Dane Simpson is proving that the best comedy can be found in the most genuine human experiences.
The Wagga resident was recently named the state winner at the Deadly Funny NSW finals in Redfern, Sydney.
The competition is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrants as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF).
Finalists from each state will compete on April 18 in Melbourne to determine an overall winner who will earn a spot on the MICF stage and $2000.
Mr Simpson has dabbled in the music world for a number of years but recently tried his hand at stand-up comedy after touring with Kevin Kropinyeri.
Mr Simpson assisted Mr Kropinyeri at his Wagga show six months ago with the music and told him a few jokes in their down time.
He then toured with Mr Kropinyeri as a crowd warmer, telling a few jokes before the main show.
“I’ve always told stories and been silly and funny but not in a professional sense,” Mr Simpson said.
“Kevin was the main influence for me.”
Mr Simpson spent countless hours preparing his five-minute act, which was based on stories about his friends and family.
He met with friends and practiced his act on them and made adjustments based on their feedback.
Mr Simpson brought a GoPro to film his act and then watch himself later.
“For the competition I was really calm but I had practiced it and really stuck to it,” he said.
“You have to get good material if your confidence isn’t high but if you’ve got good material you will always get a laugh.”
The drive to Sydney gave Mr Simpson plenty of time to perfect his final piece.
“It worked to my advantage,” he said.
“There’s a lot of five minute blocks in five hours.”
Mr Simpson said sitting around and telling stories and having a laugh is part of the Aboriginal culture and it is advantageous that there is an avenue for Aboriginals to pursue the medium professionally.
“It’s really cool because you can actually see there’s a huge Aboriginal comedy scene moving along and there never used to be,” he said.
“It’s providing really cool opportunities for guys who are obviously talented to really shine.”
Mr Simpson taped his performance to watch it back and see what jokes received the biggest laughs as a preparation method for the national final.
Mr Simpson is waiting to hear back from ABC television program, Black Comedy, about becoming a writer for season two of the show.
