ON the 10th anniversary of the Side Splitter Comedy Festival in Cockburn, its founder Ronan Freeburn has skewered Fremantle council for missing out.
Side Splitter was born out of a Fringe World hub he set up in Fremantle called Freo Royale, but after three successful years, the City “unfairly” pulled its funding, claims Freeburn.
“We learnt so much by being burnt by that local council [Fremantle] and its events team at the time…” he says.
“After 10 years it feels like a bit of a vindication that they got it wrong not backing us and Side Splitters’ results speak for themselves.
“We’ve successfully ran a boutique comedy festival for 10 years straight, in the neighbourhood next door to Fremantle.”
• Some of the great acts at this year’s Side Splitter Comedy Festival.
In the wake of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre moving from Fremantle to Claremont, it’s more unwelcome PR for the ‘City of the Arts’.
Since the first Side Splitter was held at Memorial Hill in Hamilton Hill it has gone from strength-to-strength, attracting some of Australia’s biggest comedy names including Nick Cody, Rove McManus, Fiona O’Loughlin, Randy, and John Safran. The first show in 2016 was attended by 718 people and this year it’s about double that figure, with the capacity only limited by the size of the venue.
“The main highlight is seeing a festival that should not exist on paper – a boutique comedy festival in Hamilton Hill, thrive and be successful,” Freeburn says.
“It’s been really personally satisfying to see it through, knowing its origins.
“One of the great things that has happened over the years, the local Hamilton hill/Cockburn community has really taken ownership of Side Splitter and we have our annual regulars, and people who see multiple shows at the festival each year.”
But a festival wouldn’t be a festival, without the odd crisis.
“One of the most bizarre moments was back in 2017, when midway through a comedy gala all the power went off in the Hamilton Hill area,” Freeburn says. “Luckily the venue had some kind of back up generator/emergency lights and because of the acoustics of the hall being so good – we could continue on and finish the show. It was so bizarre – the audience loved the experience.
“Saying that, as an event producer I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again!”
The Festival keeps evolving and this year, for the first time, there are family friendly daytime shows on Saturday October 25 – One Man Circus and The Little Hoo-Haa.
“It’s a bit of an experiment to see if the festival can expand its reach to new audiences, and it allows us to use the venue in the day time,” Freeburn says,
Some shows are not purely stand-up and feature video content, including performances by John Safran, Brett Blake and Troy Kinne.
Freeburn says this year they have prioritised quality over quantity, only holding shows in the main hall. The smaller 55-seater room is being used for a retrospective photo exhibition about the festival.
It’s also a special time for the historic Memorial Hall, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and has a long association with the arts.
The Side Splitter Comedy Festival wraps up on Saturday night (October 25). For show details and more info see sidesplitter.com.au.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK