How one drunken decision persuaded a young sit-down comedian to give it a crack
Posted on: Sat 25 Mar 2023
When Albury based sit-down comedian Oliver Hunter was a young boy, his mum once said to him that he was funny. But nobody could have foreseen the eventuality of him mustering up the courage, albeit intoxicated late one night while at uni to embark upon a long-lasting, authentic career in comedy.
Hunter, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, isn’t one to squander nor run through the limitations his physical disability infringes upon him and some of the major venues where he regularly performs live on stage in his wheelchair, during comedy festivals, open mic nights and galas, from Wagga to Hollywood. Hunter’s latest show, Wheels of Fortune, sees him return to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April 2023, after his last solo show, On A Roll, sold out last year to crack more jokes about the downsides of being an ‘inspiration’ to those who are able-bodied.
Hunter revealed all to De-Stigmatised‘s Jarad McLoughlin about how he began his foray into doing ‘stand-up’ sets ‘sitting down’ in his home town, who his biggest childhood role models were and if he had ever been heckled with ableist taunts and slurs while touring.
Produced by Jarad McLoughlin
Photo courtesy of Melbourne International Comedy Festival
