Pilot
Australia's finest up-and-coming young comedians bring their creative visions to the stage and debut their solo shows.
“The future of comedy is in safe hands.” - Radio Monash
‘Pilot’ is back and better than ever, with six exciting young comics headlining shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the very first time! Come and see the heavy hitters of tomorrow’s comedy scene and say you saw them before they were big.
Kushi Venkatesh - RealiTEA
19-year-old Kushi's debut solo show, RealiTEA, brings together stand-up comedy and PowerPoint to shine a light on the chaos in her brown teenage world—a world her parents and the aunties don’t know she's sharing.
Don’t believe the stories? Don’t worry she’s brought all the text and email receipts as proof, displayed on some very overdone slide shows that she spent more time on than for her Uni assignments.
She’s a TikToker and regular on ABCs Behind the News, racking up millions of likes across her videos and “commands the mic with the ease and flair of a comedic presenter beyond her years” (ArtsHub)
Naomi Ross - Is This Original?
Naomi Ross is paralysed by the fear that there’s nothing original left for her show. Everything’s been taken. Instead, she can be profound! With catchy musical comedy (that is at least a little bit original), and heartfelt sincerity (that is at least a little bit profound) Naomi will do her best to entertain you and avoid copyright claims.
Kate Kindleysides - A.I. (Accurate information)
Class Clowns National winner Kate Kindleysides is at it again... This show is filled with hard truths and not for the faint-hearted. Those who wish to accept will embark on a quest sent by Lord Zuckerberg himself to sort fact from fiction. And hey, maybe it’ll be a laugh.
The Brisbane-based national winner of the 2023 Class Clowns who “impressed the judges with her dry wit, natural stage presence and confidence” (Beat Magazine) brings her comedy back to the Melbourne stage.
Romeo Delinicolas - Mangoes and Manhood
For his debut show, Transgender comic Romeo shares the sweet, sticky, and slightly neurotic journey of growing up Greek, being the child of a mango farmer, and realizing he was less “good Greek girl” and more “deeply confused farm boy”.
Throw in some OCD along with an existential fear of both failure and success, this is a coming-of-age tale packed with laughs, TMI moments, and occasionally insightful fruity metaphors.
Ned McVicar - Cavalcade
Cavalcade is an incomprehensible grouping of things Ned wishes to inflict upon this world. Following Ned's recent smash hit appearance on crimestoppers they've endeavored to enact revenge on greater society, a process open for all to watch. Safety cannot be guaranteed for any Myki inspectors in attendance.
As an AI language model I am restricted from sharing harmful information and therefore cannot list the contents of Cavalcade, however I would be happy to help with your recent prompts "how write 25 minutes stand up funny" and "if you drink enough rat poison it's not just rat poison it's everything poison -- how do I reword into a joke?"
Hugo Foxworthy - Odyssey
Hugo doesn’t travel far from his home often, but his imagination knows no bounds. Come on the journey of a lifetime - a day in the life of a teenage comedian who doesn’t quite see things the way the rest of us do.
Pilot was founded in 2024 in response to experiencing the barriers young people face when jumping from 5-minute sets to their own solo shows. In our second year, Pilot is giving 6 hand-picked comedians aged 16-25 a half-hour slot at the Festival and financing, producing and assisting in creative development, providing everything they need to pursue comedy further. Keep an eye on our socials if you're a young comedian hoping to take part!
Monday 31st March - Kushi Venkatesh / Naomi Ross
Tuesday 1st April - Kate Kindleysides / Romeo Delinicolas
Wednesday 2nd April - Ned McVicar / Hugo Foxworthy
Thursday 3rd April - Kate Kindleysides / Romeo Delinicolas
Friday 4th April - Ned McVicar / Hugo Foxworthy
Saturday 5th April - Kushi Venkatesh / Naomi Ross
Sunday 6th April - Kate Kindleysides / Romeo Delinicolas
Suitable for audiences 15+
Language – mild language
Australia's finest up-and-coming young comedians bring their creative visions to the stage and debut their solo shows.
“The future of comedy is in safe hands.” - Radio Monash
‘Pilot’ is back and better than ever, with six exciting young comics headlining shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the very first time! Come and see the heavy hitters of tomorrow’s comedy scene and say you saw them before they were big.
Kushi Venkatesh - RealiTEA
19-year-old Kushi's debut solo show, RealiTEA, brings together stand-up comedy and PowerPoint to shine a light on the chaos in her brown teenage world—a world her parents and the aunties don’t know she's sharing.
Don’t believe the stories? Don’t worry she’s brought all the text and email receipts as proof, displayed on some very overdone slide shows that she spent more time on than for her Uni assignments.
She’s a TikToker and regular on ABCs Behind the News, racking up millions of likes across her videos and “commands the mic with the ease and flair of a comedic presenter beyond her years” (ArtsHub)
Naomi Ross - Is This Original?
Naomi Ross is paralysed by the fear that there’s nothing original left for her show. Everything’s been taken. Instead, she can be profound! With catchy musical comedy (that is at least a little bit original), and heartfelt sincerity (that is at least a little bit profound) Naomi will do her best to entertain you and avoid copyright claims.
Kate Kindleysides - A.I. (Accurate information)
Class Clowns National winner Kate Kindleysides is at it again... This show is filled with hard truths and not for the faint-hearted. Those who wish to accept will embark on a quest sent by Lord Zuckerberg himself to sort fact from fiction. And hey, maybe it’ll be a laugh.
The Brisbane-based national winner of the 2023 Class Clowns who “impressed the judges with her dry wit, natural stage presence and confidence” (Beat Magazine) brings her comedy back to the Melbourne stage.
Romeo Delinicolas - Mangoes and Manhood
For his debut show, Transgender comic Romeo shares the sweet, sticky, and slightly neurotic journey of growing up Greek, being the child of a mango farmer, and realizing he was less “good Greek girl” and more “deeply confused farm boy”.
Throw in some OCD along with an existential fear of both failure and success, this is a coming-of-age tale packed with laughs, TMI moments, and occasionally insightful fruity metaphors.
Ned McVicar - Cavalcade
Cavalcade is an incomprehensible grouping of things Ned wishes to inflict upon this world. Following Ned's recent smash hit appearance on crimestoppers they've endeavored to enact revenge on greater society, a process open for all to watch. Safety cannot be guaranteed for any Myki inspectors in attendance.
As an AI language model I am restricted from sharing harmful information and therefore cannot list the contents of Cavalcade, however I would be happy to help with your recent prompts "how write 25 minutes stand up funny" and "if you drink enough rat poison it's not just rat poison it's everything poison -- how do I reword into a joke?"
Hugo Foxworthy - Odyssey
Hugo doesn’t travel far from his home often, but his imagination knows no bounds. Come on the journey of a lifetime - a day in the life of a teenage comedian who doesn’t quite see things the way the rest of us do.
Pilot was founded in 2024 in response to experiencing the barriers young people face when jumping from 5-minute sets to their own solo shows. In our second year, Pilot is giving 6 hand-picked comedians aged 16-25 a half-hour slot at the Festival and financing, producing and assisting in creative development, providing everything they need to pursue comedy further. Keep an eye on our socials if you're a young comedian hoping to take part!
Monday 31st March - Kushi Venkatesh / Naomi Ross
Tuesday 1st April - Kate Kindleysides / Romeo Delinicolas
Wednesday 2nd April - Ned McVicar / Hugo Foxworthy
Thursday 3rd April - Kate Kindleysides / Romeo Delinicolas
Friday 4th April - Ned McVicar / Hugo Foxworthy
Saturday 5th April - Kushi Venkatesh / Naomi Ross
Sunday 6th April - Kate Kindleysides / Romeo Delinicolas
Suitable for audiences 15+
Language – mild language
