Current Employment

Stand-up Comedian & Corporate Entertainer (2002-present)

Since Nelly left the full-time workforce to concentrate on performing and writing, she has performed consistently as a stand-up comedian & corporate speaker both locally and overseas. She also runs the highly successful Character Comedy room with Tanya Losanno.

 

In addition to doing various gigs at a variety of comedy venues, she has performed in and written for:

 

Festivals

2008

Melbourne International Comedy Festival: Nelly’s one-woman show "Nelly Thomas is not a Yummy Mummy" premiered as part of Comedy at Trades at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2008.

 

Nelly also performed in UpFront 13 – the Festival’s show-case of female comedic talent as well as opening night and other appearances at the Festival Club.

 

Cracker Comedy Festival Sydney: Nelly was invited to perform as part of the “Mother of all Galas” - Cracker’s show-case of female comedic talent. The show will air on The Comedy Channel on Mother’s Day, Sunday 11th May

 

Pending: "Nelly Thomas is not a Yummy Mummy" at Melbourne Fringe Festival September 2008

 

2007

Facilitator and Producer, Character Comedy, Melbourne Fringe Festival

 

Performer, UpFront 12 - a showcase of Australia's finest female comedians and the Melbourne Town Hall for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 

2006

"Family Ties": Nelly’s one-woman solo show premiered at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and then featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland

Performer, Roadshow - a national Australian tour of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's finest local and international comedians

 

2005

Director, Plan B

(written and performed by of Barry Award Winning Maria Bamford), Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 

Performer, Armidale Women’s Comedy Festival (NSW)Performer, Daylesford Writer’s Festival Words in Winter

 

Performer, UpFront 11 - a showcase of Australia's finest female comedians and the Melbourne Town Hall for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 

Performer, Roadshow - a national Australian tour of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's finest local and international comedians

 

Performer, Festival Club at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Creator, Producer and Performer of Character Comedy - featuring Australia's character comics every Sunday night at the Festival Club

 

2004

Performer, Comedy Zone - a show featuring 4 of Australia's best up-coming comedians produced by the Melbourne International Festival

 

Writer, Director and Performer of Betty Blues: A Comedy Show about Depression at the Melbourne Fringe Festival

 

Performer, The Festival Club at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 

Performer, UpFront 10 - a showcase of Australia's finest female comedians and the Melbourne Town Hall for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 

2003

Writer and Performer for Raw Prawns at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland

 

Performer, Birds on the Bill - showcasing the world's finest female comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

 

Writer and Performer for Hair Supply as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 

Performer, The Festival Club at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

 

National Winner - Triple J Raw Comedy Competition featuring over 700 aspiring comedians from all over Australia

 

Performer, Wet, Loud Laughs as part of the Melbourne Midsumma Festival.

 

Other performances at/for:

Comedy Work with Young People

In addition to writing and performing Nelly has a particular interest working with young people. This work has included:

Facilitator, Class Clowns:

Each year the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) runs workshops with young people all over Australia who are interested in becoming comedians. Nelly has designed and facilitated these workshops on behalf of the MICF all over Australia, including most recently in rural Victoria and Alice Springs.

Comedy Mentor, Risky Business:

Risky Business is an Australian Research Council project auspiced by the University of Melbourne School of Creative Arts. It aims to divert young people from high risk-taking behaviour by getting them involved in the arts. In 2004 Nelly was employed as an artistic mentor along with Rod Quantock and Brian Nankervis to assist the young people to write and perform a short comedy piece.

The Condom Dialogues and the No Means No Show:

In 2005 Nelly was commissioned by the Royal Women's Hospital to put together a show about safe sex for young women called The Condom Dialogues. This highly successful show has now toured all over the country. She was then asked to do another show about consent and sexual assault, also for young women called the No Means No Show which has also played to packed houses and toured the country.

 

Education and Training

Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in English Majors: English and Political Science

The University of Western Australia, 1997

Scriptwriting for Television

RMIT University, 2001

Scriptwriting for Television Comedy

University of Melbourne Summer School, 2004

Act!: Adult Drama Workshops

National Theatre Drama School, 2002

Effective Conflict Management: Strategic Responses to Threatening Situations

Occupational Services of Australia, 2001

ASISTA Mentoring and Friendship Training Program YWCA Victoria, 2001

Emergency First Aid Level 2

St John Ambulance Australia, 2001 (Updated 2007)

 

Past Employment

Nelly has had a rich and varied working life – from packing crayfish in a seafood factory to writing high-level education and welfare policy.

Some examples include:

Awards and Achievements

Selected to be mentored as an emerging artist

96f, CAE Mentorship Program, 2004

 

Volunteer Mentor

ASISTA Mentoring and Friendship Program for Young Women “at risk”, 2001-2006

 

Winner, National Grandfinal: Raw Comedy

Melbourne International Comedy Festival, 2003

 

Australian Postgraduate Award with Stipend

Commonwealth Government, 2000

 

Katherine Moss Prize in English Literature, 1998

Tom Collins Prize in Australian Literature, 1997

 

Published Work

Game, Set and Match. Comics in the DogHouse, Beat Magazine,

4 Feb 2004, Issue 896.

 

Online Learning and Innovation: A Discussion Paper. VTA Monograph Series 2:2, June 2001

 

Report to Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE: review of CGIT Key Performance Measurement System. Janelle Thomas & Associates, September 2001 (private & confidential)

 

Increasing education opportunities for young people in Victoria: A submission to the Ministerial Review into Post Compulsory Education and Training Pathways. VTA, March 2000.

 

Victoria’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship System: A Critical Analysis: A submission to the Review of the Quality of Training in Victoria’s Apprenticeships and Traineeship System. VTA, April 2000.

 

Educational Autonomy: TAFE and Autonomy – Beyond Corporate Governance. VTA Monograph Series 1:1, July 2000.

 

Key Performance Measures in Vocational Education and Training: A Discussion Paper. VTA Monograph Series 1:2, October 2000.

 

Response Paper: Proposed Changes to the Australian Recognition Framework Audit and Registered Training Organisation Registration Standards. VTA, October 2000.

 

“The Cultural Practice of Australian Autobiography: Community Gate-keeping in the Australia Council.” Conference paper published in conference proceedings, Preambles and Postscripts: Contesting Australia in the Academy, 24-25 June, 1999, Graduate Centre, University of Melbourne

 

The quality of vocational education and training in Victoria: A submission to the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education Committee. November 2000.

 

Education Kit: A Resource for the Queer Community. GLCS, WA

 

Grey Matters

Catalogue essay for the exhibition Grey Matter(s) by Western Australian artist Matthew Hunt held at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art

 

Emerging Piglets

Satirical Essay as part of an exhibition by the Verge Inc. Gallery in Perth, Western Australia funded by the Australia Council’s “Emerging Artists” initiative

 

Queer(y)ing Representation & Identity Politics in the (Out)back

Honours Dissertation, University of Western Australia

 

Hot Gos

Regular Contributor & Sub-editor (1996)

 

Damsel

Editor/Regular Contributor (1996)

 

Peafowl

Member of sub-editorial committee (1994)

Writer of regular column - Dear Thomas (Satirical column answering questions on the Bronte sisters)

 

Public Speaking (non-comedy)

An afternoon with Janelle Thomas – Online Learning and the Digital Divide: rhetoric or reality

Presented by the SA TAFE Equity Standing Committee Thursday 18th October 2001

 

Online Learning and the Digital Divide: Workshop

Presented by the Learnscope Access & Equity Committee

Friday 19th October 2001

 

Convene, facilitate and write papers for a quarterly seminar series, The

VTA Monograph Series Luncheon Seminar

State Government of Victoria, Audit of 1999 Contracted Training Delivery

Represented the VTA

William Angliss Institute of TAFE, 28th January 2000

 

Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education Committee hearing on The Quality of Vocational Education and Training in Australia

Represented the VTA Holmesglen Institute of TAFE, 27th March 2000

 

Panel hearing convened by the Ministerial Review into Post Compulsory Education and Training Pathways

Represented the VTA

William Angliss Institute of TAFE, 14th April 2000

 

Forum on TAFE Institute Performance Measures for Business Managers and other select staff

Convened and facilitated the forum and discussion

Box Hill Institute of TAFE, 19th September 2000

 

Forum on the principles underpinning the TAFE sector in Victoria for Institute staff Convened and facilitated the forum and discussion Sunraysia Institute of TAFE, 21 September 2000

 

State Government Forum to hear provider views on Proposed Changes to the Australian Recognition Framework Audit and Registered Training Organisation Registration Standards. Represented the VTA & provided a presentation on Members’ views

Office of Post-Compulsory Education, Training and Employment, State Government of Victoria, 26 October 2000

 

Victorian TAFE Association’s Strategic Planning Weekend

Provided policy and project management advice to the VTA Board and Executive The Stables Conference Centre, Red Hill, 17-19th November 2000

 

“The Cultural Practice of Australian Autobiography: Community Gate-keeping in the Australia Council.” Conference paper presented at, Preambles and Postscripts: Contesting Australia in the Academy, 24-25 June, 1999, Graduate Centre, University of Melbourne

 

Queer Film in the (Out)back.

Queeries: A Queer Forum (Public Conference by the 1997 Pride Festival, W.A.)

 

Queerying Seinfeld: Sexual Identity and Popular Culture

NOWSA 1996 (Network of Women Students of Australia)

Plenary written & presented

 

Art is Life (6EB-A FM)

Regular Guest on Perth cultural community radio show Art is Life, 1995

 

 

Nelly Thomas