He’s everyones favourite South American funny man and now Ivan Aristeguieta is headed to Bunbury as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow set to make locals laugh on June 3.
Despite his long list of accolades and appearances in Australian and international comedy festivals and stand-up shows, Aristeguieta didn’t always plan on a career in comedy.
“I studied food technology and then brewing and my background is working in a brewery for four years in Venezuela actually,” he said.
“I spent a lot of time telling jokes and drinking beer and I’m pretty much doing the same job now without having to worry about productivity or beer quality so it’s great.
“My brother was already living in Australia and there wasn’t many opportunities for the future so I decided to join him and I’ve been here for five years now. I worked in restaurants and did a couple of certificates to teach training and assessment in the food industry to make a living.”
But it wasn’t an easy transition into the industry for the Venezuelan entertainer with a language barrier standing between him and his future as a funny man in a new country.
“I did my first open mic night in English just two months after arriving in Australia,” Aristeguieta said.
“I knew the language before I arrived but just to gain confidence in speaking a second language in front of an audience. But you lot don’t really speak English, you speak Australian so really I had to learn how to speak Australian.
“I did a radio course in Adelaide and took lessons with a speech coach to speak better English all to gain confidence to do comedy in a second language and I haven’t stopped since April 2012.”
It didn’t take long for Aussie audiences to fall in love with Aristeguieta’s cultural observation comedy. He was quickly hand picked by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to participate in The Comedy Zone in 2013, the show that features the best five up and coming comedians of Australia.
Just a year later, he was awarded the Dave Grant Comedy Grant, a special grant for comedians doing their first solo show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and has since toured around Australia twice with the Melbourne and Sydney International Comedy Festival Roadshow and Showcase Tour.
Aristeguieta said he appreciates the opportunities that have arisen for him in the industry, and can’t wait to take off on his third consecutive comedy tour.
“Our job is about thinking and experiencing life and anything we do is a new chance to write a new joke so people might look at us doing nothing in a cafe but we are observing life and thinking about jokes to write. It’s a beautiful thing, I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he laughed.
“It really feels like home on the roadshow. I’m looking forward to getting on the road and hanging out with the guys again and seeing new places.
“I’ve never been to the southern part of WA so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard really good stuff, most comedians that have toured the area all say good things.”
Ivan Aristeguieta will be in Bunbury for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on Saturday, June 3. For more information visit bunburyentertainment.com.