Giant Dwarf geeky humour for the win

I don’t know if Giant Dwarf entirely counts as geeky; unless you adopt my definition of ‘geek’ which is someone who is really, deeply into a subject, but knows when to stop talking about it. But I do know Giant Dwarf is an absolutely fabulous comedy venue that I can’t believe I only found in the last few months – and if you’re into comedy it’s entirely the place you want to be going.

Giant Dwarf is privately owned by the Chaser team and was set up as a fun place for comedians to trial new materials and formats and grow their skills. It has a regular repertoire of really talented people as well as individual acts. Some examples from the February line-up include: Dragon Friends – a monthly comedy show where people play Dungeons & Dragons (see that’s geeky); Story Club – with, well, funny stories; and, of course, The Bear Pack.

The Bear Pack is super-charged improv. Really, really funny stuff and all entirely off-the-cuff: “Their show is 60 minutes of improvised story telling. Inspired by your suggestions, the Bear Pack will create the kind of stories your grand parents wish they could tell you. Guaranteed to make you feel again, the Bear Pack is the steam-ship of hilarity you’ve been waiting for, don’t let it sail away without you.”

Seating at Giant Dwarf is not luxurious, but there is a nice bar with big queues. You don’t go for that stuff though, you go because this is new, funny comedy. You’ll see people you recognise from big venues and television, and you’ll see people you’ll be recognising in a couple of year’s time.

Really, do yourself a favour and check Giant Dwarf out at 99 Cleveland Street in Redfern. Adding to the sense that you’re on to something that not everyone knows about, the entrance to the theatre is bloody hard to spot, so make sure you read the instructions before turning up and looking lost.

All of the really big small details can be found at giantdwarf.com.au.