What happens when award winning physical comedians get locked in with a five year old?
The Wholesome Hour is a brand new, wild and raucous online sketch comedy show for kids aged 5-10. Produced by award-winning queer comedy troupe PO PO MO CO – whose playful ensemble work and clowning always sets them apart. It will make its debut as part of La Mama for Kids online on August 11th, 2020.
In March Melbourne artists were hit with ‘Lockdown V1’ and it was a time to really get to know your housemates. Luckily this East Brunswick sharehouse chose their housemates well. Four of them are award-winning physical comedians, the fifth a multi-instrumentalist. Add to that a lounge room full of costumes and props, plus a five-year-old coming to stay two nights a week. Naturally, creative anarchy ensued. The result is a hilarious new comedy work for screen featuring songs, puppetry, mischief and bum jokes of course!
We are unashamedly inspired by the Aussie shows that delighted us as kids. says PO PO MO CO Artistic Director Kimberley Twiner. The show takes inspiration from Round the Twist, The Ferals, Lift Off, Recovery and of course Play School. We want to make kids work that has a new bent to it, that is about embracing wildness and celebrating how wonderfully psychedelic this world is.
The group’s manifesto rests firmly in rejecting the notion of making work ‘for kids’. Kimberley says ‘We reject dumbing down, we reject patronizing, we reject cute-ifying, we reject gender binaries, we reject assumed heteronormativity.’
This is a new collaboration between Kimberley Twiner (PO PO MO CO), Lily Fish (PO PO MO CO), Ell Sachs (The Travelling Sisters), Angela Fouhy (Maggot), Jack Lewis (Musician) and Sebastian Berto (Animator).
Supported by the City of Melbourne COVID-19 Arts Grants and Creative Victoria. The Wholesome Hour will premiere via La Mama’s Facebook page on: Tuesday 11th of August at 3:30pm.
