South African-New Zealander Urzila Carlson is a multi-award-winning comedian, the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival's highest ticket-seller, and a household name across two continents.
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And she's coming to Newcastle in 2020 with her new stand-up show, Token African.
Heading to 11 cities and regional centres around the country from March to June next year, Carlson will open the tour at the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival on March 26, before heading to Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra, Alice Springs, Darwin, Toowoomba and Brisbane.
Everyone knows an African, Carlson says, works with one or has a sister that's dating one of us. What makes you African? Is it enough that you're born there? Do you need to be able to dance? Why does being South African not register as African in most places? You're thinking about it right now aren't you? Questioning it. Africa changes people. People who visit to game reserves wear ranger outfits ... why is that? Africa puts things in perspective, and this show will help you find that focus, delivered to you by a "Token African".
Carlson made her Netflix debut as part of the streaming service's unprecedented stand-up comedy event series. She was one of 47 comedians handpicked from around the world. Next year she releases her first solo full-hour Netflix special, recorded in Melbourne. She also cleaned up the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2019, taking out the MICF People's Choice Award for most tickets sold across the festival.
Carlson is a much-loved series regular on Network Ten's smash-hit panel show, Have You Been Paying Attention?! in Australia, as well as NZ's new edition of the show. She was previously seen on NZ's hit comedy panel TV show, 7 Days, and was a key cast member on fellow comedian Nazeem Hussain's flagship show, Orange Is The New Brown in Australia in late 2018.
Carlson continues to sell out her seasons in Australia and NZ, and the awards stack up year after year. Most recently she was awarded the 2019 Rielly Comedy Award by the Variety Artists Club of NZ. In 2018 she was a nominee for Australia's Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer, and she took out the 2017 Sydney Comedy Festival's Director's Choice Award. In NZ, she has won the NZ Comedy Guild's Best Female Comedian award six times, as well as the coveted People's Choice Award at the NZ International Comedy Festival two years in a row.
