show that was nominated for Best Circus Show and Highly Commended at the Melbourne Fringe Awards 2009.

 

Mr Adrian Calear (graduated 1991) performs his one-man show Code Grey: Adventures in Public Health, which takes a humours look at our health system and marvels at the resilience of humans.