Name: Stranger Than Fiction
Start: 2025-12-22T19:30:00
Location: Comedy Republic

Multi award-winning comedian, actor & writer

Hall Stories

In the tradition of Damian’s previous community engagement shows (Roadtrip, Town Folk & Mayor for a Day), Hall Stories is a multi-faceted, immersive project that sees Damian spend 3 days in a community to bring the story of their hall to the fore. Involving a Meet & Greet supper, recorded interviews with key locals, a live show & subsequent podcast episode, Damian is intermittently touring the project across Australia intermittently throughout 2025 & 2026. If you’d like to enquire how you can get Hall Stories to your community, enquire here.

Unlikely Friends

Hosted by Damian Callinan, Unlikely Friends is an improvised, live chat show featuring a rotating duo of Australia’s best comedians, improvisors & actors. However, in this chat show, they don’t get to trot out their usual banter. Rather than playing themselves, each guest is attributed an historical character to portray. Defying their own mortality & conflicting timelines, it turns out that they are in fact UNLIKELY FRIENDS.

Upcoming Live Tours & Festivals

I’ll be rounding out 2025 with the last leg of the Victorian Hall Stories tour, Stranger than Fiction on the last Monday of each month, a live Town Criers record in Koroit, A Wine Bluffs Fundraiser for Apollo Bay Rural Australians for Refugees, a Christmas themed Unlikely Friends at Comedy Republic, as well other random gigs here & there. In early 2026, I’ll be performing at Festivale in Launceston & Coonawarra Fringe, before debuting my new solo show, ’Spoons’ at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Hall Stories is going national in 2026, with tours in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW & Queensland currently taking shape, and I’m also hoping to be touring ‘The Plan & Other Plans’ with Hothouse Theatre & Unlikely friends is coming to the Wagga Comedy Festival.

Substack

The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan on Substack is home to my short stories, biographical meanderings, tour diaries, thematic explorations, potential book ideas, tour and festival news and its also home to my three podcasts – Hall Stories, Unlikely Friends and the Bodgy Creek Roosters Podcast. You can subscribe for free or pay a modest fee to help keep up my supply of raspberry frogs.

Film & TV

If you want to see Damian on screen, you can watch his acclaimed feature film ‘The Merger’, it is currently being streamed on Amazon Prime. You’ll also find it on Apple or Googleplay. You can also see Damian playing the lead guest role of Rosehaven [ABC iView – Season 5 – Episode 4] & his hilarious cameo on ‘Spreadsheet’ [Paramount +] Damian also plays the recurring role of Frank, the Floor Manager on Season 2 & 3 of ‘The Newsreader’ & Uncle Bob in ‘White Fever’ on [ABCTV]. Playing the lead role of Major Meredith, Damian returned to the big screen in 2024 in the AACTA nominated, ‘The Emu War’ (Hot Dad Productions).

Weird School

Damian’s first junior fiction book, Weird School [Penguin Random], has just been shortlisted for the prestigious Russell Prize for Humour Writing for Young People. Created by the State Library of NSW, the award winners will be announced on May 11th of 702ABC Sydney. Weird School is a book of short stories based in Wally Park Primary School, the weirdest school in Australia. A former teacher himself, Damian knows schools inside out. He’ll even come out to your school and do a fun, interactive workshop. Send an to Lamont Books.

Order your copy here

Gig guide

Date	Show	City	Venue
Tour: Town Criers Podcast Live
19/11/25	Town Criers Podcast Live – w/ Damian Callinan & Kirsten Diprose	Koroit, Vic	Koroit Theatre
	Time: 7:30pm. Address: 149 Commercial Road. Venue phone: 0355453178. Tickets not yet on sale.
Tour: Hall Stories
21/11/25	Damian Callinan in ‘Hall Stories’	Moyston, 3377	Moyston Memorial Hall
	Time: 7:30pm. Address: 12 Brooke Street. Not on sale as yet
Tour: The Wine Bluffs
23/11/25	The Wine Bluffs (Damian Callinan & Paul Calleja)	Apollo Bay, Vic	Apollo Bay Mechanics Institute Hall
	Time: 6:30pm. Admission: $30-$35. Address: 21 Great Ocean Rd. This is a fundraising show for Apollo Bay Rural Australians for Refugees Buy Tickets
Tour: Stranger Than Fiction
24/11/25	Damian Callinan Hosts ‘Stranger Than Fiction’	Melbourne, VIC	Comedy Republic
	Time: 7:30pm. Address: 231 Bourke St. Venue phone: 03 9654 6836. Buy Tickets
Tour: Hall Stories
27/11/25	Damian Callinan in ‘Hall Stories’	Tarrawingee, VIC	Tarrawingee Hall
	Time: 7:00pm. Admission: $25. Box office: 1300 368 333. Address: 1114 Great Alpine Rd. 6pm free sausage sizzle for 7pm show Buy Tickets
Tour: Stranger Than Fiction
22/12/25	Damian Callinan Hosts ‘Stranger Than Fiction’	Melbourne, VIC	Comedy Republic
	Time: 7:30pm. Address: 231 Bourke St. Venue phone: 03 9654 6836. Buy Tickets

View full gig guide

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