Interview with Marty Bright, by Kevina-Jo Smith

Marty Bright, Comedian, Presenter, MC, Poet, Vocalist, Creative Producer, Workshop Facilitator.
Q+A with Kevina-Jo Smith

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Who is Marty Bright? And where did you come from? I am a Wentworth Falls based funny fella. I grew up on the mean suburban Sydney streets of Ryde and my parents migrated from New Zealand. I have performed around the world for over a decade including shows in USA, Canada, Vietnam and Thailand on stages at anywhere from music festivals, comedy clubs to pubs, RSL's and charity events. I love bringing laughter to local community and contributing to the thriving arts scene.

Tell us about your experience developing and growing the comedy scene in the Blue Mountains, forming BLUE MTNS COMEDY? For the past few years, I have had a blast putting on events across the mountains. It has been satisfying and rewarding to not only bring some of my favourite touring comedians to town but also give locals an opportunity to perform without having to travel to Sydney to get on the mic. I have been overwhelmed with the local support and enthusiasm from other businesses and partners along the way. Word of mouth has been a very valuable tool in spreading the word in our local community and now the news is spreading to Sydney, as we are having more and more people come up and make a weekend of attending one of our shows.

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Where did you first recognise the potential to grow a local scene? And what drives you to do so? 

There have always been comedy shows in the Blue Mountains however I felt there was potential to bring more variety in the styles and venues that were hosting comedy in our region. I also feel that people who live non metro city lifestyles are under-represented in the comedy industry, so no better place to start than more comedy in the Blue Mountains!!! It has also been a lot of fun touring shows in Central West NSW and branching out to towns such as Lithgow, Rylstone, Oberon, Carcoar, Bathurst and Mudgee to name a few.

Can you share with us where you will be performing over the coming months? 

Blue Mountains Comedy on Instagram and Facebook is the best way to keep up to date with all our events (of which there are dozens before the year is out). Our next two solo shows are Fady Kassab on August 29th, who has opened for Jim Jefferies, Chris Ryan on September 13th who is a multi-award-winning comedian currently on a national tour, and our monthly free entry open mic on August 18th and September 15th. All these shows are in Katoomba at various venues, but we hope to expand to some of the villages across the Mountains in the future.

Where can we find you and the comedians you host?‍

@bluemountainscomedy
FB: Blue Mountains Comedy
@martyisbright‍