Log on and laugh with Kirsty Webeck’s Zoom Comedy Hour

Posted on 18 August, 2021

Sitting in her living room, Kirsty Webeck looks down at her small computer screen and cracks a big smile as her enraptured audience begins to laugh.

Usually, she would be on stage fighting against blinding lights as she encourages snickers and shrieks but as Australia continues to lockdown to fight the COVID pandemic, the world of comedy has had to evolve to match the circumstances.

The Canberra raised, Melbourne based professional stand up comedian has been taking her shows to the next (virtual) level, hosting Zoom comedy shows since 2020.

“My Twitter followers were asking me to put on a show online so I teamed up with somebody who had really mastered the art of Zoom,” says Kirsty.

“It was an opportunity to give a gig to my mates who have lost a lot of work and put weekly shows on with different line ups to keep their spirits up while they’re in lockdown, or not! A lot of people attending aren’t even in lockdown.”

Featuring three legends of comedy – New Zealand’s award winning comedian, James Nokise, and two of Australia’s best award winning comedians Laura Davis and Zoe Coombs Marr, Kirsty’s next show is scheduled for Friday August 20.

As Canberra faces several weeks of lockdown, the Zoom Comedy Hour is the perfect chance to log on and laugh with people who know about being stuck at home all too well.

“Because everyone’s having such a hard time at the moment and things are really tough and different and we’re so isolated, there’s this real feeling of joy when you do an online gig,” says Kirsty. “You can see that it lifts everybody’s woes for a few minutes.”

With over 400 online attendees each week, including viewers from the United States, Kirsty’s Zoom Comedy Hour has become a raging success.

A part of the wonder of the show is the comedy fans ‘passing on’ their tickets to those in lockdown or to people struggling financially who need a laugh. Kirsty says that unlike her usual stand up shows, there is a ‘beautiful community element’ to connecting online.

“I myself am donating tickets each week as well,” she says. “People just send me an email or a DM and just let me know that they need a laugh and I don’t ask questions and I send them a ticket.”

“It’s a really beautiful thing to be a part of. It’s got this real community, loving, caring atmosphere to it that I’ve never really experienced in a stand-up gig before, let alone an online one.”

As part of the loving atmosphere, Kirsty has introduced a pet parade to each of her shows so attendees can show off their furry friends.

Kicking it off with her own pets Joan and Fergie, who are wrangled by her partner Elle, it’s a fun way for the online community to connect.

Joan is always a big hit during the comedy show.

“So far we’ve had a chicken, a bearded dragon, a snake, guinea pigs, millions of cats and dogs!” says Kirsty. “It creates this sense of togetherness. At the beginning everyone is having a peek into each others lounge rooms and getting to see each other’s pets, it’s really interesting how an intimacy has been able to be created over an online event.”

While all of the comedians involved are hoping to give people a form of escapism from the pandemic with the weekly show, Kirsty has some simple advice for anyone struggling to cope with lockdown: Cut your own hair.

“If you give yourself a haircut in lockdown, the result will be so terrible that when the lockdown is extended, you’ll be happy. ”she says with a laugh.

“It’s all about expectation management and you’ll want a few more weeks to grow out that terrible bald spot that you cut into the side of your head…that’s exactly what I did last year.”