This is Kate.
Most adults avoid public speaking. 16-year-old Kate creates her own jokes and tests them out on complete strangers.
After years of studying her favourite comedians, Kate was compelled to take her show from the mirror to a live audience. She ran her jokes by her Dad to a lukewarm review. Undeterred, she entered the Melbourne Comedy Festival’s Class Clown 2023 competition.
It was the scariest thing she has ever done – especially as her hero, Sam Campbell was backstage.
The moment Kate was in front of the audience, the fear dissipated, she was in her zone, and she took out the top prize. Not bad for a shy girl from Nundah who wouldn’t dream of practicing her stand-up routine on her friends.
Kate gets a buzz from testing jokes, with laughs being the measure of success. If a joke falls flat, she tweaks the content and delivery until she gets the response she’s looking for.
Now that her abilities have been truly validated by this major win, Kate has the confidence to keep growing her craft.
Mum (also her manager, security guard and driver) has been banned from her shows, sneaking in once, only to be spotted by Kate and instructed via text to leave the venue!
Thank you to The Pedaler Coffee for hosting our time together.
What’s your Project focuses on inspiring locals, interviewed and photographed by local contributor Gaylia Lee. Read more of Gaylia’s contributions here.
