On the eve of Cultural Diversity Week, internationally
renowned performer Joe Avati will head a line-up of comedians for a special
show to help raise funds for anti-bullying organisation, Bully Zero Australia
Foundation.
A Culturally Diverse
Comedy Night will be held at the Abruzzo
Club in East Brunswick on Thursday March 13 (the Friday date now cancelled):
More details and ticket information can be found at www.joeavati.com
Reflecting on his own experiences of being bullied in the
schoolyard because he was called Giuseppe (he could never find a mug with his
name on it!), Joe has teamed up with fellow comedians Tahir, Gabriel Rossi, and
Mayumi Nobetsu to put on a fantastic night of stand-up comedy to give a boost
to a very worthy cause that has not only affected one in five Australians, but
has impacted all four stand-up comedians.
“I am thrilled to have this show supporting Bully Zero
Australia Foundation”, says BZAF CEO Oscar Yildiz. Racial bullying is very
common, but thanks to the brilliant work of comedians such as Joe, Tahir,
Gabriel and Mayumi, multiculturalism is celebrated rather than judged and
criticised.”
A credit to this kind of comedy, where they recount stories
of their upbringing with humour, is that it has the very opposite effect of
bullying, and that is of celebrating different cultures and promoting unity”.
Adds Joe, with a laugh, “I
was bullied because of my ‘stinky’ lunch. Mum would make me a sandwich of white
bread with salami. My friends had hundreds and thousands on their bread, while
we had hundreds and thousands under the mattress," he quips.
Melbourne-based
comedian and father of two, Gabriel Rossi, has been on both sides of the fence,
but concedes either position is one he’d want to see his children in. “I
embarrassed this one kid in front of the entire class once. But he got me back
by waiting for me outside the front of the school for weeks. I ended up having
to sneak out of school another way”.
Showing
bullying exists everywhere, Japanese-born comedian Mayumi Nobetsu had her fair
share of it, too. “In Junior High School, more traditional girls treated me
like I was different. One particular girl started to convince all of my friends
to hang out with her, which meant I was alone during recess and lunch breaks.
After a while, I decided to read up on bullying, and I understood that people
bully because of jealously, insecurity and immaturity. Fortunately, once I
entered senior high school, the bullying stopped”.
Star of Fat Pizza and Housos, popular comedian Tahir is also
joining the line-up. For more information and ticket purchase details, head to www.joeavati.com/tour
And Josie's Juice blog readers have the chance to win one of FIVE double passes to the show at the Abbruzzo Club. It's on this Thursday, so enter now! Here's all you need to do:
- 'Like' the Josie's Juice Facebook page
- Share this link on your Facebook wall
- Comment below on why you'd like to win a double pass to the show on Thursday
*Competition drawn on the morning of Thursday 14 March, and open to Australian residents only
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