A FEW days ago, comedian Nazeem Hussain was asked to headline the upcoming comedy gala in Ballarat after a last-minute cancellation.
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"The audiences in Ballarat are really receptive and switched on and savvier than Melbourne audiences so even though I freaked out a little bit, I'm really quite excited to come back," he said.
As the headline act, Hussain said he couldn't just use any old material. It had to be curated specifically for his audience.
"You do wonder what the heck you're going to talk about. I don't just want to go to a place and do my set. You want to make it about where you are and the place you're at," he said.
"I think there's a bit of an expectation on the headline act to do that so I've spent a couple of days thinking about Ballarat."
Hussain will headline Friday's BallaRatCat two year anniversary birthday show along with comedians Celia Pacquola, Harley Breen, Oliver Clark, Karl Chandler and Gerard McCulloch.
BallaRatCat Comedy producer Beth Lamont said she couldn't believe two years had gone by so quickly.
"It's amazing. Ballarat has responded great and it's really taken off," she said.
"We've definitely got a core group of regulars who come along all the time and they love it but we also see different groups of people depending on who we have on.
"It's great that enough people know about it and we can fill the room every month. It's certainly gone well amongst the comedy circles too which is always something I had as a goal, to have people come up and have a nice night in Ballarat."
Lamont said there was always scope to expand the comedy club to other regional areas, providing comedians with larger touring circuits.
The BallaRatCat Comedy Club second birthday show will be held at The George Hotel on Friday. Doors open at 7pm. For bookings, visit ballaratcat.com.au