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About
Comedian, actor and writer Damien Power is widely regarded as one of the most exhilarating voices on the Australian comedy circuit. The 3 time Barry Award nominee’s material ranges from hilarious personal stories about his brother Will Power (a famous IndyCar driver) to impassioned and absurdist socio-political commentary.
Hand-picked to support Jack Black and the legendary musical comedy duo Tenacious D, he is best known to Australian audiences after taking to the web to decry the failings of extreme right-wingers as a core member of the award winning True Australian Patriots. Damien recently captured the attention of Hollywood comedy royalty Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Tim and Eric Show, Great Job!) who named him as one to watch.
Touring his raw, assured I Can’t Believe I Cared to audiences around Australia and the world in 2015, Damien took the 2016 festival scene by storm with Sell Mum Into Slavery which was nominated for the Barry award and filmed as part of ABC-TV’s Next Gen series.
Watch Damien Power: Sell Mum Into Slavery
Tackling the big global questions from evolution and religion to Nationalism and the wealth gap, Damien’s a comic with a real philosophical swagger. An intelligent but oh-so-accessible set that’ll give your brain and your ribs a good tickle.
Short Clips
See Damien Power Live
Information on Damien Power’s upcoming gigs and live shows can be found here.
Bio
Growing up in Toowoomba, a small regional town in Queensland, as a school kid Damien was keen on sports performance as well as the stagey kind. He told Beat.com “I played cricket and football well, so probably a wanker. I was actually bullied a lot because I played up a grade in sport. All the older kids hated me. I always loved comedy and impressions, even during high school. I remember the big thing when I was at school was The 12th Man: the parody of Australian cricket commentators. I remember doing an impression of Max Walker from that show and an older kid threw an apple at my head.”
Starting his professional training as a theatre actor, he paid the bills working in the mental health sector before eventually moving into stand up. In describing his home town, it’s easy to see where Damien’s writing inspiration is drawn from, particularly in his work with underground cult hit True Australian Patriots.
“When you’re in the Toowoomba state of mind you are more inclined to watch rugby league and make casually racist/homophobic comments.” The spoof collective have been making a name for themselves online via their Facebook videos and live shows that include ‘re-education and philosophy about things like Halal, islamafications, sharita squads, skits and discussions, weights programmes and fighting demos”. Following the group’s success, Damien also joined his True Australian Patriot partner performer Anne Edmonds’ new show for ABC TV, The Edge Of The Bush, which features his own segment – “Power to the People” – as well as featuring with her in the Australian six-part sketch comedy ABC television series Fancy Boy.
Working his way up the comedy ladder Damien had a huge 2012, selling out shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals. After reaching the finals in the national RAW Comedy competition, Damien was selected by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to perform in their exclusive showcase of Australia’s best emerging comedians, The Comedy Zone. After a successful run at the Sydney Fringe Festival Damien was nominated for Best Comedy. Then in 2013 Damien took his latest show to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival where he sold out his run and was nominated for Best Newcomer. He has supported Doug Stanhope and Maz Jobrani, as well as live-tweeting his brother Will Power IndyCar Championship win to an international audience of motoring and comedy enthusiasts, gaining attention from USA Today, NBC and Fox Sports, as well as IndyCar HQ.
The 2017 Melbourne Comedy Festival saw Damien nominated for the Barry award for Best Show again as well as a Pinder Prize win, (a grant named in honour of legendary comedy impresario John Pinder). His award-winning hour of Power Utopia: Live in 3D played at the Assembly for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. That same year he was also selected to perform at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, appearing on All Access filmed for the Comedy Network in Canada.
When he’s not performing live, Damien keeps his fans engaged via his witty weekly podcast “Power to the People”, exploring the murky inner workings of the mind, interrogating the crazy chaos of the world we live in, and questioning the insane trivia of ordinary life.