It's not our first time seeing Jeremy Dooley on the Geelong Comedy Festival stage and it certainly won't be the last!
Last year Jeremy Dooley took Geelong by storm with his double show feature No Doubt at Geelong Comedy Festival.
This year the fast-rising star of comedy returns to the four-day festival, this time kick-starting his career as a full-time comedian having recently put in his notice at work.
“I wrap up in a couple of weeks and then I basically jump on a plane the next day and fly to WA to do a month’s long tour up and down WA doing full-time comedy. It’s a bit of a risk,” he explains.
Keep up with the latest in local news and entertainment here.
The move comes at a pivotal time for the storytelling comedian who is about to embark on his biggest chapter yet in both his professional and personal life – a detail that will be revealed during his upcoming stand-up appearance.
He teases, “It’s either the dumbest thing that I’ve ever done, getting rid of job security or it’s the risk that is going to pay off. That’s a huge part of it is to roll the dice and say that I know one way or the other!”
With details of his personal life littered into the lines of his stand-up show, First and Last will see the comic tap into his vulnerability, lacing it with light-hearted laughter.
View this post on Instagram
“My style is really storytelling based and it probably catches people off guard because it gets quite vulnerable at points and people don’t expect that. I’m covered in tattoos and a big dude and people don’t expect to be crying because of emotion and because of laughter,” he explains.
“You can be joke, joke, joke, joke and that’s great. It has to be funny first but I want people in a week to be still reflecting and thinking on it and be moved and impacted by it as well as having a good time.”
It’s a style that stems from his background in youth work, using the power of storytelling meets humour to connect with his clients.
“I haven’t been doing comedy for that long. It’s a thing that started and became a rapid freight train that has left the station. My background – I’ve done a lot of things – but I used to be a youth worker for a really long time so storytelling and being able to connect through story is a big part of what I have done, so I feel comfortable in that space and I feel comfortable bearing my heart to people. I feel incredibly safe doing that work. It’s now how do I do that and be really funny at the same time and have that contrast.’
View this post on Instagram
Relatable, raw and refreshing, the comedy style builds across the course of the show and allowed Dooley to not only win over audiences at last years Geelong Comedy Festival, but also saw the star rise to new heights at his appearance at Melbourne Comedy Festival earlier this year and his touring stints thereafter. Last years Geelong Comedy Festival saw people travel far and beyond to see the newcomer.
“I had a great experience – both shows were full and people had travelled huge distances which totally blew my mind. People had driven from Port Fairy to come and watch my show and that’s not five minutes away. I had a great experience and I felt like the vibe around Geelong was really cool. The audience was great!”
For Geelong Comedy Festival in 2024, Jeremy Dooley has revisited the scripts of this years festivals along with last years sold out No Doubt show to build a mountain of new material.
“It’s 70% brand new stuff that I have been working on. I’ve been hitting the road a bit since the Melbourne Comedy Festival so this is a collection of a couple of bits that are really bulletproof but predominantly brand new,” says Dooley.
“I’m only doing one show this year instead of the two that I did last year so I’m going to pack it all in! I’m really excited for it.”
Supporting Jeremy Dooley for the First & Last show at No. 10 James Street on Saturday 2 November is Warrnambool based comic Aidan Nicholson. Nicholson is known for running Dirty Angel Comedy in the ‘bool and giving opportunities for many local aspiring comics with his appearance a pay it forward moment for Dooley.
“I wanted to bring Aidan in because one of my first paid shows was with him in Warrnambool so I wanted to pay it back and say thank you for that opportunity in 2021. He’s a great comedian and a great person and does so much for comedy and the arts in Warrnambool and beyond as well.”
View this post on Instagram
Furthering the regional connection Jeremy Dooley, who is based in Melbourne, can be marked as an honorary Geelongian having connections to the region tracing back to his childhood. Having family based on the Bellarine and Surf Coast, the insight into our region gives him a leg up on luring in audiences. It’s a connection that will keep him coming back for years to come.
“I don’t think I will ever stop coming to Geelong and performing here. For me Geelong Comedy Festival is almost the start of the calendar year for the next year so it’s always pencilled in for the touring schedule,” Dooley says.
“If it goes really well we will start a protest to get Home House reopened. Bring back Smorgys as well and rebuild the old school Norlane Waterworld and everything will be good in the universe.”
Grab your tickets to see Jeremy Dooley’s First & Last at Geelong Comedy Festival on Saturday 2 November here.
