_{Cover image: Perth comedy producer Ronan Freeburn. Image by Matt Jelonek.}

Making people laugh together must be one of the most noble things someone can do for their fellow humans.

Comedy is the key to unlock the “Three Cs” of coping, critique and connection. Often dismissed as a low-brow artform or light entertainment, comedy has seriously important outcomes: a defence against adversity and stress; to interrogate taboos and take on the powerful; and as a social glue to better connect people.

“Humour is it’s a great way for us to have evolved so we don’t have to hit each other with sticks,” says Scott Weems, a cognitive neuroscientist and the author of Ha! The science of when we laugh and why,

In short, comedy can make us better people.  It’s a shame the White House, Kremlin and other political citadels don’t have resident court jesters pricking their bellicose bosses’ balloons and get them to make laughs, not war.

As for live comedy, plenty of performers talk about the curious alchemy of affirmation that bubbles through a bunch of people when they share a laugh at our collective foibles and pratfalls.

It’s certainly a view shared by Perth comedy producer Ronan Freeburn, whose annual laugh-fest WA Comedy Week returns from Tuesday 4 August to Sunday 9 August.

“Particularly in this age where we spend so much time on our phones or communicating through the laptop, it’s really great for people to come to together, generally in a room full of strangers, to share in the absurdities of existence,” Freeburn says.

“There’s a lot of catharsis that comes through that exchange, not just between the comedian and the audience, but amongst the audience themselves. because it’s really signalling to other people in the audience, ‘Hey, I understand this as well. Do you get it too?’ “

WA Comedy Week follows the comedy-packed Fringe World and the Perth Comedy Festival in the 2026 calendar as another timely opportunity to take the piss, so to speak, out of the blustery winds of ongoing turmoil and strife.

Unlike those other comedy events, WA Comedy Week is dedicated entirely to local talent, with a diverse line-up of more than 50 comedians appearing in 11 shows in six venues throughout Subiaco.

“It’s the one week where Western Australian comedians take centre stage, showcasing the incredible depth of comedy being produced right here at home, without the need for interstate or international headliners,” Freeburn says.

Now in its fifth year, WA Comedy Week began during Covid-19, when State borders were closed and local acts had a chance to shine in their own right in front of audiences eager for some light relief.

Freeburn is quick to dip his metaphorical lid to former Artrage boss Marcus Canning and his team at the Rechabite for helping kick-start the event in 2022 by making the Northbridge venue available free of charge, setting up a week of sold-out shows by local comics.

From that launching pad, as the Rechabite returned to normal programming, Freeburn was invited by the City of Subiaco’s See Subiaco activation team to bring the event into venues there in 2023.

“Subiaco has a really proactive team working to attract a broad variety of events,” Freeburn says. “They have really helped turn Subiaco around over the past six or seven years after it went through a difficult stretch from losing the football and other issues.

“With performances across six Subiaco venues, the festival highlights the diversity of our local comedy community while supporting local businesses and activating the precinct throughout the week.”

The program is a great insight into the state of comedy in the State of WA, through multi-act showcases like Fresh Comedy, Rainbow Racket Queer Comedy, Girl Power Comedy Hour and the WA Comedy All Stars.

There are plenty of familiar names (Xavier Susai, Matt Dyktynski, Sean Conway) and emerging artists generating plenty of heat including Nikos Reuter, Thabo Tshuma (2024 Comedian of the Year), Brian Shields and Courtney Maldo, who hosts Giants of Comedy – literally a line-up of very tall comedians.

As one of WA’s busiest live artforms, the comedy circuit provides social value to the community and income opportunities for artists, venue staff and associated retail/hospitality outlets, Freeburn says.

He has long argued that the local comedy scene, and its home-grown talent, could do with more State-led support, as occurs with WA contemporary music. Like the music scene, the WA comedy circuit develops some of the best talent in the country.

He points to WA State support for the Perth Comedy Festival, which is owned and run out of Sydney, and Victorian Government subsidies for regional WA tours of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow. as examples of funding misalignment with Made in WA priorities. Both events primarily showcase international and interstate acts with few pathways to develop local talent or sustain local industry growth, he notes.

“WA comedy productions attempting to operate in this space are required to absorb travel and accommodation costs without equivalent support, creating a clear structural barrier to entry.”

Freeburn made his case earlier this year in a 15-page submission to the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport in response to the establishment of a taskforce (without a comedy representative) to guide planning for the creative sector over the next decade.

Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said in May that she had met with Freeburn and assured him that comedy was considered an important part of our creative industries landscape now and into the future.

Freeburn takes solace in having raised the matter.

“The optimist in me says, ‘Hey, maybe it may not happen in a year’s time, but it might happen in five years,’” he says. “Who’s to say that maybe some of the work that I’ve done might have helped move that needle forward.”

WA Comedy Week runs August 4-9 at various venues in Subiaco. Details and tickets at  wacomedyweek.com.