Cirrus@Austlit

'Hannah Gadsby always dreamt of being a cool kid, but she had to accept that, just like her childhood dream of being a dog, 'normal' isn't always possible. In the vein of David Sedaris, Hannah's memoir is a series of interlinked stories that draw together the varied funny and sometimes dark events of her life. The result is a deeply personal, astutely observed, sometimes devastating but frequently hysterically funny book.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Who is Douglas? Well, apparently, Hannah Gadsby thinks he is the only one who can help her follow up on the trail blazed by her last show Nanette. But before she takes the mysterious Douglas for a trot around the world, Gadsby is coming home to take him off leash for a world premiere. This is a strictly limited run before they go for walkies in the U.S.' (Production summary)

'Nanette, Hannah’s masterpiece, saw the adored comedian take home Australia’s most prestigious comedy award ‘The Barry’ for Best Show at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 

'The world claims to celebrate individuality but Hannah Gadsby knows from experience that this is folly. All the cool kids are normal. Hannah has always dreamt of being a cool kid but she has had to accept that, just like her childhood dream of being a dog, normal is just not possible for her. Over the past year, Hannah decided to embrace solitude, determined to see what harvest may come from nurturing her left field life. And what a strange little harvest, as her new show Nanette will attest.

'This is a show about learning how you can thrive as a “not normal” because Hannah’s year of gentle exile did not just see her harvest silly projects like making homemade jam and adopting a “blue clothes only” policy. It also gave her a strength she badly needed, when she observed with increasing horror the same sex marriage debates begin to hit all the same sickening notes she’d heard as a teenager in the 1990s when Tasmania resisted the decriminalisation of homosexuality.  

'At the beginning of 2017 Hannah announced that she would be retiring from the comedy world. As one of Australia’s most applauded and beloved comedians, don’t miss your chance to be spellbound by the inner workings of Hannah’s unique mind while you can.'  (Publication summary)