Five comedians. One stage. An obscure topic. A never seen before slide presentation. What’s that spell? TOD Talks.
Okay, it doesn’t, but that’s what we got at The Kingfisher on Wednesday night.
In the tradition of TED Talks, comedians Sweeney Preston, Alice, Nicholas Richard, Claire Robin and Dylan Harr, guided by host Owen Merriman, created their own TOD Talks. It was a night of storytelling, sh!t-talking, improv, competition and comedy.
Judged by the audience, the five were put through their paces. From debating the merits of Taxidermy as a way to change your life to scientifically reimagining lamingtons to create a blueprint for a brighter future (there was a Venn diagram!), TOD Talks was absurd yet hilarious.
Using his cruise ship experience, Sweeney opened the night by discussing Taxidermy. Did I leave believing it could change my life? Not so much. But I walked away confident I would integrate a new acronym in my day, OLA: Oh Lord Almighty!
Alice drew upon her mental health and wellbeing expertise to educate on the healing powers of Maggi Noodles. She reassured us that she “wouldn’t eat Trump, but I would eat noodles”. Honestly, same.
Nicholas used Sweeney’s cruise ship experience to discuss the Itchy Blanket Method*. His bar graph highlighted the importance of not over-saturating your underpants with an itchy blanket. Lessons were learnt.
Claire channelled childhood memories of her red tin house to provide the perfect lamington coconut to chocolate icing and cake ratio. We witnessed what too much coconut could do to someone. The horror!
Dylan inspired us with his vacuuming proficiency. He shared the technique that led to his becoming a TikTok star. Did it inspire me to film myself completing a mundane chore and post on social media
Absolutely not.
With only 0.02 points separating second and fifth places, Dylan was runner-up to Alice’s impressive 26.66/30 win.
If you’re up for a ride down the improv highway, where unpredictability and laughter go hand-in-hand, TOD Talks is the place for you.
*Not a real method