Black Comedy (TV series)

Black Comedy
Genre	Comedy
Starring	Steven Oliver Elizabeth Wymarra Bjorn Stewart Nakkiah Lui Jon Bell Aaron Fa'aoso Matt Day Jeff McMullen Deborah Mailman Sacha Horler Brooke Satchwell Brendan Cowell Maggie Dence and Anita Hegh.
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer	Sally Riley
Producers	Kath Shelper Mark O'Toole
Production company	Scarlett Pictures
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	5 November 2014 (2014-11-05)

Black Comedy is an Australian television comedy series produced by Scarlett Pictures which first screened on ABC on Wednesday, 5 November 2014. Black Comedy combines a mix of observational and physical sketches, historical sketches and parodies of TV, film and commercials and is a fast paced look at Australian culture through the comedic prism of the first people of Australia.

Black Comedy stars Aaron Fa'aoso, Steven Oliver, Jon Bell, Elizabeth Wymarra, Nakkiah Lui and Bjorn Stewart and features guest cameos by Matt Day, Jeff McMullen, Deborah Mailman, Sacha Horler, Brooke Satchwell, Brendan Cowell, Maggie Dence, Anita Hegh and Meyne Wyatt.

Background

In 1972 the ABC commissioned a pilot for a half-hour Indigenous sketch show based on The National Black Theatre production at Nimrod Theatre, Basically Black. In 1973 the TV sketch show of the same name went to air, but a series was never commissioned. The genesis of the show is profiled in Darlene Johnson's recent ABC documentary The Redfern Story.

In 2012, the Indigenous Development of the ABC used this production of Basically Black and also another ABC half-hour comedy from 1986 Babakiueria (Barbeque Area) as leaping off points for development of a new show.

Black Comedy was born in late 2012 with an ABC funded week-long workshop in Coogee Bay involving sixteen Indigenous writer/performers chosen after a nationwide callout for participants. Mark O'Toole, Kath Shelper and comedy director Ted Emery ran the workshop where skills were taught, scripts were written, sketches shot and edited together. At the end of the workshop a sizzle reel was screened to ABC executives who showed interest in further development.

The writing process continued in July 2013 with a workshop comprising a core writing team of five – with four writers from the original workshop (Steven Oliver, Elizabeth Wymarra, Bjorn Stewart, Nakkiah Lui) and one additional new writer (Jon Bell). Writing continued with the core group through August and September of that year with the all participants being invited to contribute.

One final weeklong workshop in December 2013, this time with the core team and a number of additional writers from the original workshop, saw the majority of the show written.

"For 18 months I got to write a comedy show with some of the funniest people I have ever met. I've had some of the biggest laughs of my life sitting around the writers table throwing ideas back and forth and during table reads." – Nakkiah Lui

The ABC commissioned Black Comedy in late December 2013. Pre-production began in Sydney in early February with a week of rehearsals.

"Working with one of the directors Craig Anderson who had studied comedy and clowning on an academic level really brought an insight that helped me in approaching the sketches. You would think breaking something down and studying it would ruin the fun in what you love but this was the total opposite. Understanding classic tropes and working out the artifice made me want to work harder and perfect this craft." – Bjorn Stewart

With rehearsals done and scripts almost finalised the five-week shoot in and around Sydney began on 3 March 2014.

"I think though the one thing that stands out for me was while we were filming a scene for "Blackest of the Black" and Blackest was delivering his unique style of Aboriginal justice. I'd just finished catching my boomerang and Craig yells cut. I look at Tom our 1st Assistant Director who was shaking his head in disbelief and says 'This show is f**king mental." – Steven Oliver

The show was post produced and delivered to the ABC in June 2014.

"Comedy can be so much more than just a laugh, and just a laugh is huge. I honestly think this show is going to do more for Aboriginal issues in this country than the entire last decade of politics. You can do so much with just a laugh. And even if we don't, we've still got you laughing, haven't we?" – Nakkiah Lui

Cast

Steven Oliver
Steven Oliver was born in Cloncurry in North West Queensland and is a descendant of the Kuku Yalanji, Waanyi, Gangalidda, Woppaburra, Bundjalung and Biripi Peoples. He grew up in Townsville then moved to Perth to study with the Aboriginal Music Theatre Training Program. From there he was accepted into WAAPA studying Music Theatre but returned to Queensland to teach at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts. He has worked with various theatre companies including, Kooemba Jdarra, Yirra Yaakin, La Boite, Kite Theatre and the West Australian Music Theatre Company. He also performs stand up at various Indigenous functions in and around Brisbane as well as playing MC. His musical Black Queen Black King has had showings at the Brisbane Powerhouse and the Queensland Theatre Company and his play Proper Solid is currently being produced by Jute Theatre in Cairns. His poetry has also been published in the literary journal Ora Nui as well as Writing Black: New Indigenous Writing From Australia.

Elizabeth Wymarra
Elizabeth has been dabbling in comedy for many years. She made a comedy short film through Metro Screen called The Biggest Port and also a half hour drama/comedy through Metro Screen called Woollo, which screened on ABC TV in 2013. A published children’s author, actor, writer and now producer/director, Elizabeth comes from a background in radio, theatre and TV. She recently made another short comedy film through Metro Screen, titled Dawney Slack and is now writing her next film project – another comedy.

Nakkiah Lui
Nakkiah has been an artist in residence at Griffin Theatre Company (2013) and is currently playwright in residence at Belvoir. Her debut play, This Heaven opened the 2013 downstairs season and was an instant hit with a sell out production that was extended twice.

In 2012, Nakkiah was the first recipient of The Dreaming Award from The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Arts Board of the Australia Council. The same year, Nakkiah was also the inaugural recipient of the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright award.

In 2013, Nakkiah has also had on works; I Should Have Told You Before We Made Love (That I’m Black), You Are Here Festival, Stho Sthexy, MKA Melbourne, The Traditional Owners of Death, Bondi Feast, Tamarama Rock Surfers. She is in development with Malthouse Theatre for Blaque Showgirls a stage adaptation of the infamous film Showgirls. She recently received a Green Room Award for the Sisters Grimm production Sovereign Wife Melbourne Theatre Company. Nakkiah is also currently working with Google and Griffin Theatre Company on a new project.

Nakkiah is also a young leader in the Australian Aboriginal community and contributes to The Guardian, has been a featured panelist during Sydney Writers Festival (2014) and has appeared on The Drum on ABC.

Jon Bell
Indigenous writer Jon Bell hails from the town of Casino on the North Coast of NSW.

He is the creator, sole writer and co-producer of the drama series The Gods Of Wheat Street with Every Cloud Productions for the ABC. His other television credits include writing for both series Redfern Now for Blackfella Films. Jon has recently completed the feature film script Jackie Henderson supported by Screen Australia’s Long Black Initiative.

He has also written and directed the short film The Chuck In, which screened at the Sydney Film Festival. His other short film credits include And Justice For One produced by Lois Randall; and Two Big Boys produced by Kath Shelper and supported through Screen Australia’s initiative A Bit Of Black Business.

Bjorn Stewart
Is a Sydney based actor/comic writer and director. Stewart has written and directed the short film I'm Gonna Make It (2013) through the Metro Screen initiative First Break. He has co-developed Bully Beef Stew (2012) a dark comic theatrical production, and he was in Laugh Out Loud (2007) a show a part of Deadly Funny in association of the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Bjorn also performed in Belvoir St Theatre’s production of Brother Wreck (2014) and Coranderrk (2013/14).

Aaron Fa'Aoso
Aaron Fa’Aoso first came to prominence in 2004 with his performance as ‘Eddie’ in the critically acclaimed SBS mini-series, R.A.N., for which he received nominations for an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama and a LOGIE Award for Most Outstanding New Talent.

Following on from that success, Aaron joined the multi award winning SBS series East West 101 which recently had its third season go to air. Aaron received a 2011 Monte Carlo TV Festival award nomination for Most Outstanding Actor for his work in the series. In 2012 he was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the show was awarded Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Television Drama Series at the Equity Awards.

His other television credits include City Homicide and Sea Patrol. He has most recently appeared in Screentime’s Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms on Network Ten. In 2009, he made his feature film debut in Sue Brooks’ Subdivision. In 2012, Aaron Associate Produced and starred opposite UK actor Brian Cox in the ABC crime drama, The Straits. The series is based on his original idea and Produced by Matchbox Pictures. The Straits is currently being developed for US television by Hell on Wheels creators Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton with NBC Universal, Working Title and Universal TV.

Aaron has also been active behind the camera writing and directing the short film, Sharp Eye, as part of the SBS Television series Bit of Black Business.

Aaron was one of the devisors and performers in the Urban Theatre Project’s highly successful play, Back Home, which sold out at the 2006 Sydney Festival and toured to Toronto, Canada the following year. He also featured in Queensland’s Koeemba Jdarra Performing Arts Company productions of Howie the Rookie and Njunjal the Sun.

Aaron is a four time Deadly Award nominee for Male Actor of the Year for his performances in R.A.N. and East West 101.

Guest Appearances

• Jack Charles
• Matt Day
• Jeff McMullen
• Deborah Mailman
• Sacha Horler
• Brooke Satchwell
• Brendan Cowell
• Maggie Dence
• Anita Hegh

Guest Cast

Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt, Miranda Tapsell, Emily Fletcher Walker, Guy Edmonds, James Fraser, Craig Anderson, Daniel Millar, Brenda Knowles, Angeline Penrith, Wayne Blair, Kyas Sherriff, James Slee, Meyne Wyatt, Gemma Summerhayes, Cindy Drummond, Alan Flower, Adrian Castro, Carma Vox, Phuong Le, Gillian Cooper, Lisa Hensley, Michael Veitch, Ben Winspear, Jake Carr, Gail Gray, Felix Williamson, Hamish Michael, Katherine Beckett, Tom Oakley, Katsu Nojiri, Stephen Kau and Moses Nelliman

Episodes

No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Air date
1	"Episode 1"	Beck Cole and Craig Anderson	Jon Bell, Steven Oliver, Elizabeth Wymarra, Nakkiah Lui and Bjorn Stewart	5 November 2014
Travel from Townsville to out of space and go blackly where no other blackfella has gone before. Come behind the scenes with the men and women of Blakforce, the crack paramilitary unit responsible for policing what is and isn't black in the community.
2	"Episode 2"	Beck Cole and Craig Anderson	Jon Bell, Steven Oliver, Nakkiah Lui, Elizabeth Wymarra, Moses Nelliman & Michael Passi	12 November 2014
There's an Indigenous GPS, we take a new look at Noah, plus a special report by former 60 Minutes reporter Jeff McMullen on the tragedy of Jerome, an Indigenous child born with no sporting ability whatsoever.
3	"Episode 3"	Beck Cole and Craig Anderson	Steven Oliver, Jon Bell, Elizabeth Wymarra, Nakkiah Lui and Bjorn Stewart	19 November 2014
There's a 70s Indigenous Blaxploitation film, a new twist on King Lear, and the story of Tiffany, a white woman with an Indigenous boyfriend whose attempts to identify with her partner by 'acting black' get out of hand.
4	"Episode 4"	Beck Cole and Craig Anderson	Nakkiah Lui, Steven Oliver, Bjorn Stewart, Jon Bell and Elizabeth Wymarra	26 November 2014
There's Deadly Dave, the Tiddas, and we meet the Aboriginal Liberation Front, a group of radical white kids freeing their Indigenous brothers and sisters from the shackles of oppression.
5	"Episode 5"	Beck Cole and Craig Anderson	Steven Oliver, Jon Bell, Nakkiah Lui, Moses Nelliman, Elizabeth Wymarra, and Bjorn Stewart	3 December 2014
There's Starblaks, the Adlays, and we meet Tatiana, the Cultural Excuse Girl a woman who will use 'culture' to get whatever she wants, or to get out of whatever she doesn't want to do.
6	"Episode 6"	Beck Cole and Craig Anderson	Steven Oliver, Nakkiah Lui, Jon Bell, Bjorn Stewart and Elizabeth Wymarra	10 December 2014 (2014-12-10)
In this final episode, we visit with Ernie Dingo in 1996, drop in at the Last Supper, and witness the special love of a blackfella for his poker machine in Pokie Love. It's a beautiful love, but one that's destined to go horribly wrong.

Promotion

Prior to the premiere of Black Comedy in November, ABC released a sketch, "Race Card Platinum" on the Friday Night Crack Up on 10 October 2014 as part of the ABC's "MentalAs" campaign to raise money and awareness for mental health issues. The sketch was introduced by series writer/actor Elizabeth Wymarra and series actor Aaron Fa'aoso and featured actor, Kyas Sherriff in a mock-advertising campaign for the fictitious "Race Card Platinum".

See also

• List of Australian television series
• List of Australian Broadcasting Corporation programs

External links

• [1] on ABC
• Black Comedy at IMDb