Entertainment
7 November, 2025
Why life’s lessons are funny
QUEENSLAND comedian Shad Wicka is bringing his latest stand-up show back to Cairns on 9 November and performing in Innisfail on 8 November, offering audiences a mix of true stories and observational comedy.
Mr Wicka, who transitioned from radio to comedy after being fired in 2019, said the experience shaped his career.
“Don’t piss off a sitting prime minister. That’s probably the main lesson learned there,” he said.
“I leaned into comedy after that because, you know, I did a couple of odd jobs and stuff, but I moved to Brisbane… I decided to write a show about it and that was my show for the next year.”
His current show ‘How I Almost Killed a Guy’ is based on actual events from a trip to Colombia.
“The truth and funny go hand in hand. The comedy side is reflecting on the moment and making it funny,” Mr Wicka said.
He said the series of unusual events in the story would be complex to invent if it weren’t true.
Mr Wicka also discussed his previous show, ‘Well, Well, Well’, which touched on life lessons gained from setbacks.
“I lost my job that day. I also broke up with my … relationship and I was out of the home for six to eight months… I think that was probably a big life lesson turning point,” he said.
Originally from North Queensland, Mr Wicka said he enjoyed performing close to home.
“Queensland crowds are the funniest in the country … I thrive in chaos, so I think I’m most at home in a venue that’s adjacent to a pub, where we can have a lot of fun and chat back and forth,” he said.
He recently completed a regional tour opening for Andrew Hamilton and praised venues such as the Con Theatre in Innisfail.
Mr Wicka also hosts ‘Sunday Singles’, a live comedy-dating show.
“People under the age of 35-40 are too reserved … It’s the people in their 50s that really make those shows so much fun,” he said.
Mr Wicka plans to tour Queensland and expand nationally next year with his cult show, Shad and Pete Save the World, in which audience members submit problems for the comedians to solve on stage.
The Cairns show on 9 November at Laughing Heart Comedy, 122 Collins Avenue, Edge Hill, can be booked via Eventbrite: www.bit.ly/48WQ3gY
The Innisfail show on 8 November at the Con Theatre can be booked via Try Booking: www.bit.ly/4qE9SzU
