It was laughter that got Andrew Hamilton through jail time and moved him into an exciting new phase of life, and he is ready to bring his comedy to Lithgow.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Hamilton will be performing at The Workmen's Club on Saturday, March 23 as part of the second annual Lithgow Comedy Festival- A far cry from where he was just three years ago.
In 2021, Mr Hamilton found himself in remand with ample time for reflection. It would be his turning point.
" I had time to think about if I could start my life over again. What would I do differently? And, weirdly, the only answer in my head was stand-up comedy," Mr Hamilton said.
When Mr Hamilton received bail, he began attending open mic nights to cultivate his comedy skills.
"I went to my first open mic comedy night. And I had to bring my mum along because my bail conditions were that I wasn't allowed out of the house unless I was in the company of my parents," Mr Hamilton said.
Eventually, Mr Hamilton's bail conditions would be relaxed and his sentence came without further incarceration due to his pursuit of comedy.
"Part of the reason that kept me out of prison was that the judge liked that I was rehabilitating myself through comedy," Mr Hamilton said.
"That wasn't heard of before."
From that moment on Mr Hamilton's life would look completely different.
"Since then, I've been doing stand-up most nights and everything has just completely changed," He said.
"Now I get to travel around as a professional comedian, and it's amazing."
Mr Hamilton said he was excited when he was approached to perform at the Lithgow Comedy Festival due to his love for the Central West.
"I went to uni in Bathurst for three years. So I'm certainly a fan of the Central West," He said.
"The crowds out that way are so much fun. They like my brand of humour, slightly inappropriate, which is good."
According to Mr Hamilton, The Comedy Festival is an important event for the region as it brings the opportunity to reduce everyday stressors through laughter.
"When you get out to regional Australia, there's just not that many opportunities for comedy, Mr Hamilton said.
"But there's still a market for it, or everyone out there the same as anyone else, they still love to have a laugh."
"I think it's so important that those communities are still serviced."
Mr Hamilton said he is proud of his kind of comedy and how far he has come in three short years.
"I like to show people that just because people have gone to prison doesn't make them evil people. They're just people that make mistakes and are worthy of second chances," He said.
"That's a big part of why I hope my comedy is valued, but also I want to be able to show people with my comedy that you can screw up and you can make mistakes, but you can rehabilitate yourself as long as you don't give up."