Why we need to get serious about comedy

No one doubts Shakespeare's comedies are art but contemporary comedians are often dismissed in discussions of cultural value.

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Despite a venerable history that stretches back to the earliest days of theatre, comedy still gets a bad rap. Comedians struggle to obtain arts funding to develop new work – many of them seem to believe there’s no point in even applying for an arts grant – and some in the sector still look down their noses at the form, seeing comedy more as entertainment than as art.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts