Alannah Maher, Journalist

Nikki Britton and Rose Callaghan tell Alannah Maher what it's like to be doing comedy in 2019: what it’s like to be a woman, and why we definitely don’t need any more think pieces about whether women are funny.

"Raskopoulos has a talent for busting open both your ribs and your heart." Pic by Robert Catto.

"From the most exquisitely gender-bent male performance artists you’ve ever seen, to a pregnant burlesque queen, 'Bent Burlesque' had it all."

As our society wrestles with radical shifts in political and cultural outlooks, artists are on the frontline, decoding and confronting the complexities of inequality. Alannah Maher had at chat with BIGSOUND speakers Alice Skye, Rachel Maria Cox, Jalen James Acosta and Breanna Wright about the ways affirmative action is shifting the status quo of the Australian music industry to create platforms and opportunities that support more diverse representation.

"The Breaker Upperers sits somewhere between Broad City, Muriel's Wedding and Absolutely Fabulous with its ode to female friendship and unflinching, absurdist humour."

"I feel like when I stand on that stage and say thank you to the audience... I'm just gonna break down crying."

"I will continue fighting to tell stories that need to be told for a market that's under-served."

"The great thing about Drag Race is that the fans pay attention to every detail and are able to interact with it."