Accessible Arts and Crips & Creeps in Association with Arts on Tour and Riverside are thrilled to present, Are You Pulling My Leg?, a raucous, accessible comedy event showcasing some of Australia’s funniest comedians with disability or chronic illness, at Riverside Theatres on Saturday 20th July.
Comedian Sam Wade is performing. Read on for more on Sam himself and his show.
How would you describe Are You Pulling My Leg to someone who knows very little about it?
AYPML is Australia’s most accessible comedy show. It’s created by comedians with unique needs and perspectives on the world and how we navigate it. You’re not getting an “inspirational story” that HR has put together to fill out their corporate cultural quota. You’re getting some real funny shit by the people who live it.
What sets Are You Pulling My Leg apart from other comedy shows, and why should audiences see it?
You’re going to see comics and performers with a unique point of view that wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity.
If you’ve ever had to sit through an accessibility or inclusivity day at work, run by someone who isn’t part of that very specific community then this is your chance to hear our side of the story.
Because we’re not brave or inspiring. We don’t have “superpowers”. We’re just people who interact with the world differently.
What about your comedy are you most proud of?
I love that I’m positive and aggressively upbeat. I’m always trying to leave the audience with a spring in their step walking out of the show.
Who or what was the inspiration for your comedy? Who has been your biggest inspirations?
I’m from a really UK heavy comedy background so all my references and heroes are Bily Connolly, Ross Noble, Might Boosh etc. All very high energy, fantastical and silly rather than cynical.
How long was the process from idea to writing to stage? Any challenges along the way?
Oh boy, that’s such an expansive question. I’ve had bits born on stage, because I will just start riffing material with the person in the front row who gives me the most attention. I’ve also had bits take 4 years to write from first thought to going on stage.
That bit as an example was about observational comedy being “theoretically impossible” due to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principal. I had that thought as soon as I started comedy. But. It took 4 years of working on other bits to make it funny and accessible.
That’s where the most challenges are in my opinion. You can come up with something that really scratches an itch for your brain, but it takes a lot of work and skill to get that across to an audience.
What attracts you to comedy and how long have you been involved?
It’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was 6 and my folks put on a Billy Connolly cassette on a road trip when they thought I was asleep. They got home and weren’t thrilled that I had picked up a whole new vocabulary for school the next day.
It took me a while to get to performing but I’ve been at it for 6 years now.
What are three things that would surprise people to learn about you?
I’m a digital content creator as my day job and I’ve worked with a lot of different clients from Racing Cars to Funeral Homes.
I have viewed my autism as a superpower before so all that stuff about me saying it’s not. Straight up lies. I am in fact the very best at hearing electricity and making regular scheduled eye contact.
I’m an incredible (not modest, just facts) home cook.
What comes after this showcase for you?
I’m working on my new hour About Time and a live panel show called Not Another Panel Show. Follow me at @wadeisaverb_ on most social platforms to find out when and where they’re on. I’d put in the links myself but as I’m writing this on a freezing Tuesday morning in early June I don’t have those links yet.
Are You Pulling My Leg? is touring nationally, including to Riverside Theatre, Parramatta on 20 July. For the full tour details, see here
