Hannah Gadsby

Hannah Gadsby (born 12 January 1978) is an Australian comedian, writer, actress and television presenter. She rose to prominence in her native Australia after winning the national final of the Raw Comedy competition for new comedians in 2006. In 2018, the release of Nanette on Netflix exposed her to an international audience. The special received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and a Peabody Award.

Starting in 2019, she toured internationally with her show Douglas and the recorded special was released on Netflix in 2020.

Gadsby was born and grew up in Smithton, a small town on the remote north-west coast of Tasmania, the youngest of five children.

She attended Smithton High School from 1990 to 1995, then moved to Launceston College in year 12, where she suffered a nervous breakdown.

She began third level studies at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, but moved to the mainland to attend the Australian National University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Art History and Curatorship in 2003.

After this she worked in bookshops in Canberra and became a projectionist at an outdoor cinema in Darwin for a while. She then spent two years picking vegetables and planting trees along the east coast of Australia, before she found herself homeless (which she later attributed partly to her ADHD) and ill enough to require hospitalisation.

Stand-up

On a visit to her sister in Adelaide in 2006, Gadsby entered Raw Comedy in 2006, progressing through the heats to win the national prize. As the winner, she was sent to the So You Think You're Funny? competition at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where she won second prize. From that point on, she performed stand-up shows at festivals around Australia, such as the Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and Sydney Comedy Festival.

Gadsby created the stand-up show she named Nanette partly as a response to the public debate which took place in Australia before the law was changed to allow same-sex marriage, and also after her diagnosis of ADHD and autism. In 2018, Netflix released the film version of Nanette, which exposed her to international audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, Nanette received an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 49 critics. Nanette explores topics such as homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, and gendered violence. Elahe Izadi from The Washington Post states although Nanette is a comedy, Gadsby insists the audience recognize the dark truth of trauma and assault. During the show, Gadsby publicized that she was quitting comedy because of how exhausting it was to perform.

In March 2019, Gadsby previewed her new show, Douglas, in Adelaide, before touring the U.S. and Australia, where many shows were sold out in advance. In the show, she explores new personal revelations "with empathy, wit and some extremely relatable metaphor", and creates something "bigger than comedy" according to one reviewer of the preview show. Gadsby says that she doesn't care what people call the show, noting some critics said Nanette was "not comedy but a lecture". In May 2019, Gadsby announced that Douglas will be released on Netflix in 2020.

In July 2021, Gadsby started with her solo show Body of Work in several venues in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the UK.

TV roles

Gadsby co-wrote and co-starred in the Australian ABC TV show Adam Hills Tonight through three seasons from February 2011 to July 2013. She had regular segments called "On This Day" and "Hannah Has A Go" and also featured on the couch, contributing as host Adam Hills interviewed his guests. She co-wrote (with Matthew Bate) and presented a three-part series on ABC, Hannah Gadsby's Oz, which aired in March 2014. Produced by Closer Productions, this series set out to "debunk the myths of the Australian identity perpetuated by [its] national art". She co-wrote 20 episodes of fellow comedian Josh Thomas' series Please Like Me (2013-2016) and featured as Hannah, a fictional version of herself.

Guest appearances

Gadsby has appeared as a guest on numerous TV shows in Australia and elsewhere, including Rove Live (2009), Good News Week (2009), Spicks and Specks (2010), Agony (2012-2014), QI (2018), The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2018, 2020), and TV3's game show, 7 Days. She was a presenter at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018, presenting the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Gadsby was also a guest on Conan O'Brien's podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend in 2019.

Art-related tours and shows

Between 2009 and 2013, Gadsby presented comedy art tours in conjunction with the National Gallery of Victoria, with themes such as paintings of the Holy Virgin, Dadaism, Modernism, Impressionism and the nude in art. She has given talks on art and opened exhibitions. Gadsby has written and presented two documentary specials for the Artscape program on ABC TV: Hannah Gadsby Goes Domestic (2010) and The NGV Story (2011.) In 2015, she wrote and performed Hannah Gadsby: Arts Clown, a series for BBC Radio 4 based on her comedy art shows.

Gadsby is openly lesbian, and often includes lesbian content and references to her sexuality in her stand-up routines.

She was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in 2017. She refers to her autism in her 2019 show Douglas, aiming to help people understand neurodiversity as part of a normal variation of the human condition.

In January 2021, Gadsby married producer Jenney Shamash.

Gadsby is an active supporter of various charities. Organisations she has assisted include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Melbourne, Edmund Rice Camps of Victoria, and the Sacred Heart Mission. She has performed on The Breast Darn Show in Town twice.

• 2007: Hannah Gadsby is Wrong and Broken. Adelaide Fringe
• 2008: Meat the Musical with Amelia Jane Hunter. Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Enmore Theatre
• 2009: Kiss Me Quick, I’m Full Of Jubes (solo show). Melbourne International Comedy Festival, New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Melbourne Fringe Festival
• 2009, 2010, 2011: The History of the National Gallery of Victoria (art history lecture). NGV, during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
• 2010: The Cliff Young Shuffle (solo show). Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Sydney Comedy Festival, Brisbane Comedy Festival, New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
• 2011: Mary. Contrary. (solo show). Edinburgh Festival Fringe
• 2011: Mrs Chuckles (solo show). Belvoir St Theatre, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane Comedy Festival, Wild West Comedy Fest (Perth), New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Soho Theatre
• 2012: Mary. Contrary. (art lecture). National Gallery of Victoria during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
• 2012: Hannah Wants A Wife (solo show). Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Brisbane Comedy Festival, Perth International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
• 2013: Mary. Contrary. (art lecture). Ten Days on the Island, Kings Place
• 2013: Nakedy Nudes (art lecture). National Gallery of Victoria during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Artspace Mackay
• 2013: Happiness is a Bedside Table (solo show). Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Brisbane Comedy Festival, Perth Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Canberra Theatre Centre, Soho Theatre, Brighton Comedy Festival, The Comedy Store (Sydney)
• 2014: Nakedy Nudes/Mary. Contrary./Australian Art (art lecture). NGV Art Lecture series, Melbourne
• 2014: The Exhibitionist (solo show). Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Brisbane Comedy Festival, Ten Days on the Island (Spiegeltent Hobart), Canberra Comedy Festival, Perth International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Soho Theatre
• 2015: Hannah Gadsby Live (solo show). The Comedy Store (Sydney)
• 2015: Art Lite (art lecture). Adelaide Cabaret Festival
• 2015: Donkey (solo show). Brisbane Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Perth Comedy Festival, Darwin Festival
• 2016: Dogmatic (solo show). Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane Comedy Festival, Canberra Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Perth Comedy Festival, Belvoir St Theatre, Wagga Wagga, Soho Theatre
• 2017–2018: Nanette (solo show). Fringe World, Adelaide Fringe, International Women's Day – Sydney Opera House, Ten Days on the Island – Hobart, Brisbane Comedy Festival, Canberra Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Wollongong, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Soho Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Soho Theatre – Return Run, SoHo Playhouse
• 2019: Douglas (solo show). Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide; Arts Centre Melbourne; numerous venues in the US; back to Australia in December
• 2021: Body of Work (solo show). Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Opera House, Wellington, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in the Aotea Centre Auckland and more venues in Australia and New Zealand from July 2021 and touring Europe and the UK from January 2022.

Writer and performer

• 2011: Hannah Gadsby: Kiss Me Quick, I'm Full of Jubes (series 1, ep. 1 of Warehouse Comedy Festival series of live stand-up performances)
• 2012–2013: Adam Hills Tonight (series – co-writer and presenter in 22 episodes)
• 2013: Hannah Gadsby: Mrs Chuckles (series 2, ep. 9 of Warehouse Comedy Festival series)
• 2014: Hannah Gadsby's Oz (documentary mini-series)
• 2014–2016: Please Like Me (sitcom series – co-writer and actor in 22 episodes)
• 2015: Hannah Gadsby: Renaissance Woman (documentary mini-series) – also producer
• 2018: Hannah Gadsby's Nakedy Nudes (documentary mini-series)
• 2018: Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (film of live stand-up)
• 2020: Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (film of live stand-up)

Actor

• 2009–2010: The Librarians (TV series) – as Carmel (2 episodes)
• 2013: Underbelly – as Charlie (3 episodes)
• 2014–2016: Please Like Me (TV series) - as Hannah (22 episodes)

Film

• Expected in 2022: Hitpig

• Gadsby, Hannah (2018). Ten Steps to Nanette. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-742-37403-1. OCLC 1014018703.

• 2006: Triple J's Raw Comedy, winner
• 2006: Edinburgh Festival Fringe, So You Think You're Funny? – Second place
• 2007: Adelaide Fringe, Best Emerging Comedy Award
• 2008: Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Moosehead Award for Meat the Musical – with Amelia Jane Hunter
• 2008: Sydney Comedy Festival, Directors' Choice Award
• 2010 Festival Directors’ Choice Award – Winner – Melbourne International Comedy Festival
• 2010: Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer – nominee for The Cliff Young Shuffle
• 2011: Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Barry Award nominee for Mrs Chuckles
• 2011: Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer – nominee for Mrs Chuckles
• 2013: Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer – nominee for Happiness is a Bedside Table
• 2013: Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Barry Award nominee for Happiness is a Bedside Table
• 2017: Adelaide Fringe, Best Comedy for Nanette
• 2017: Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Barry Award winner for Nanette
• 2017: Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer for Nanette
• 2017: Edinburgh Festival Fringe Comedy Award – joint winner for Nanette, tied with John Robins for The Darkness of Robins
• 2019: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for Nanette
• 2019: Peabody Award for Nanette