Acclaimed comedian Tim Ferguson will deliver a night full of laughs and surprises at the 2019 Bunbury Fringe Festival.
Ferguson, 54, will rip the lid off his extraordinary life in his new solo show, A Fast Life on Wheels, at the Fringe Hub on Friday, February 8.
Building on his best-selling memoir (Carry a Big Stick), the show is his personal tragicomic story showing what life in a wheelchair is really like.
Member of internationally acclaimed comedy trio the Doug Anthony AllStars, the actor, author, filmmaker, TV host, screenwriting teacher, and columnist said living with Multiple Sclerosis had not slowed down his career.
"I don't 'suffer' MS. It suffers me," he said.
“I don’t want to be a hood ornament for MS. I’m working on promoting employment for people with disabilities, and getting young people with disabilities out of aged care facilities – those are the serious issues I’m turning a spotlight on, in a humorous way.”
When asked then if he considers the NDIS successful, you get a sense of the show’s darkness and light.
“Absolutely. Getting hosed down by a 7ft tall handsome man – some people would pay good money for that,” Ferguson said.
“But the way most people with disabilities are treated by society is similar to the way women were treated 100 years ago.
“Employing women in anything but menial or nursing work was rare – the idea of a women being an executive was considered crazy. This is still the case for many people with disabilities.
“The thing with me making fun of having to get around in a wheelchair is it’s ok to laugh at this stuff because laughter is the first step to understanding.”
Since transitioning from stand-up to sit-down comedy performance, Ferguson has continued writing comedy and teaches others how to - presenting a one-day version of his international masterclass in Perth while premiering his new show at the State Theatre Centre and in Fremantle and Bunbury.
A testament to the power of humour in any situation, Ferguson defies the challenges of MS and has vowed to never stop making audiences laugh.
“Everybody’s got something,” he said.
“For me, MS is a reminder that a clock is ticking and that you may not have as much time to do the things you want to do as everybody else.
“So I confront people with their own mortality, tell them to hurry up with their lives.”
With Ferguson’s trademark wicked humour, outrageous stories and breath-taking insights, this new hour of comedy will be hell on wheels.
For more information visit bunburyfringe.com.