by Bonnie Collings
Former Gippsland performer Megan Connolly is returning to the Victorian comedy scene, bringing their fantastic improvised comedy show "Jez and Jace: Lads on Tour" to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Performed by Megan and their comedy partner Nina Hogg, "Jez and Jace" is a satirical improvised comedy that follows the journey of two bogan boys on their final road trip
before life threatens to take them in separate ways.
Based in Wellington, the comedy duo have toured the "Jez and Jace" show across New Zealand and Australia. Megan said they are excited to bring this bogan, queer love story back to the country that raised them and fostered their love for theatre.
Growing up as queer people in regional communities, Megan and Nina thought it would be interesting to put a queer spin on 'bogan boy'.
The show explores what it means when you love your bro a little bit more than as a friend.
"If I was to describe it in a sentence, I'd say it's a queer, bogan road trip comedy that's improvised on stage with the help of the audience," Megan said.
Throughout the journey of Jez and Jace, Megan explores the concept of being queer in a country community, a concept similar to their own experience in high school.
"Growing up in a rural community meant you were very free to play around but that came with living in a small community where everyone sort of knew each other," Megan said.
"If you're a young person trying to understand your queer identity, as I was in the early 2010s, it can feel very scary because there isn't that kind of representation around you."
Megan's love for performance and comedy was fostered by their time in the Gippsland theatre scene.
Growing up in Warragul and Trafalgar, Megan regularly performed with Warragul Youth Theatre and danced at local studios. Describing themselves as "a bit too much", Megan said the performing arts scene was a perfect place for them to develop their skills.
"Doing youth theatre, you're encouraged to be big, you're meant to be big," Megan said.
"You learn improvisation through the youth theatre experience and how to work with others. It gave me the confidence to be on stage and be with other kids. Having stage time meant I wasn't scared of it."
Although each 50 minute performance is completely improvised, the "Jez and Jace" story has a few key moments influenced by responses from the audience.
"The show always starts off at the local pub," Megan said.
"We develop (Jez and Jace's) personalities by asking the audience if they have any crazy friends, and we base our characters and their friendship from their responses."
Megan said an integral part of the story is the reason behind the boys' final road trip.
"There's always something that divides the boys, for example, Jace often wants to move to a big city, to become a chef or he wants to sing karaoke professionally. That incites them to go on one last road trip to the 'big smoke' which is wherever we're performing that night."
On their way to the city, Jez and Jace stop at a petrol station, providing another opportunity for Megan and Nina to interact with the audience.
"We get out at a petrol station and ask the audience for advice about how we should tell the boy that we like that we want them to stay," Megan said.
"More often than not the boys end up together because audiences love a happy ending."
Megan said the "Jez and Jace" show will have something for all audiences to enjoy.
"The show is for everybody because people can recognise the characters as people they grew up with, or as people in their communities now," they said.
"I'm from Australia and Nina is from New Zealand so there's a bit of a hybrid of energies, so Aussies will love it and so will Kiwis in the audience."
Megan said they're also looking forward to shining a light on the experience of queer people living in regional communities.
"Melbourne has quite a queer scene, and it's easy to forget that for queer people in a regional community, coming out and being queer can be tough."
Making their Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut, Megan said they're excited to return to Victoria, performing here for the first time since finishing secondary school.
"I'm excited for people who used to know me to see me do some fun stuff and hopefully find it funny," they said.
While the "Jez and Jace" show is hilarious and satirical, it is equally emotional, exploring a budding queer relationship against the backdrop of social complexities in rural communities. "Jez and Jace: Lads on Tour" will perform at the Malthouse Theatre from April 9 to 21 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Theatre.
The show is recommended for audiences aged 15 and older and contains strong coarse language.
Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2024/shows/jez-jace-lads-on-tour