Thabo Tshuma has the sort of comedic presence that demands your attention from the moment he steps on stage. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in the quietly conservative Rockhampton—a place where, as he puts it, “some had never even encountered a Black neighbour, let alone a Black comedian”—Tshuma’s upbringing has instilled in him a rare blend of cultural insight and satirical bite. His new show, Omit the Logic, is poised to be a highlight of A Festival in a Festival at Perth’s celebrated Fringe World, and it bears witness to a performer coming fully into his own.
If Tshuma’s childhood offered him ignorance more than outright malice, it also gave him the perfect testing ground for comedic wit. He discovered that humour could break down walls—often more effectively than any stern lecture. Yet it’s not merely Rockhampton’s conservative atmosphere that shaped him. There is, too, the colourful tapestry of his Zimbabwean heritage, which peeks through in storytelling that deftly marries cultural differences with universal truths. He jokes that while terrible driving is universal, Zimbabweans at least know how to use their indicators when they cut you off.
The notion of “omitting the logic” pays homage to the great Richard Pryor, one of Tshuma’s comedic heroes. It’s a phrase that suggests we not take every problem so seriously, that some of life’s conundrums are best left unsolved or at least embraced with a smile. In Omit the Logic, Tshuma delivers a stand-up experience where you’re bound to rethink everything from petty irritations to big existential questions—even if you can’t quite explain how you arrived at enlightenment. And that, in a sense, is exactly the point: some of the best laughs come from the utterly inexplicable.
Tshuma’s ever-growing influence on the Perth comedy circuit owes much to his collaboration with Grassroots Comedy and its managing director, comedian Xavier Susai. The Grassroots ethos—nurturing talent at all levels, from the newbie on the open mic to the 25-year stage veteran—aligns perfectly with Tshuma’s own approach. He has mounted back-to-back solo shows under their banner and won the Comedy Lounge’s award for West Australian Comedian of the Year along the way. By bridging established names and emerging voices, Grassroots Comedy and Tshuma together represent a microcosm of what makes Perth’s scene so thrilling right now: unflinching camaraderie, boundless experimentation, and a community that rallies behind its rising stars.
A Festival in a Festival, the Grassroots-driven event within Fringe World, amplifies just that spirit. Offering performers the means to stage works without astronomical financial risk, it provides a platform for artists to push boundaries. It’s the kind of environment where Tshuma’s irreverent yet heartfelt style can flourish, letting him take even the most cynical audience on a journey that feels intimate and brave.
His stories may span continents—from the bustle of Harare to the outback roads of Queensland—but the binding element is laughter. If you ask Tshuma, the role of a comedian is to escort audiences to the scary corners of their minds and reveal that perhaps it’s not so dark after all. Therein lies the magic of Omit the Logic: the shared joy in discovering that the great puzzle of life might be best left unsolved, so long as we can laugh together through the chaos.
When: 15th of February at 9pm
Where: Ronnie Nights, Fremantle
Tickets: $25 puchase on Fringe World – A Festival in a Festival – click here (Choose specific time/date)
For more information click here
