The Greek Festival of Sydney has set its sights on a new endeavour into comedy with a gala that will showcase emerging talents that make up the new generation of Greek Australian comedians.
The Greek Youth Comedy Gala will take over Canterbury Leagues Club on Saturday 15 March (6.30pm) as the emerging Greek Australian youngsters combine for an evening promising plenty of laughs.
The evening will be hosted by Anthony Locascio (fresh off his successful ‘Pappou’ tour), with him to be joined by fellow young talents Charisa Bossinakis, Stella Kappos, Elouise Eftos, Korinna Gouros and Chris Demos.
Locascio explained the Gala idea came off the back of the support the Greek Festival of Sydney provided for his ‘Pappou’ show at Enmore Theatre in January, with those conversations building a connection and interest for further collaboration.
“Buoyed by Festival Chair Nia Karteris’ enthusiasm to introduce fresh artists to the Greek community, I suggested the gala, and it all unfolded from there,” the comedian told Neos Kosmos.
Locascio stated that a key motivation behind the gala was to create a platform that would introduce comedians for whom the Greek community of Sydney could relate to on an ethnic level.
“The scene has been dominated by the same handful of legendary comics for some time, and rightly or wrongly, the familiarity has bred a perception of so called ‘ethnic comedy’ as low-brow or dated,” he said.
“It has taken me seven years to get my profile to a point where I can provide a platform for other comedians to shine, and even more so with the support of the Festival.”
Locascio personally reached out to the participating comedians for the event, playing a major role in its organisation and helping set up what he feels will be a successful evening.
“I am excited to bring a night of laughs provided by fresh artists who not only represent the Greek community, but also represent modern stand-up comedy,” he said.
The comedian commended the roster of youngsters in the line-up, many of whom have made waves in recent years, trusting they will deliver a great show.
Elouise Eftos expressed her own excitement in featuring in the gala, having been invited by Locascio (a friend and supporter of her career) to participate.
“I really hope that I can find new audience members who haven’t heard of me before,” she said.
“I do not talk in extreme detail about my Greek heritage on stage, but I do think I talk about certain aspects of it that would be relatable for a different generation (maybe second generation Greeks like myself).”
Locascio stated that another goal with the event is to “refresh the perception of what comedy is in the mind of our ethnic community”.
“We won’t be dressing up as our grandmothers and mopping the stage, nor will we be simply changing the words in a song to make it Greek. There will be modern, at times raw and gritty, and possibly even uncomfortable, stand-up comedy and storytelling,” he said.
“If all goes to plan, these hyper-talented young comics will have won over a brand-new legion of fans with whom they share an ancestral homeland.”
