Class Clown Jackson set for national stage

Young Geraldton comedian Jackson M. Canny will be heading to the Melbourne Comedy Festival for the second year running after taking out the WA 2016 Class Clowns Competition.

The 15-year-old funnyman beat some of the state’s best young comedians, including a performer with a punny penchant for poachables.

“One of the guys I was up against based his whole act around egg puns, so when I saw that I knew the competition was going to be tough,” Jackson said.

“My style is a little different. I just get up there and tell joke after joke based on how I see the world and hope it goes down well.”

That style definitely struck a chord with the judges who decided to send Canny to Melbourne for the Class Clowns national grand final.

The budding comedian said the experience from last year’s performance in the competition could give him the edge when he hits the stage in the big city next month.

“It was awesome being from a town like Geraldton and seeing how massive Melbourne was,” he said.

“I was really blown away by the scale.”

The Geraldton local has come a long way since his first gig as a timid 13-year-old back in 2014, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

Every seasoned comedian can recall at least one sickening moment when they bombed on stage and Canny is no stranger to that terrifying rite of passage.

“I remember one gig where I was three jokes in and I suddenly blanked,” he said.

“I was stuck there looking out at 80 people and I had to tell them I forgot what I was saying, it was terrible.

“I think I’ve really come out of my shell a lot more and that’s definitely thanks to The Comedy Emporium and all the guys there.”

Jackson belongs to the Canny comedy dynasty, with his uncle Julian Canny running The Comedy Emporium, a group that aims to spread the laughter throughout regional WA.

Canny said his nephew’s hard work had paid off for the second year in a row.

“Funny only gets you so far,” he said.

“People think that all we do is have a laugh, but it’s a tough business and Jackson’s really worked for this.

“He has a dorky observational style of comedy and he just loves a good joke, regardless of whether anyone else thinks it’s funny, which works in a strange way.”

Jackson heads east next month to compete in the Class Clown grand finals which are held during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.