Where to begin? One night when Joel was just a young teenager, his father took him to see American comedian/magician, The Amazing Johnathan. Before Jonathan took to the stage however, Joel witnessed another comedian called Peter (who in later years would change his name back to Akmal.) By the end of that fateful evening, Joel knew he would become a comedian himself, and over the next few years he went to as many comedy shows as he could. Although he was often thrown out of venues such as the Sydney Comedy Store for being underage, the comedians he’d befriended, such as Peter, would sneak him back in through the side entrance.
“He’s disarming; he’s accessible without being common;
articulate and clever without being smug… bloody funny.”
THE AGE
Joel‘s first opportunity at stand up comedy came in the form of his high school public speaking competition. Rather than delivering a conventional speech on politics or the environment, he chose to turn his speech into a stand up routine about the anxiety of Wombat’s, which left both students and teachers in stitches, and Joel with the Public Speaking Award. Joel then began honing his craft on the street at Sydney’s Circular Quay, creating his own style of street comedy, which led to him winning the “Street Performer Of The Year” award presented by the Sydney Opera House, live on 2DayFM.
“I fell a little bit in love with Joel Ozborn. This tall, nonchalant Eric Bana look-a-like was perfect… went down a treat in a packed house. People were rocking backwards and forwards, holding in their stomachs and letting out shouts of laughter.”
THE ADVERTISER
Not too long after leaving school Joel got a call from The Amazing Johnathan who offered him to move to America and tour around the country with him. Joel jumped at the opportunity, and also further developed his street performing in Los Angeles on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. Unlike Sydney’s Circular Quay with its families and tourists, Venice Beach was a hub of tattooed covered, python wearing, bodybuilding, bohemians, who needless to say were used to the bizarre. Joel then created more attention grabbing street comedy that included having a slingshot fired at his face and squeezing his body through a tennis racquet. After having spent the next few years traveling across America, taking in the best and worst that America had to offer, Joel finally got his opportunity to open for The Amazing Johnathan in front of a packed Las Vegas showroom. It was this experience that cemented Joel’s path with his direction of a life in comedy.
“His flair for improvisation left the crowd in stitches…”
THE PROGRAM
Upon returning to Australia, Joel became a regular in comedy clubs across the nation where he continued to develop his stand up. Before to long, Joel ran into his old friend Peter, who had changed his name back to Akmal as he now had no trouble getting booked in RSL clubs, and he asked Joel to join him on his first national theatre tour. One of those gigs with Akmal included the Sydney Opera House, where Joel found himself performing only metres away from where he’d street performed years before, however this time he was in the House. When he wasn’t on tour, Joel continued to perform in clubs around Sydney where he met American comedian Arj Barker. It was Arj’s first national theatre tour that he asked Joel to join him on, and over the following years Joel would spend most of his time sharing the stage with his comedian friends on countless tours.
“Joel Ozborn’s physical style of comedy was excellent.”
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Since then Joel has gone on to perform regularly at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Adelaide Fringe Festival, The Sydney Comedy Festival, The Brisbane Comedy Festival and has taken his comedy around the world from South East Asia to Las Vegas. Although he still enjoys hitting the road with his comedian friends from time to time, these days you can catch Joel at one of the many comedy festivals, headlining comedy clubs or in his own solo theatre show …