Mayor for a Day
Evolving out Callinan’s tailored ‘What A Relief’ shows for the National Emergency Management Agency tours, Mayor for a Day was the logical next step in his suite of community engagement shows.
Having distributed community surveys, recruited local guides, booked a visit to a local school and pre-arranged a meet & greet with the locals, the popularly unelected Callinan slips on the mayoral robes for 3 days to run his comedic eyes over your town. After the one-man, public service campaigner has taken in all he can, he’ll rock up to the hall armed only with a projector and a microphone, to report his findings to a local populace keen to find out what the bloke who has been trespassing all over town has been up to.
Combining photos, observations, municipal advice, colourful yarns and his uncanny eye for seeing things that the locals don’t, Callinan will have the town thinking he’s been residing there for years rather than days. The man has pedigree in the form: Callinan has honed his tailoring skills over years of regional touring, but most specifically in Road Trip [2013-14] & Town Folk [2017], which saw Callinan tour with a film maker to build a live show about each community, featuring edited clips as well as live content. Mayor for a Day has streamlined the process to create a leaner, funnier, one-man local government service, that will linger long in the memories of those who sit in the gallery. No town is too small for Mayor for a Day, but some towns are too big … I’m looking at you Sydney! Segments include his infamous slide show, historical re-enactments, and an interactive quiz to lock in a deputy mayor. The night culminates in the self-proclaimed civic leader pitching his unorthodox ideas.
Mayor Damo makes one ironclad promise: the constituents will be rolling in the aisles of the makeshift chambers by the end of the council meeting. He is also happy to accept large, novelty cheques as payment.
Unlike any other comedian, Damian takes the time to explore the unique idiosyncrasies particular to each community, presenting them to the audience as a wonderous carnival of hilarity and heart-felt humour that leaves them crying with laughter. Damian’s comic genius is to leave audiences with a side-splitting celebration of themselves that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Sandy McNaughton
Regional Recovery Officer
National Emergency Management Agency
Damian Callinan’s Mayor for a Day is that perfect performance combo of hilarity and community.
Xavier Dannock
Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool
Damian has a unique way of disarming the audience and flipping the funnies back onto them. It was an absolute delight to see our local community laughing together with and at themselves. A total celebration of local stories.
Susie Lyons
Glenelg Shire Council
I haven’t laughed so much for a long time and I was not the only one laughing. Great night out – captured the essence of the community. First big community gathering since COVID. What a way to celebrate!
Mary-Ann Brown
Sterling Place Hall Committee, Dunkeld
The Balmoral community in Western Victoria was delighted to welcome Damian Callinan in Mayor for a Day, performing to an eager audience in our country hall. We had an hilarious night with him re-imagining local folklore and yarns after days spent sleuthing around town. Damian’s show was a great night out for our isolated country community and we’ll always have him back!
Claire Ryan
Balmoral Mechanic’s Hall Committee