Australia’s own gay comedy series, Gay and Loathing in Bris Vegas is but days away from episode one, turning out the country’s first TV homage to the progress we’ve made, one one hand and the comedy behind being a gay man, on the other.
Already a hit at festivals, the series recently opened the Brisbane Queer Film Festival and is in official selection at the Sicily Webfest and Web Series Festival Global in Los Angeles.
The show was even selected to compete in the the semi-finals of the International Online Web Festival.
The self-funded series was shot in Brisbane and the Gold Coast and was made with almost 40 local cast and crew. “It’s been the ‘Gone with the Wind’ of Australian web series”, say co-creator John Cahill.
“But, if recent audience reaction to the three episodes that screened at the Brisbane Queer Film Festival is anything to go by, we’ve managed to create a great product that is funny and engaging. You can’t ask for more. Except maybe for an Emmy!”
Set in Australia’s third largest city over a 2-day weekend, the series showcases the lives of 7 gay men as they traverse the cul-de-sacs of the sub-tropical suburbia (fondly referred to Barack Obama during the G20 Summit as Bris Vegas). The series is intentionally farcical, with the city a key character.
“We wanted to tell an intrinsically Brisbane story because the city often takes a backseat to Melbourne and Sydney”, says John. While the title and the synopsis might suggest otherwise, the writers are quick to point out that it is the characters that are gay, loathsome and boring, not Bris Vegas. The series is actually an endearing celebration of Brisbane. “It’s a joke that we weave into story to help paint the relationship some characters have with not only their friends but also their environment. The thing is, these characters might complain about living in this sub-tropical paradise with it’s man-made beach alongside the Brisbane river, but they would actually never leave”, John adds.
See Gay and Loathing in Bris Vegas on Sunday 24 March 2019 at 7pm EST on YouTube. And see more at their website.
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