The Hall Committee

05/10/2024

The Ganmain Hall was built by the grandfather of my friends Carmel McCormick & Kathryn Burke. He was the publican of the Gamnain Hotel & built it as a gift to the community. In the late 1960s, it was discovered that that hall was actually owned by Tooth's Brewery. After some persuasion from the hall committee, they talked Tooths into selling it to community for the grand sum of $1. The current committee, led by Guy Purcell, aren't quite so persuasive. I charged them a tenner for the show. It was an absolute pleasure to return to this communuty, who were so generous during the making of The Merger & The Hall Committee. I'll be back whenever they'll have me. Might even do it for a fiver next time.

11/09/2024

Coming soon! Town Criers Podcast - putting small towns on the map!

We’ve all been guilty of harshly judging a town on one bad experience. You got bitten by bed bugs in Burnie; food poisoning from a falafel in Forbes, sprung for speeding in Seymour; kicked out of a club in Cairns or broke up with a Belgian backpacker in Bunbury.

🔔The Town Criers are here to change your perceptions!!

Join comedian and actor Damian Callinan and journalist and podcaster Kirsten Diprose on this road trip through Australia. 🌾

They’ll be bypassing the big cities and stopping to stretch their legs in the smaller towns along the way… to find out what’s worth celebrating 🥳

You can read about the podcast in my Substack post in the cellar.

30/06/2024

Why is the Rotary Spinning Wheel stored in the dressing room shower recess? Why are there two padlocks on the CWA cupboard? Did the west leaning slope in the floor create significant home ground advantage for the indoor bowls team? All these heavy hitting questions & more will be answered if you follow Damian Callinan's Hall Stories . You'll also be be kept informed of show announcements, podcast drops & the latest theories on why curried egg & lettuce sandwiches have never gone out of vogue.

https://www.facebook.com/DamianCallinanHallStories/

Documenting the culture, characters, history & stories of Australia's beloved meeting places, through a live comedy show & podcast.

27/06/2024

I've finally flicked off the flouros, unplugged the urn & returned the hall key to the behind the brick under the steps at the Harston Memorial Hall. Many cups of tea & scones have gone into creating the show & the 74 minute podcast, & I couldn't think of better community with whom to start the project. Thanks to Riverlinks & The Shepparton Festival for making this possible. Next up the Hall Stories live show plays at the Tallygaroopna Memorial Hall on Friday, July 5th.

https://damiancallinan.substack.com/p/hall-stories-episode-1

09/06/2024

Risky move having the Hokey Pokey after supper.

22/05/2024

2025 is going to be a big year for telling Hall Stories. After yesterdays pitch at Showcase Victoria, my hall dance card immediately started filling with enthusiastic conversations with far flung shires including, South & East Gippsland, Bass Coast, Greater Wangaratta, Greater Bendigo, Gannewarre as well as Arts on Tour NSW. The band stopped playing before I could get to everyone, but if you want the show to come to your hall or shire, let me know in the DM's.

24/04/2024

The first instalment of 'Hall Stories' was delivered last Thursday (April 18) at the Harston Memorial Hall, as part of the Shepparton Festival with the support of Riverlinks. The project involved two reconnaissance trips to the area, which included a meet & greet with the hall community, conducting podcast interviews, viewing & analysing correspondence & documents from the archives & site visits to the nearby WW2 POW/Interment camps from whence the hall & annexe were relocated in 1947. It was great to see some of the older members of the community in attendance, whose parents had been involved in the hall's inception: Some of whom had served the tea & refreshments, while their dad's reassembled the buildings at their new location. You'll be able to hear their voices in the coming months, when I release the first episode of the Hall Stories Podcast. Thanks to Sally & Greg Sherman from the Harston Hall Committee for connecting me with the broader community, organising supper & helping get everyone on board. This show wouldn't have happened without John Gribben, whose insatiable enthusiasm for local history made me aware of the rich local history of interment & the unique story of this hall. He took me to places few get to see & told me stories few get to hear. Thanks also Matt Schroeders from Riverlinks & Kristen Rettalick Shepparton Festival for going out on a limb & supporting the project. There is another show to come in the Greater Shepparton City Council area on July 5th at the Tallygaroopna Soldiers Memorial Hall, as part of the hall's centenary celebrations. The Hall Stories show can be booked by any hall as a stand alone show or, as the deluxe edition that involves significant tailoring & the delivery of a podcast chronicling the history of the hall.

18/04/2024

I’ve stepped out of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this week to work on my Hall Stories Project for Shepparton Festival at the Harston Memorial Hall. I’m told that the chairs were recently donated by a funeral home in Tatura & I’m definitely not thinking about their origin as I wait alone for the audience to arrive.

26/02/2024

Did you know that there is a master key that opens the door of every country hall in Australia? Unfortunately, Brenda has it & she's on holidays in Noosa, so I'll be relying on the Harston Hall Committee to let me in for the World Premiere of HALL STORIES on April 18th as part of the Shepparton Festival.

Hall Stories Date Thursday 18 April 2024 7:30pm-10:00pm Venue Memorial Hall, Harston Get Tickets Online booking required $23 – $28 Share this Event by Damian Callinan There is barely a bakery in regional Australia, that hasn’t had one of Damian Callinan’s show posters blu-tacked to its window....

27/11/2023

'Comedy Gold, Frankincense & Mirth' in Color!?' Roslyn knows a good deal when she sees one. In fact, she loved the idea so much, she decided to buy tickets to every show on the December tour! Come join Ros, Rusty Berther, Kel Balnaves & Damian Callinan at Shapeshifter Brewing, Adelaide (13th) Lobethal Bierhaus (14th) Lameroo Memorial Hall (15th) Casterton Town Hall (16th) Heywood Hall (17th) Woodhouse-Nareeb Hall (18th) Balmoral Hall (19th) Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool (20th) Apollo Bay Community Hall (21st) Kindred Bandroom, Yarraville (22nd). Ticket links here ... https://damiancallinan.com.au/gig-guide/

18/08/2023

It's almost time to load up the 1946 Ford Zephyr & take 'Double Feature' for another spin. This time around Regional Arts Victoria & Hey Boss, are letting Damian Callinan take the show on the road in the 3 on the tree, 6 cylinder beast to the far corners of the state, as well as suburban Melbourne venues. We'd love big crowds to help pay for the carbon offsets. Checkout the dates below & find the finer details at damiancallinan.com.au/gig-guide/

24/02/2023

Fans of The Hall Committee, Damian Callinan Comedian is taking his award winning new show 'Double Feature' on a slow lap around Australia. After taking out a Perth Fringe World Festival weekly comedy award & landing multiple 5 & 4.5 star reviews, the ship has now pulled into Adelaide Fringe & is already taking passengers. Soon we'll be docking in Melbourne & Brisbane before taking the boat inland [logistics to be nutted out] with regional shows across NSW & Victoria. [This is a Hey Boss show]

All links and confirmed dates can be found here.

https://damiancallinan.com.au/gig-guide/

'There is such joy and love in the delivery of Double Feature. It is a show quite unlike any other, and one one you won't want to miss.' - Perth Happenings