Bold, unapologetic and deliberately disruptive, the Greek Festival of Sydney’s Greek Australian Comedy Gala Paravasis is returning in 2026 with a clear mission: to challenge long-held assumptions about what “Greek Australian comedy” looks like – and who it is for.
Speaking with The Greek Herald, host and comedian Anthony Locascio reflected on the intent behind the event ahead of its return to The Sydney Comedy Store on Sunday, March 8 from 7pm.
The night will bring together a sharp, contemporary lineup featuring Peter Josip, Mariah Nicholas, Josh Spyro, Montana Papadinis and Con Coutis, showcasing performers whose work moves well beyond ethnic tropes and nostalgic punchlines.
For Locascio, Paravasis is not about repackaging Greekness for laughs, but about creating space for Greek Australians – particularly younger generations – to see themselves reflected as complex, contemporary individuals.
With a lineup of seasoned performers whose material extends far beyond ethnic shorthand, the event positions comedy as a fully realised artform – one that explores identity, experience and belonging in modern Australia, without apology or stereotype.
Paravasis is returning as part of the Greek Festival of Sydney’s 2026 program. What does this comedy night represent for you personally, and why do you think Greek Australian humour continues to resonate so strongly with audiences?
I hope the show is informative as to how the Greek diaspora of Sydney, and hopefully Australia moving forward, perceives comedy as an artform and consequently, the scope of identity members of the diaspora have. This is specifically because so called Greek Australian humour does NOT continue to resonate strongly with audiences.
When I was approached by the festival last year to conceptualise this show, it was to address the decline in youth attendance at their events.
Paravasis seeks to modernise what the Greek community understands comedy to be by providing an actual comedy night. The comics on show seldom reference their Greek heritage, much less make it the focal point of their act. I am thrilled to be moving the event to The Comedy Store, a purpose fit comedy venue.
You’re hosting a lineup that brings together emerging stars and established favourites, including Peter Josip, Mariah Nicholas, Josh Spyro, Montana Papadinis and Con Coutis. What excites you most about this particular mix of comedians?
Well firstly, that none of them featured last year (bar a cameo from Mariah) so any repeat audience members are exposed to a new troupe of awesome comics. They also all bring a completely different style and substance to their work.
I won’t spoil anything here but these are all seasoned acts who have been killing audiences all over the country and beyond. I urge readers to look them up on social media, follow them, and make sure to catch their solo shows as part of the various comedy festivals that take place around the country, every year.
The title Paravasis draws on a classical Greek concept of stepping outside the narrative to speak directly to the audience. How does that idea translate into modern Greek Australian comedy on stage?
Is that not literally what stand-up comedy is? Once again I think “modern Greek Australian comedy” is a little oxymoronic. What young Australians of Greek origin relate to most are stories (and jokes) which reference experiences beyond the limiting prism of ethnicity.
Last year we had acts discussing homosexuality, feminism, internet shaming, chicken stock, and everything in between. The nominal notion that all these acts have Greek heritage in turn allows young Greek Australians to feel ok exploring their identity beyond their Greekness.
Comedy often reflects lived experience. What themes or shared cultural moments do you think Greek Australian audiences will recognise themselves in during this year’s show?
Nothing and everything. What is wonderful about the Greek diaspora (and any other among the first wave of post war immigration) is that we are so entrenched in the Australian cultural landscape that we no longer need to adhere to ethnic traditions or tropes as a defence mechanism or for unity.
We are in a unique position of privilege to reap the rewards of our grandparents and parents sacrifices and I think it is incumbent on us to push beyond ethnic stereotyping and myopic thinking based on shared ancestral homelands. They are obviously going to recognise Greekness in the performers, but they know that when they buy tickets.
The Comedy Gala is a different energy to the large outdoor celebrations at Darling Harbour. How important is it for the festival to include events like this that spotlight Greek Australian storytelling in a more intimate, contemporary setting?
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I think it’s important for the festival to have all sorts of events of all sorts of sizes. What is crucial is to understand that so called young Greek Australians aren’t going to enjoy or indeed attend things just because they have the word Greek attached. Younger generations of the diaspora have been repelled by the distinct uncoolness of this, and as a result, they don’t know what amount of their Greekness they are comfortable with within their own identity.
I know that I – and many of my fellow artists on the lineup and beyond – have really struggled to balance our ethnic identities in our performances. The fear of being stereotyped as “just another wog comedian” is real and tangible. These comics have had their ethnicity as the be all and end all of their material for a long time and the shark has been jumped.
My generation is finding a middle ground wherein it is still cool to have Greek (or other) heritage, and to be proud of it, but to be so much more than just a Greek Australian. We hope that this can be taken away from the show and that we can embolden younger Greek Australians to explore themselves in any way they choose to.
Event Details
- Event: PARAVASIS – The Greek Australian Comedy Gala
- Date: Sunday, 8 March 2026
- Time: 7.00pm
- Venue: The Comedy Store, 122 Lang Road, Moore Park
- Tickets: Available here
